Professor Charles Eastman from the United States was the first to introduce the concept of Building Information Modeling (BIM). This concept encompasses various aspects of a project’s lifecycle, including geometric details, functional characteristics, component performance, scheduling, construction processes, as well as maintenance and operation information.
Eastman defined BIM as a method that integrates digital and visualization technologies to manage information related to engineering projects. The Facility Information Committee (FIC), a division of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), describes BIM as a computable representation of the physical, functional, and lifecycle information of facilities. This representation is based on open industry standards and is designed to support decision-making and increase the overall value of engineering projects. This definition is widely accepted within the industry. According to FIC, BIM consolidates all project information into a well-organized data system that can be accessed or modified by compatible software.
The Foundation of BIM-Based Engineering Project Management
The practical value of BIM in engineering projects demonstrates that, in theory, BIM can significantly enhance the depth of data utilization in project management. It can also improve the efficiency of traditional methods for acquiring engineering data, thereby addressing key challenges in project oversight. However, the geometric, physical, and functional information stored in BIM models has yet to be fully leveraged in project management workflows, which results in inefficiencies and a lower level of informatization.
One major reason for this gap is that BIM data is often not linked to essential project management information such as scheduling, resource allocation, and cost control. To boost the effectiveness of conventional project management, it’s crucial to first establish a BIM model and create connections between BIM data and traditional project management information. This integration is the cornerstone of BIM-based project management.
Accordingly, this study analyzed the relationships within traditional engineering project management data and the data structure of BIM. It found that traditional project management data is organized around tasks, while BIM data is carried by model elements (referred to hereafter as BIM model components). Therefore, the key to implementing BIM-based project management lies in effectively associating BIM model components with the corresponding project tasks.
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