Forget BIM, Forget ISO, ….

Sure, BIM and ISO have their role, but neither provides a robust, usable methodology and associated suite of tools and services to consistently deliver quality facilities repair, renovation, and construction projects on-time, on-budget, and to the satisfaction of all participants and stakeholders. Today’s article will explain how any real property owner or facilities manager can team with their service providers and consistently achieve measurably improved, mutually beneficial construction project outcomes; from planning to execution and beyond!

Talking about collaboration and actually working in a truly collaborative environment supported by LEAN processes, workflows, current actionable and standardized information and digital technology are two very different things.

We at Four BT and our partners atBuilding in Cloud , have been inspired by this concept from the beginning.

LEAN processes, workflows and operational tools for the full involvement of all participants in the building process are now available embedded within technology and consequently drive greater overall productivity.   This supports greater consistency, enhanced learning, and continuous improvement. This integration has previously been unavailable or unaware to most real property owners. Many owners in fact have been “distracted” by the 3D visualization aspects of BIM, rather then focus upon an integrated management approach that truly enables the transparent control of time, costs, and quality of work.

All key elements for a project’s success can be available within and integrated LEAN process and technology enabled environment.

The traditional lack of cooperation and coordination has be mainly due to inefficient communication between the parties, lack of commonly shared standardized information, and antagonistic construction planning, procurement, and delivery methods. These common core causes of project failure can now be virtually eliminated.

Once owner leadership and awareness has improved to enable an understanding and ability to deploy LEAN processes,  significant productivity gains will be realized.

While an overall increase in the productivity of 40%-60% can be achieved today, it requires fundamental changes in organizational behaviors.
Leadership, especially on the part of the Client, must be expresseda shared work practice.  The objectives and the benefits that collaboration enables must ultimately be clear, accepted, shared, and measurable from the outset.

A measurable, structured approach to project workflow and information flow based on the availability of up-to-date and shared information, must drive for the restructuring of digitally-supported processes and procedures.  The end goal is to allow all the project participants and stakeholders understand expected outcome as well as their specific roles and responsibilities.  Full availability and transparency of information drives the timing, costs and expected quality and consequently provides the ability introduce the corrective measures to bring the project back in line with expectations.

Key tools required for the success of the project include a written Operations Manual or Execution Plan, a document that must clearly contain the roles, responsibilities, process, and specific outcomes and common data environment (CDE), inclusive of a locally researched detailed line item unit price book Both are shared within a common digital environment and supported by initial and ongoing mandatory training.

4BT-PE Building in Cloud offers these possibilities, manages the Team, structures the information and information models, as well as controls and digitally manages procedures and processes throughout the phased life-cycle of the work.

If you want to find out how all this can become a reality for your organization, simply contact us.