The Root of BIM Problems: Poor Information Requirements

How to Define Clear, Actionable Information Requirements and Stop Projects Derailing at the Start

Most project problems do not begin at handover. They begin right at the start, when information requirements are vague, poorly structured, or left too late. The statistics are alarming - 90% of project data is scattered and unstructured, and 96% of it is never actually used to deliver value. That is not just a statistic. It is the root of why projects slip, teams get frustrated, and people spend more time chasing information than using it.

The problem starts with how requirements are recorded. Owners say "we want a model" but rarely define what kind of model, for what purpose, and what data is actually needed. If the requirements end up in a spreadsheet, they might be flexible but they are rarely structured enough to be practical for the teams at the other end. Often they are an afterthought, done too late, and end up in a format nobody fully understands. When information is then shared in a "throw it over the wall" approach - flung across in a package with no accountability and no verification - scope gets missed and problems multiply downstream.

This Boot Camp session shows how to fix that by focusing on three key areas aligned with the ISO 19650 planning stages (opens in a new tab): appointing information leadership, defining clear exchange information requirements (EIR) driven by organisational, project, and asset needs, and making sure delivery teams have the capability and capacity to meet those requirements through a collaborative pre-appointment process.

In the live demo, you see how Plannerly's template library and smart fields (opens in a new tab) let you start a new project with a single click, bringing in structured document sections that are ready for collaborative editing. Instead of copying a Word document from a shared drive and manually highlighting fields, each section has dedicated smart fields that drive data across all documents - enter the project start date once and it populates everywhere it is needed. The Scope module (opens in a new tab) then takes this further, allowing you to define structured containers of information requirements - geometry, descriptions, checklists, costs, and placeholder documents - all connected to classification standards like Uniclass through the buildingSMART Data Dictionary.

The session also demonstrates how prospective teams (opens in a new tab) can be invited into the project at tender stage with carefully controlled permissions. Each prospective team sees only their own workspace - they cannot see other bidding teams or their responses. Document sections can be restricted so only certain teams have access, and the whole commenting, sharing, and approval workflow (opens in a new tab) happens in one place rather than across 10 different email chains and markup tools. This is what turns a contract into a collaborative agreement.

Key steps for defining actionable information requirements

1. Set up and manage your templates - create a template project (opens in a new tab) with curated document sections and smart fields that your team maintains centrally, so every new project starts from a consistent, up-to-date foundation
2. Create a new project from templates - start a project with one click, importing structured documents and scope definitions from your template library with selective control over what you bring in
3. Use smart fields to drive data across documents - define fields like project name, start date, and custom content once and let them populate automatically across every document section where they are used
4. Define structured scope requirements - use the Scope module (opens in a new tab) to create containers of requirements with geometry definitions, checklists, cost fields, descriptions, and placeholder documents rather than overloading spreadsheet columns
5. Connect to classification standards - link your scope to the buildingSMART Data Dictionary using Uniclass or other classification systems so every element follows a consistent, standards-based naming structure
6. Invite prospective teams with controlled access - add bidding teams as prospective members with specific permissions (opens in a new tab) so they can only see and edit what you allow, keeping the tender process secure and fair
7. Collaborate through comments and approvals - use threaded comments, section assignments, and status workflows (pending, proposed, approved) to move from draft requirements to a collaborative agreement without leaving the platform

What you'll learn

• Why poor planning causes downstream project pain - understanding that vague requirements, scattered data, and unclear ownership are the root of most delivery problems
• How templates and smart fields reduce setup time - seeing how Plannerly's template system (opens in a new tab) replaces copied Word documents and manual highlighting with structured, reusable starting points
• Why scope containers are better than spreadsheets - learning how geometry, checklists, costs, and documents can all live in one structured container (opens in a new tab) rather than across dozens of spreadsheet columns
• How prospective team permissions keep tenders secure - managing multiple bidding teams on the same project with isolated access and controlled visibility
• How collaborative comments and approvals replace email chaos - moving from scattered markup across email, Bluebeam, and chat into one tracked, threaded workflow with clear status tracking

Common questions