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Use cases LOD and LOIN at scale

Use case - LOD and LOIN at scale

Say who models what, to what level, by when - for every element

Scoping LOD and LOIN at scale means stating, for every element and milestone, who models it, to what level of detail and information, and by when. In Plannerly that's one grid: elements down the side, milestones across, requirements and an owner in every cell, built from classifications and templates.

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Plannerly Scope: a panel partition system at its milestone, with its level of detail, owning team and status and a tick for each required property, above the project's list of requirements

The problem

The LOD matrix nobody can read

Sound familiar?

It started as a tidy spreadsheet

Elements down the side, stages across, a level in each cell. Then a second building, a third consultant and a new classification arrive, and it's thousands of rows in four versions. Nobody reads it, so everyone models to their own idea of LOD 300.

How it works

How to scope every element, with an owner and a date, step by step

  1. Structure the project

    Build the breakdown from Uniclass, Uniformat, OmniClass, your own classification or the buildingSMART Data Dictionary, or drag in a template or a past project. Your milestones go across the top.

    Every element and milestone on one grid

  2. Set the level

    In each cell, set what that element needs at that milestone: the level of detail, the properties and values, and the documents. AI can draw each level of geometry, so everyone sees what 'detailed' means.

    One agreed level per element, per milestone

  3. Give every cell an owner

    Assign each cell to a team and a person, with dates. Copy what you've set to similar cells in a click, and save each team's part as a work package it can see on its own.

    Who models what, and by when

  4. Share it and check it

    Export the matrix to PDF for signature, to Excel, or as an IDS file. The same requirements then check every model in Verify, so the scope you agreed is the scope you check.

    The scope becomes the checks

Every element and milestone on one grid

Disciplines down the side, milestones across, and a level, a status and a team in every cell.

    Plannerly Scope: elements by work package across preconstruction and operation, above the master information delivery plan
    Plannerly Scope: the requirements on a basic wall, with AcousticRating in Pset_WallCommon set to a number between 30 and 40 dB
    Plannerly Scope: a basic wall at the preconstruction milestone, with its status, team, checklists, information requirements and activity history

    Free live webinar

    Episode 3: the ten building blocks every requirement hangs on

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    Oct22Thu

    How to survive as a BIM Manager

    Surviving ISO 19650 Information Requirements with AI

    10:00New York 15:00London 18:00Dubai
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    A free 45-minute webinar on Zoom: the building blocks every requirement hangs on.One sign-up covers the whole season, and the replay follows here.

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    Scope your first discipline this week: a starter scope and three free PDFs

    Free download

    Scope at Scale Survival Kit: a starter project and 3 PDFs

    Everything to scope LOD and LOIN the way this page does: a starter scope with elements, milestones and requirements, and three free PDFs on combining LOD, LOIN and LOA, setting requirements and roles, and the detailed responsibility matrix.

    • 1 starter project
    • 3 PDFs
    • Free

    Scope starter project

    A classified breakdown with milestones across the top, levels and requirements in the cells, ready for your own elements.

    Open in Plannerly Free account, no card needed.
    PDF Integrating LOD, Level of Information Need and LOA.pdfHow LOD, LOIN and LOA fit together in one scope PDF BIM Boot Camp - Requirements and Roles slides.pdfSetting requirements and responsibilities early, from BIM Boot Camp PDF ISO 19650 Detailed Responsibility Matrix.pdfWho delivers what, to what level, and when

    Case studies

    How reiSource cut scope prep from 8 hours to 2, and two more teams that scope at scale

    A VDC consultancy that cut scope prep from 8 hours to 2, a global architecture practice managing structured BIM requirements across its portfolio, and a design firm now handling projects 30 times larger.

    • United States

      5x growth · 60% faster

      VDC workflows streamlined

      Five tools gone, one source of truth

      reiSource · VDC consultancy

      Replaced 5 disconnected tools with one platform. Scope prep dropped from 8 hours to 2 and the team scaled from 3 to 15 without compromising quality.

      What we used to do with five tools, we now do with one, and with more consistency.
      Christopher Allen, Co-founder · reiSource
      • VDC
      • Tool consolidation
      • Scale-up
    • United Kingdom

      Global practice

      World-leading architecture studio

      Making global BIM scope visible

      Foster + Partners · Architecture

      One of the world's most celebrated architecture studios uses Plannerly to manage structured BIM requirements across their global portfolio of landmark projects.

      Trusted by one of the world's most iconic architecture practices to manage BIM requirements at a global scale.

      • Architecture
      • Global
      • BIM Management
    • Hungary

      8x growth

      6 → 50+ engineers · −10% costs

      From Excel chaos to ISO 19650 at scale

      BuildEXT · General design firm

      Grew from 6 employees to 50+ engineers across 4 departments. Now handles projects 30x larger with 10% lower construction and FM costs.

      I cannot imagine using Excel or Word to start writing a BIM contract anymore.
      András Ábele-Nagy, Head of BIM · BuildEXT
      • SME
      • ISO 19650
      • Scale-up

    See all case studiesOwners, design teams, contractors, consultants and educators - filter them by your kind of organisation.

    Setup guides

    Set up your LOD and LOIN scope in Plannerly, step by step

    Short Help Center guides that walk you through each step in Plannerly. Open one beside the app and follow along.

    Structure the project

    Set the level

    Give every cell an owner

    Share it and check it

    Learn it properly

    Level 1 - BIM Management Basics

    Visualizing BIM/LOD/Information Requirements

    Open the lesson

    Free lessons

    Learn to scope LOD and LOIN free, one short lesson at a time

    Level 1 lesson · Structure the project

    Defining your classification structure

    The breakdown every element hangs on - Uniclass, Uniformat or your own - so nothing falls between two lists.

     Level 1 lesson · Set the level

    Defining information exchange milestones

    The stages across the top of the grid, and what each element must reach by each one.

     Level 1 lesson · Owners and status

    Quickly assigning requirements and status

    Give hundreds of cells their requirements, a team and a status in a few clicks, so nobody has to guess who owns what.

     Level 1 · Free

    BIM Management Basics

    Docs, Scope and Verify, from the first requirement to the first model check, with a free certificate. 16,600+ learners have taken our free courses.

    4.92 (2,759 ratings) 1h 9m

    Read more

    LOD and LOIN explained

    LOIN in BIM, explained

    Level of information need: geometry, information and documentation, with a worked example.

    Guide

    LOD scales and ISO 19650

    LOD numbers or plain language: the options, and when each one works.

    Guide

    LOD, LOIN and LOA together

    How the three fit together, and how IDS turns them into checks.

    Guide

    Plannerly Scope

    The scoping software behind this page.

    Product

    Levels of development, LOD 100 to 500

    What each LOD means, and how to use them on a project.

    Guide

    Creating a responsibility matrix

    Who delivers what: the matrix behind every scope.

    Guide

    Questions

    Scoping LOD and LOIN: your questions, answered

    What is a LOD matrix?
    A LOD matrix lists every model element down the side and every project stage across the top, with the level of development each element must reach at each stage and who models it. It's also called a model element table or model progression specification, and the LOD levels usually follow the BIMForum specification. LOD 100 to 500, explained.
    How do I build a LOIN matrix for a whole project?
    Start from structure, not a blank sheet. Pick a classification, set your milestones, then define for each element and milestone the geometry, the information and the documentation it needs, as level of information need describes. Reuse what you can: drag in a template or a past project, and copy one cell's requirements to similar cells. Model progression and delivery matrices in Scope.
    LOD or LOIN: which should I use?
    Whichever your client asks for, and often both. LOD describes how developed an element is; LOIN, from ISO 19650 and ISO 7817, describes exactly which geometry, information and documentation are needed, and why. Plannerly holds both in the same grid. LOD, LOIN and LOA explained and LOD scales and ISO 19650.
    What's the difference between an MPDT, a TIDP and a responsibility matrix?
    Mostly the name. A model production and delivery table, a TIDP or MIDP, a responsibility matrix and the information production schedule coming with the ISO 19650 updates are the same kind of thing: requirements organised by what's delivered and by stage, with who delivers it. Build it once in Scope, and each one is a view or an export of the same data. Read the explainer, or the UK BIM Framework guidance on information delivery planning.
    Which classification systems can I use?
    Uniclass, Uniformat, OmniClass, NRM, Revit categories and many regional systems, or your own. You can also connect the buildingSMART Data Dictionary so element names and properties follow shared definitions. See work breakdown structures in Scope and connecting the bSDD.
    Can I reuse my scope on every project?
    Yes. Every folder, element, classification and requirement is reusable: open the template library, choose what to bring over (teams, milestones, checklists, requirements, descriptions and custom fields) and drag it into the new project. Importing scope from a template.
    How do I show each team what it has to model?
    Give every cell a team and a person, with dates, and filter the grid by team so each one sees its own scope. Save those filters as work packages, and each team can schedule its part on the timeline. Scheduling scope with work packages and the responsibility matrix.
    How do I handle zones, levels or several buildings?
    Use whichever fits: milestones or milestone groups per zone, folders per building duplicated from one template, or a custom location field you can filter by. Representing locations in Plannerly.
    Can I import my existing LOD or LOIN spreadsheet?
    Yes. Import with AI reads Excel, CSV, PDF or Word files and turns the rows into Scope elements and milestone cells, which you review before anything is created. You can export the scope back to Excel at any time. Export scope to Excel.
    Can I check models against the scope?
    Yes - that's the point of writing it as data. Export the requirements as an IDS file so authors can check their own models, and Verify checks every delivered model against the same requirements automatically. Check every model with IDS.
    Can I export the matrix for the contract?
    Yes. Export the grid, the timeline and each task's details to PDF for signature, the scope data to Excel, or the requirements as an IDS file. Export options.

    Pricing

    Start free, and bring every team in as an editor on Pro

    Free $0forever
    • Five projects included
    • The account owner edits; everyone they invite can view
    • 100 MB of project files
    • Explore Docs, Scope and Verify
    • Build your scope grid and invite people to view it
    Start free
    5 projects included free Pro
    Choose your modules
    $249/ month
    • Five projects included
    • Unlimited editors and viewers
    • 50 GB of project files
    • Your branding on everything you export
    • Each project beyond five: $49 a month
    • Unlimited editors and viewers
    • Export the matrix with your own branding
    • AI included, for drafting and images
    • Try Pro free for 14 days, no card
    Start free, then try Pro for 14 days

    Prices in US dollars. You'll see the price for your country in the app.

    Your next job

    Next: check every model against the scope you set

    The scope says what each element must carry at each milestone. Export it as an IDS file, and every model can be checked against it automatically, element by element.

    1. Scope LOD and LOIN at scale (done)
    2. Check every model with IDS (next)
    3. Connect your CDE
    Check models with IDS next