Implementing a BIM project involves various key roles and responsibilities. Clear division of labor is essential for the smooth progress of the project. Today, let’s discuss which roles are necessary for BIM project implementation and what their responsibilities are.
1. BIM Owner Representative
Owners need to define the final delivery requirements for project data. They should assess their current information needs for operation and maintenance, and specify the data required to support those needs. It’s also important to consider how BIM will facilitate future facility management and operation, then develop requirements accordingly.
At a minimum, main equipment should be described in terms of characteristics such as style, model, manufacturer, and serial number. Additional details might include warranty information, parts lists, maintenance schedules, and manufacturer contact information.
For large and complex projects, the owner should appoint a BIM representative who has a thorough understanding of BIM and Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR). This BIM representative should at least:
- Represent the owner’s needs and effectively communicate them to other stakeholders.
- Act as the primary liaison between the owner and the project BIM manager, addressing all BIM-related issues.
- Oversee the implementation of BIM requirements throughout all project stages, from planning and construction to the start of operations.
- Receive, review, and approve BIM deliverables.
2. BIM Project Manager
A dedicated BIM project manager should be assigned to each project. Sometimes, multiple BIM managers may be involved—for example, one leading BIM for design and another for construction (see Figure 1). The BIM project manager must have adequate BIM training and experience relevant to the project’s scale and complexity, as well as proficiency in the BIM modeling and collaboration software used.
If the owner does not designate a BIM representative, the project BIM manager serves as the main point of contact for all BIM-related matters within the project team. At every project stage, the BIM project manager is responsible for:
- Creating and updating the project execution plan (PxP) based on the OPR guidance.
- Verifying that deliverables comply with PxP requirements.
- Coordinating updates for individual models, discipline-specific models, and databases.
- Implementing project quality and data security management.
- Developing, coordinating, publishing, and validating all configurations necessary for data integration.
- Facilitating project data distribution.
- Compiling project data for review and coordination.
- Supporting design review processes.
3. BIM Leaders for Specific Disciplines
Each discipline or trade involved in the project should assign a BIM leader for the project duration. These leaders must have BIM experience suited to the project’s complexity and maintain continuous communication with the project BIM manager.
The responsibilities of these discipline-specific BIM leaders include:
- Serving as the primary BIM contact for their discipline.
- Exchanging development and management models.
- Maintaining and managing the integrity of the models.
- Performing other tasks necessary to support the project execution plan and contractual requirements.
- Meeting with relevant project stakeholders to review handover documents.
- Delivering models and facility data to owners for operational use.
That wraps up our overview of the essential roles in BIM project implementation and their responsibilities. I hope this article proves helpful! For more related content, check out BIM Positions.
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up