New BIM Quality Assurance Check and Grading Is Popular with GCs and Architects Alike!

 

When we introduced our model checking service last month during a Fridays with Vico webinar, we never expected the response.  Already, we’ve worked on new projects around the world!

 

So for those of you who missed the webinar discussion, we wanted to restate the business case for the service we call Quality Assessment and Refinement for BIM models.

 

Owners, design teams, subs, and builders all want the same efficiency – we all want to be able to re-use the design team’s BIM model for construction.  But there is a difference between a design-intent model and a means and methods model for construction.  So we ask the question: is it possible for a design model to straddle both disciplines?  Can we repurpose a design model for construction coordination,  planning, and estimating?

 

Vico has developed a specialized quality check for BIM models.  This quality check grades a BIM model based on eight separate modeling disciplines. A grade of 75% or higher means that a model can be re-purposed for construction.

 

Caption: This "report card" grades the model for completeness against 8 different modeling disciplines.  We also rate its completeness for 4D scheduling and 5D estimating and calculate its grade per element per system.  This report card shows the overall grade for Structural Walls based on the level of detail specified by the client.

 

This is a flat-fee service priced at $2,000 and takes ten business days to complete.  All we need to get started is the project drawings, the BIM(s), and a signed contract.  This is a very reasonable cost and turn-around time for the project stakeholders to learn whether or not the BIM model(s) can be re-used throughout the project lifecycle.  After all, the Owner shouldn’t have to pay for one model for visualization and design intent…and yet another set of BIMs to gain the construction efficiencies.

 

The Quality Assessment and Refinement Service includes a report detailing the modeled systems and the problems we have found, which are typically consistent throughout the rest of the model.  This independent third-party report allows you and the project stakeholders to make an informed decision: should you repair the model?  Should you start over with a content plan and model progression specification?  Or, if time is of the essence, should you ask Vico’s expert modelers to complete the BIMs? 

 

Over the past five years, we have been fortunate to work on thousands of BIM models for our customers’ projects.  The scope of these projects have ranged from simple fly-through models to comprehensive 5D projects for the world’s most advanced new hospitals, stadiums, museums, and transit systems.  Committed to Six Sigma quality practices, Vico has developed this rigorous interrogation system for BIM models.  Take advantage of this third-party independent evaluation for your project.

 

After all, if one project asset can contribute construction-caliber quantities, flowline scheduling and on-site production control with quantities by location, comprehensive estimates and budget tracking, preconstruction coordination and offsite prefabrication, and detailed 2D installation drawings, why would you accept anything less than perfect?

 

Make your project’s BIM model supply all of the above and all the construction efficiencies that come with it. Let us know if we can help.

 

 

Video Caption: How can you tell if a design team's or sub's model can be used for construction purposes like coordination, scheduling, and estimating? Easy -- get it graded!  Vico has developed the Quality Assurance and Refinement service -- basically a report card for your BIM model. We interrogate your model across eight different aspects and grade it for use in construction. Any grade below 75% requires some re-work to get it up to snuff. But we outline all the issues and go through them with you step by step in our summary report. When this service is combined with our Coordination Resolution service, we use these updated models as the background and start identifying and fixing any clashes.

 

For more information, please utilize the following resources:

Blog: What Can Be Done to Improve Model Fidelity?

Service: BIM Model Quality Assurance and Refinement

Webinar: Model Checking and Grading

Webinar: Coordination Resolution

Webinar: Model Progression Specification 3.0

Vico Office 3.2 Is Available

 

The newest point release of the award-winning Vico Office Suite is ready for download. 

  

Each point release we offer is production-ready software that you can trust your business on.  And we are defining Release 3.2 as a mandatory upgrade for our customers as a result of all the customer enhancements (275 to be exact) that have been implemented.  All the modules of Vico Office have been improved because of your feedback.  Thank you!

 

Here are several of the new features:

 

Vico Office Client: As you know, we already support ArchiCAD, CAD-Duct, IFC, Revit, SketchUp, Tekla, and 3D DWGs with our publishers and importers.  This release is updated to work with the latest versions of Tekla 17, ArchiCAD 15, and Revit 2012. 

 

Specifically for ArchiCAD Users we also support element status such as demolish or existing. This enhancement automatically provides demolished and new construction takeoff quantities based on the CAD element properties.  Tekla Users will also be pleased with the improvements in the publisher and the support for geometry and element type.  Our close relationship with Tekla has resulted in better quantity takeoffs and model activation options.  As for Revit our users will find improved support for geometry and linked Revit models.  We also have a new version of the IFC Importer with improved support for quantities and the ability to import multiple files in one step.

 

Also in the Client are improvements to the Report Editor, many which come directly from customers.  We now provide a more flexible solution in tune with real-world projects containing thousands of elements, takeoff items, and costs.  The new release offers better support for Tags, the option to include information about active models’ names/versions, and many other features including a cost report of activated assemblies only.  And don’t forget that many report templates are ready for you to use – just check the installation folder; in most cases the structure is C:\Program Files\Vico Software\Vico Office (x64)\Report Templates.

 

Be sure to review the archived Fridays with Vico webinar on Reporting to see these new features.

 

Many customers will appreciate the updates we have given the filtering, properties, and workflow palettes.  Now users can dock, pin, or float the palettes any place on their screens or even second screens.  Now using the palettes for filtering is much more convenient.

 

We also greatly improved the flexibility of Pack and Unpack.  This feature helps geographically-dispersed teams share project data.

 

Work as One: This enhanced functionality allows multiple team members to work on the same project at the same time.  Each sees edits simultaneously as if they are one user.  This means immediate feedback and teams working even faster as deadlines loom.

 

Takeoff Manager: We greatly improved quantity calculations – and as you know, quantities are the lynchpin of all downstream activities.  For example, curved surfaces can now be painted in one click so quantities can be more easily assigned.

 

Cost Planner:  Now, at the request of several customers, Cost Planner also supports negative values so there is more flexibility handling cost item details.  We also offer Users the ability to edit comments/delete saved cost versions – this helps users remove redundant cost versions.

 

Schedule Planner: We included a major performance improvement in Schedule Planner to better handle large-scale projects with high levels of detail.  

 

Vico Office Training Videos: We developed a series of tutorial videos from the Scheduler’s point of view.  These videos, only 2-5 minutes in length, are designed to help Customers learn the features that enhance the Scheduling workflow.  Approximately 40 videos walk the user through setting up the schedule, adding locations and location systems, mapping tasks, defining sequence logic, schedule optimization, schedule communication tools, and even procurement planning.  We encourage all Customers (and Community members) to walk through the videos step-by-step.  With so many Schedulers investigating location-based management systems, these videos are factual and comprehensive and present BIM-based scheduling in an easy-to-learn format.

 

Also new at Vico is the Customer Success Plan.  The Vico Customer Success Plan is a structured regimen of training, content, consulting, and support designed to accelerate your firm's success with 5D BIM.  So if Vico Office training is on your To-Do-List for the New Year, consider the Success Plan – a whole year’s worth of executive workshops, software training, mentoring, and support at a very reasonable price.

 

If you need any assistance with the download link, just let us know – we are more than happy to help your team.  You do not need a new license file – just the download link – the Vico Office R3.0 license remains valid for all R3.x releases.

 

We hope you appreciate the new, predictable release schedule with Vico Office.  We are positive that more issues will be resolved in a timely manner and Customers can be assured that production-ready construction management software is just a click away.

What's Your 2012 Resolution?

 

Here are five resolutions we’ve heard from GCs and Builders around the world…and they all roll up to just one theme: win more business. 

 

Resolution #1: We want to start working with more BIM-enabled design teams.

One of our favorite data points from the McGraw-Hill BIM SmartMarket Report is, “BIM users would rather work with strangers who know BIM than with friends that don't."  At Vico, we offer two ways to help GCs start working with design teams:

 

MPS Workshops.  Vico has rolled out workshops for the GC and their design team focused on the Model Progression Specification.  This means that everyone will contribute their piece of the building model at the agreed upon level of detail, at the agreed upon time, and follow agreed upon modeling and naming conventions.  After all, in order to get rich and meaningful data out of your BIM models, you need to model it in.  Sign up for the January 27^th Fridays with Vico webinar on the subject and learn how you can start preparing for your next project.

 

Model-Checking Service.  Have you already received models for a project, but didn’t do an MPS first?  We can examine, interrogate, and grade the models to see if they can be repurposed for construction coordination, scheduling, and estimating.  It’s a flat fee service with a ten-day turn-around time and we grade the viability of the model across eight aspects.  We provide a report detailing the major problems we uncover and the project team can decide the next steps.

 

Resolution #2: We want to use a more Lean coordination process that saves us time and money.

Clash detection with coordination is great starting point for GCs.  Let’s face it – it’s low-hanging fruit.  If you can organize the drawings and models, you can help the subs prefabricate more materials off-site and create a smoother installation on-site.  But have you noticed that sometimes the process (or lack of process) creates more clashes than you start out with?  Sometimes fixing one clash creates two or three more downstream and the process can get contentious as you keep pushing clashes to the subs.  At Vico, we have a clear way around this bottleneck – it’s a tried-and-tested technique we would like to share with you:

 

Coordination Resolution.  Not only is it 40% faster than traditional clash and coordination, but it is also much more streamlined.  It’s actually a Lean Construction approach to coordination: we work on one system at a time, moving elements only within rules of the System Priority Structure, and documenting only the most difficult clashes for the design team.  Sign up for the January 20^th Fridays with Vico webinar to learn more.

 

Shop Drawings.  Two of the natural deliverables from the Coordination Resolution Service are built in collaboration with the subcontractors and high-quality 2D drawings.

 

6D Models.  Another deliverable that falls out of this Lean process is a 6D model.  Now, the highly-detailed models include submittals from the design team and material preferences from the subcontractors creating an as-built, or 6D model.

 

Resolution #3: We want to offer our Owners a different building experience – a highly-visual one where they can see everything going on with the project at once.

In an industry that’s built upon reputation, this is an important resolution to nail.  It’s easy to forget that Owners aren’t necessarily building experts (or can even read a set of drawings), so it’s important to provide them information that is easily consumable, easily digestible.  After all, if they have a great experience with you on the high-rise, they’ll come back to you for the stadium, the museum, and tell their friend about you for the hospital.  Vico can help you work towards this goal, too:

 

Better Reporting.  Because Vico Office is an integrated database of 3D geometry, 4D schedules, and 5D costs, we can report on any and all combinations of field values for the project.  This means the Owner’s favorite: cost- and resource-loaded schedules.  This means cost variance reports for comparing two difference design ideas.  This means cash flow reports.  This means popping up one screen and showing the Owner where you would be changing materials; the quantity of that material; and the cost line item for that material and its labor.  And imagine being able to do this on the fly instead of rummaging through stacks of spreadsheets and drawings.  Be sure to register for our Fridays with Vico webinar on January 13^th where we will highlight the Vico Office Reporting Engine.

 

Resolution #4: We want to better understand how 4D and 5D BIM would impact our firm – what changes in the schedulers’ and estimators’ workflows and where the efficiencies are.

This is a fabulous resolution because we have seen the benefits of this transformation with our customers.  We have seen our customers literally pick the jobs they wanted to win, develop the best plans, recruit the best teams, execute more effectively in the field, and deliver a new and exciting owner experience.  And we make it as easy as we can for your team to investigate our integrated construction management solution.  We call it:

 

The Structured Evaluation Program.  We offer a 30-day Structured Evaluation Program for GCs and CMs. The Program gives construction professionals the chance to learn Vico Office and test its functionality in 30-days with training, support, and peer review.  We help you experience how estimators and schedulers work together on the same project – where the handoffs are – and how teams speed results for pursuits, preconstruction, and operations.  If your team is serious, we’re ready to get started.

 

Resolution #5: We’re in it to win it.  We want to become the dominant GC in our region.

This is what we want to hear and we’ve designed a program to help you achieve it:

 

The Vico Customer Success Plan is our guarantee to your firm to help you become as successful as possible with 5D BIM. This one-year plan includes executive workshops, software training, mentoring, and support. This is your BIM Insurance Policy to keep the enthusiasm and momentum high to achieve your stated goals for integrated quantity takeoff, coordination, scheduling, estimating, and production control.

 

Let Vico help you achieve your 2012 resolutions – together we are an unstoppable team.

 

What’s your firm’s resolution for 2012?  Let us know in the comments section.

 

Top 5 Things to Do Today with Vico

 

There is so much good news at Vico that I don't know where to start. So how about a Top 5 List?

Top 5 Things to Do Today with Vico

1.) Register for today's webinar. We will be discussing the popular question, "Can a design model evolve into a construction model, or is it better for the constructors to build a new Construction BIM?" Register even if you can't make the date/time and you will automatically receive a link to the recorded webinar as soon as it is available.

2.) Have you calculated your firm's BIM Score yet? Calculate your BIM Score based on clash detection, scheduling, and estimating capabilities, best practices, and enterprise integration. Learn what distinguishes one GC from another by taking the same test for your competition.

3.) Consider a Structured Evaluation of Vico Office with your team. We offer a 30-day Structured Evaluation Program for GCs and CMs who are interested in learning about the enterprise-capabilities of Vico Office. The Program gives you the chance to learn Vico Office and test its functionality in with training, support, and peer review.

4.) If you like what you see in the Structured Evaluation, consider the Vico Customer Success Plan as your insurance policy for your BIM rollout. The CSP is a structured regimen of training, content, consulting, and support designed to accelerate your firm's success with 5D BIM. We infuse virtual construction into your construction firm's DNA.

5.) Have you seen our latest BIM for Dummies movie episode? BIM-Based Estimating for Dummies looks at what changes in an estimator's workflow when s/he starts working with BIM models.

Hope to see you online soon during the webinar.

Best regards,
Holly

 

Vico Is Hiring - Virtual Construction Engineer

 

A couple of weeks ago many of us sat down to a wonderful gathering of family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving.

 

At every table (or sometimes down at the kid’s table) there was one college student who stood out.  He was the neighborhood kid who could figure out your home wireless network and get it back up and running after the dog had buried the router.  Or maybe it was the high school student across the street who tutored your child in geometry who you later learned won a scholarship to Berklee for musicianship.

 

These are the standout students that Vico is looking for.  They don’t need to be Construction Management majors – as a matter of fact, we’d prefer that they not be.  We’re looking for software and networking gurus – the type of person who enjoys digging into a problem, testing solutions, and thinking about all the downstream implications.  We’re looking for the teacher who can make the subject matter come alive for an entire classroom.

 

We have an exciting position open that includes travel all around the world to work with the leaders in construction and see many of the marvels that are being built today.

 

The position, a Virtual Construction Engineer, is equal parts Software Training, Software Technical Support, and Software Evangelist.  So the ideal candidate is perhaps a little more extroverted than introverted to lead training classes, but can still dive deep into the software to replicate a customer’s problem and solve it.  And because of the heavy travel component, we would like someone mature enough to work remotely but still excited by new cities and new adventures.

 

If you know this person (and just had Thanksgiving dinner with them!), please point them towards the Virtual Construction Engineer job description on our website and encourage them to apply. 

 

Virtual Construction is on the cusp of becoming mainstream.  Who wouldn’t want to be at this tipping point with the recognized leader in the industry? 

Granite Countertops and BIM

 

I’ll admit it: I love watching House Hunters and Property Virgins on HGTV.  The format is so simple: the couple who is in the market for a house prioritizes their wishlist of features and then visits three houses.  They then rank the three properties based on their wishlist and select the home want to buy.

 

Do you want a fixer-upper – something that you can redesign to fit your needs?  Are you willing to pay for the location you want – whether it means better schools or an easier commute to work?  Do you need backyard space for your dog?  Do you want a finished basement as a playroom for the kids, or a “man cave” for watching the game?

 

Inevitably, there is always a young couple who lists their priorities in this order: granite countertops, hardwood floors, updated bathrooms.  I’m not kidding – granite countertops is their first priority.  They have talked to their friends, read a couple magazines, and seen a couple model homes where granite countertops is the feature listed first on the tearsheet.  And so they have made it a necessary checkbox on their list of must-haves.

 

 

What kills me is that they don’t even know what granite looks like!  As they walk into the kitchen each and every time, one of them asks the realtor, “I love these countertops – are they granite?”  The realtor always delivers the next line with a straight face, “Actually, this is laminate, but you can always pick out the granite you like best and upgrade them.”

 

I think we see the same scenario play out with Owners and BIM.  Owners know that they should ask for it and have made it a checkbox on their list, but they don’t necessarily know what it means or what it looks like!

 

So during the bidding process, the Owner is educated by the GCs’ and CMs’ proposals and presentations.  Some GCs try to use just 3D as BIM.  Some GCs show a beam hitting an AC unit and claim that clash detection is all the BIM you need.  Finally, the last presentation shows the 3D model integrated with the schedule and the estimate.  This GC offers multiple design options and shows how the schedule and the estimate dynamically update with the design.  They use cost-loaded schedules to dive deep and cash flow reports to illustrate the detailed timeline.

 

In one of our most popular articles, we ask the question, “Should there be a grading system akin to the SAT scores to help Owners distinguish the best qualified GC?”  And so many of you responded, “Absolutely, yes!  It is the only way that we can stop Hollywood BIM.”

 

Well, we listened to you and developed a new grading scale for BIM aptitude: the BIM Score.  The BIM Score is a comprehensive look at the capabilities, best practices, and integrated workflows that each GC and CM employs.  The BIM Score is a leading indicator of how well the project will be delivered – and how happy the Owner will be with the delivery process.

 

So let’s ask the question in a different way.  If GC’s wore their BIM Score on a jersey, what would yours say?  If the Owner lined up the GC’s bidding on their project, who would have the highest BIM Score?

 

There’s only one way to find out – calculate your BIM Score!  Find out how you compare to other GCs in your area, which capabilities need attention, and which should be promoted.

 

This way, the next time an Owner asks for BIM on their request for proposals, you’ll not only be able to describe what BIM looks like, but you’ll be able to deliver it best…and you’ll have the BIM Score to prove it.

 

Some Owners ask for BIM like young couples ask for granite countertops.  Now your firm can educate Owners on what BIM really is and deliver the project to prove it.  Calculate your BIM Score now and start wearing it proudly!

 

Reference these other resources on the topic:

Calculator: Determine Your Firm's BIM Score

Blog: BIM Is Bigger Than You Think

Blog: How Does Your Firm Stack Up with BIM?

Blog: Does the AEC Need the BIM SATs?

 

Increase Your Appetite for Challenge with the Customer Success Plan

 

Some of you might know that I took up running a couple years ago.  I started by taking a 6-week clinic to prepare for our town’s 5-mile Thanksgiving Day race.  At the clinic I made a friend with a runner who was coming back from an injury.  She challenged me after the race to join her competing in the city running series – six races ranging from a mile dash to a half marathon.

 

While that sounds like a lot of training, and it certainly was, it was nothing compared with our challenge for this year: 12 half marathons.  Not only did we nail the goal with 13, but we also threw in 25 other races including one staged marathon for me and two regular marathons for her.  It wasn’t that the training got easier, but rather our appetite for challenge grew.

 

I’m sure many of you have training partners or close friends who hold you accountable for staying on track with your goals.  You trust their wisdom and their experience, and though you might not always like it, they tell you the truth and “shoot straight.”

 

We’ve designed the Vico Customer Support Plan with this format in mind.  To continue the running analogy: we lay out the race calendar, design the training plan, and then put in the miles together.

 

The Vico Customer Success Plan is designed to get you from zero to 5D BIM over the course of one year.  The plan includes four key components: Consulting, Training, Mentoring, and Support.

 

When working with our clients we have seen that the optimum route for success is to:

• Consult and understand your existing processes;
• Facilitate widespread education of the new concepts and provide software Training;
• Reinforce that learning with Mentoring and run project-based workshops to get full benefit on a live project and to ensure all advanced concepts are being maximized;
• And finally provide ad-hoc Support to cover all requirements should the need arise.

 

Another key component is accountability.  Since “you cannot manage what you cannot measure” we evaluate your plan on a monthly basis to achieve a successful roll out of 5D BIM and Virtual Construction.  We provide monthly status reports to your management team to keep your goals front and center.

 

As we’ve said before, 5D BIM is not a purchase, it’s an investment.  And the investment yields countless dividends from winning new projects, to performing them more efficiently, to providing a wildly satisfying Owner experience.  So consider the Vico Customer Success Plan for your team – one year to get you where you want to be with 5D BIM.  And who knows, your appetite for challenge just might increase, too.

 

Caption: From last Thanksgiving - after being awarded our city running program sweatshirt.  This year, we have logged a cumulative 2,950 miles together – enough to get from Boston, MA to Las Vegas, NV and then some.  How far could you go with Vico?

A Shortcut to 5D BIM - Introducing the Data Pack

 

In the popular Vico Comics, we explain that putting together a building is a lot like baking a cake.  Baking and building both have a sequence of events and instructions at each stage…like flouring the pan, cracking the eggs, mixing the wet and dry ingredients…oh, and preheating the oven.  To keep the analogy going, the Vico Standard 5D Library is your cookbook with instructions – it’s a collection of activities (like mixing for two minutes and gently folding in the chocolate).  The Vico Standard 5D Warehouse is your pantry of ingredients – all your coded building elements (like the sifted cake flour and Grade A large eggs)!  The Model Progression Specification is your recipe for the type of project you want to build (a three-layer pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese icing).

 

 

When you put all of your ingredients together, carefully following the instructions in the recipe, you get a delicious and beautiful cake.  Likewise, when you model building elements to the level of detail required by the MPS and connect that to a knowledgebase of cost and time elements, you get a 5D BIM model perfect for estimating and scheduling.

 

The Vico Standard 5D Warehouse is a pre-configured collection of coded building elements suitable for linking 3D BIM models to Vico's 4D scheduling and 5D cost estimating applications. Building elements contained in the Warehouse are coded using the same nomenclature and classification systems as the Vico Standard 5D Library, so they work together seamlessly.  Users receive both an Autodesk Revit™ version of the Warehouse and a Graphisoft ArchiCAD™ version of the Warehouse.

 

The Vico Standard 5D Library gives users a standard collection of formulas and values suitable for linking 3D building information models to Vico’s 4D scheduling and 5D cost estimating applications. The Standard 5D Library is organized by the set of activities required to construct each building element and the sequence in which these activities are performed. Included in the Library are average productivity rates by trade and standard formulas for deriving labor and material resource requirements.

 

By combining model-derived quantities and contractor-specified unit prices with the Vico Standard 5D Library, users are able to automatically calculate task durations for project schedules and costs for project estimates. Users can overwrite any part of the Vico Standard 5D Library with their own, proprietary data or calculation method.

 

The Standard 5D Library provides:

•  Construction activity sets for over 3,000 building elements coded by CSI Uniformat

•  Formulas to derive labor and material resources for over 6,000 individual construction activities classified by CSI Masterformat 2004

•  Industry standard productivity rates and resource requirements for over 2,500 project tasks

 

Using the Library and Warehouse together is a best practice that reduces the effort required to define items, descriptions, dimensions, and properties of commonly used building elements.  These descriptions are persistent throughout Vico Office and can be applied to multiple building projects.  Recall that Vico Office is a database, so re-using this information is as simple as cutting and pasting.

 

 

The Vico Standard 5D Warehouse is bundled with the Vico Standard 5D Library into the product we call the Data Pack.  When using a Model Progression Specification, the Data Pack can significantly jumpstart your project.  Users can quickly and easily transfer the specifications as-is into the new building project and use them immediately for higher-quality quantity takeoff.  And remember, the better the quantities, the better the estimate and schedule.

 

Recall than an MPS defines what, how, when, who by and at what level of detail (LOD) all aspects (such as model, estimate, schedule) of the project will be created.  Using the Data Pack is almost like cheating.   A lot of your MPS content is already created.  The Data Pack can provide the “how” for multiple LODs which is one of the most time consuming to create.

 

 

Caption: The Vico Office Data Pack includes the Standard 5D Library and Standard 5D Warehouse. This predefined integration provides customers a very comprehensive estimate in a matter of minutes. Now your properly formatted BIM model is completely integrated with the properly formatted estimate. At Vico, we call the Data Pack our shortcut to full 5D BIM.

 

The Data Pack is just another way that Vico delivers more value to our customers and helps them do 5D BIM on more and more projects.  We’ve harnessed the intellectual property from over 400 global building projects and synthesized it down into a Data Pack of building elements and their scheduling and estimating properties.  Who wouldn’t want this shortcut to full 5D BIM?

 

To learn more about this topic, please refer to the following resources:

Video: 5D BIM for Dummies

Webinar: Should You Build or Buy a BIM Knowledgebase of Cost and Time Elements?

Blog: Keeping Construction Processes Connected

Product: The Vico Standard 5D Warehouse

Product: The Vico Standard 5D Library

 

The GC's Summer Reading List for 5D BIM

 

Did your kids come home from the last day of school with a letter from their next teacher listing the books they need to read over the Summer?  As a good parent, you promptly extracted that list from the bookbag and posted in front and center on the refrigerator trying to make sure these books are spread out over the Summer months and not crammed into the last days of August.  You even warned your children about the crazy calculus professor you had in college who wanted chapters 1 through 5 read and the exercises turned in on the first day of class. 

 

Well, we wish we could escape these lists, but even as adults, we need to become expert in several areas – especially those that impact our careers and business profitability.  We always reference the quote from page 24 of the last McGraw-Hill BIM SmartMarket Report, “Your career and the prosperity of your company depend on becoming familiar with the tools, processes, and value propositions of BIM.”

 

So we’ve come up with the Summer Reading List for 5D BIM – a collection of the most popular articles from our executives and product managers.  Each week 1,200 AEC/O professionals read these articles and comment on them – making the pieces  come alive with real-world experiences and anecdotes.

 

Work your way through the lists with your team to get lively discussions going.  Instead of genres, we’re using functional departments and roles to divide the subject matter.  So we have reading lists for your BIM Task Force, the Estimating Team, Scheduling Team, Coordination Team, and the Executive Team. Be sure to post your comments and engage directly with the authors.  And we promise, no book reports are due in September.

 

 

For the BIM Task Force…

 

5 Pieces of Advice for GCs Considering BIM

Many GCs come to Vico for advice on how to get started with BIM. Here are 5 recommendations for new BIM departments and their managers.

 

10 Things Every BIM Manager Should Know

It’s a great time to be a BIM Manager in construction. It’s a chance to combine your love of building with the latest technology and Lean methodologies. You get to carve out strategy and help everyone with the tools that they need to win new business and successfully execute profitable projects.

 

Why You Need an MPS for EVERY BIM Project

The MPS is a protocol for bringing information together from all the design disciplines, estimating, and scheduling. It ensures each team member knows what he needs to produce, at what point and at what level of detail and can plan accordingly.

 

What Can Be Done to Improve BIM Model Fidelity?

There are several ways to dramatically improve model fidelity issues in a BIM construction project: use the model progression specification (MPS); employ reputable 3D modeling services; utilize the Vico 5D Standard Library and Warehouse; take advantage of Vico Office features to override poor model quality. The end goal are BIM models suitable for construction: 5D estimating, 4D scheduling, and 3D constructability.

 

Top 10 Reasons to Do 5D BIM

There are at least ten reasons to deploy BIM across the enterprise.  Our customers are exploiting their capabilities with 5D BIM to win new business.

 

Manage What You Can Control

What can GCs do to weather the current economic crisis? The answer fits on one powerpoint slide: manage what you can control, focus on quality, lower risk, reduce debt.  A well-executed BIM strategy delivers on 3 of the 4 and is a powerful way to differentiate your firm with technology.

 

Planning Work Phases for a VDC Project with the Model Progression Specification

This article examines three examples of general contractors and owners implementing the Content Plan and Model Progression Specification.

 

Does the Commercial Construction Market Need the BIM SAT’s?

There is a lot of BIM-Washing going on on bid day. Is your firm “the genuine article” or just “a poser”? Perhaps we as an industry should require certification, or at least the SAT’s for BIM.

 

Go Deep with Vico

Some GCs only scratch the surface with BIM. They don’t realize that 5D BIM is used to win the deal, do clash detection and coordination, construction-caliber quantity takeoff, location-based scheduling, and iterative cost planning.  Go deep with Vico’s series of executive workshops, video training series, and comprehensive product FAQs.

 

One Model or Many?

Why should an owner pay a GC to build a model if the architect has already provided one? What is the difference between a design-intent model and a means and methods model?

 

What Role Do YOU Play in the BIM Strategy?

Each department in a General Contractor firm plays a significant role in making 5D BIM successful. These departments, from the preconstruction team to the operations team, have resources to help them succeed and thrive with BIM.

 

The Top 10 Ways to Derail Your BIM Project

Construction firms can be their own biggest enemy when trying to implement BIM without considering process change, training, and even the right personnel. It's easy to believe that BIM is as easy clicking a mouse, but true 5D BIM deliverables, success, ROI, and winning new business comes from good leadership and vision.

 

For the Scheduling Team…

 

Location-Based Management for Construction

Yes, we did write the book on it!  This college text compares and contrasts traditional CPM and activity-based scheduling with location-based scheduling. The book also highlights the popularity of location-based management projects around the world: from the Kamppi Center in Helsinki to the Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California.

 

Reduce Project Risk with Location-Based Schedules

Location-based management systems promotes the early resolution of scheduling conflicts and the reconciliation of assumptions which decrease the risk level of the building project.

 

The Benefits of Combining LBMS and LPS

Both Location-Based Management System and Last Planner System espouse lean construction tenets like pull scheduling, eliminating waste, and de-risking construction schedules. LBMS is very quantitative and based on mathematical equations involving quantities, locations, crew sizes, and productivity rates. LPS is very social and collaborative, relying on teamwork and commitments.

 

By combining the rigorous scientific quantifications of LBMS with the collaborative, qualitative process of Last Planner, GCs receive a comprehensive planning, scheduling, and controlling solution. The benefits of lower schedule risk and 10% schedule compression have been well-documented.

 

Location-Based Management from the Owner’s Point of View

Owners want to get bottom-line ROI from BIM and production management systems. CPM scheduling methods fall short as they do not account for quantities, resources, and rates.

 

Why Construction-Caliber Quantities Matter

It is important to recognize differences between scientific BIM and Hollywood BIM. One key difference is the use of construction-caliber quantities to inform the schedule, the sequencing, and the estimate. By treating durations as a calculation, not a best guess, we can build better construction schedule and manage to them on-site with production control.

 

Scheduling with Lean Construction Principles

Location-based management and Vico scheduling solutions are synonymous with the lean construction principals of pull systems. The best advantage is forecasting when conflicts will occur and adjusting crew size and productivity as necessary.

 

The Benefits of Location-Based Management over CPM

Location-based management system is built specifically for construction planning and controlling. This means the quantitative analysis of construction-caliber quantities, locations, and crew productivity for true 4D BIM.

 

Location-Based Management – A Year in Review

Many people know that LBMS is being aggressively implemented on large hospital projects in California. This blog post summarizes a year of learning, best practices, and take-aways from this construction scheduling and controlling work.

 

4 Best Practices for Schedule Simulation Movies

GCs have 4 audiences for 4D BIM scheduling movies: the Owner, the subs before buyout, the subs in the trailer, and utilizing look-ahead schedule to solve issues before they manifest themselves. So it is imperative that the schedule, optimized with flowline, be based on quantities by location and crew productivity rates.

 

The Danger of Using Parallel Processes with Virtual Construction

In a virtual construction environment, the most dangerous course is to run parallel estimating and scheduling exercises.  This keeps teams at odds and the owner ends up paying twice.

 

10 Reasons Why Project Managers Should Champion BIM

Project Managers have a lot to gain from 5D BIM: better management of subs and optimizing Owner satisfaction with cash flow reports, work in place reports, look ahead schedules, and even earned value analyses.

 

Why a 4D Schedule Must Be More than a Movie

The 4D schedule derives quantities from the BIM geometry. These quantities per location are paired with productivity rates and means and methods and budget constraints to create the optimized schedule.

 

For the Estimating Team…

 

The Benefits of Cost Planning Versus Estimating

Traditional estimating can be a time-consuming process that involves multiple interations.  Cost planning naturally evolves the estimate as the design changes highlighting cost variances for the project stakeholders.

 

Does BIM Mean Estimators Are Out of a Job?

Model-based estimating does not mean that estimators need to learn how to model or can be easily replaced with a few lines of computer code. It simply means learning how to work with model-derived quantities.

 

There Is No Easy Button for BIM Quantity Takeoff

As 5D BIM becomes prevalent in the market, many people believe that you simply push a button to get quantities. However, construction-caliber quantities require properly assigned polygons - either from the geometry or manually painted by the Estimator.

 

Why 5D Comes before 4D in Vico Office

While the construction industry counts 3D-4D-5D BIM, Vico does it differently.  Because of the tight integration between the Estimator and the Scheduler’s workflows, we count 3D-5D-4D.  The Estimator’s components and assemblies are linked to the Scheduler’s productivity rates by Task Manager. This way our quantities per location divided by productivity rates equals durations!

 

When Estimators Block BIM

Instead of just estimating an accurate GMP, Estimators are now required to provide information which is used by the scheduler to build and optimize the schedule, and by the site guys to buy out the project and to control production. The resistance typically manifests itself as downplaying the importance of detailed cost data, and emphasizing the risk of showing model quantities to subcontractors.

 

Doing Your First Model-Based Estimate

Model-based estimating is a gradual, but rapid, cost planning exercise.  As the level of detail increases for particular elements, its estimate grows more precise.

 

The Role That Level of Detail Plays in Your BIM Estimate

5D BIM utilizes the 3D model geometry and properties from which construction-caliber quantities can be derived. These quantities are then organized by location for scheduling and priced for the cost plan.  But the 3D model needs to be at the proper level of detail for the elements being analyzed.

 

For the Coordination Team…

 

3D Modeling and Real-Time Coordination

The Vico Services Team has worked on amazing projects all over the world. In our experience, virtual mock ups really help the Owner and occupants design better buildings. This case study describes how doctors and nurses worked with us towards a goal of no change orders on the project.

 

All BIM Modeling Services Are Not Created Equally

3D models are great for visualization; but the real value of BIM is when the model serves as your what-if answer generator. 3D Modeling services should include geometry, quantities, locations, constructability reports, schedules, and estimates.

 

Clash Detection and Coordination in a 5D BIM World

Clash detection and coordination can occur in 2D, 3D, and even 4D BIM. Vico Services has designed four coordination offerings (in addition to our standard coordination resolution service) to address these needs: design-intent coordination, 2D drawings change reports, coordination drawing sets, and virtual mock-ups.

 

Rethinking 3D BIM Coordination

Can traditional clash detection be improved? Yes, with coordination resolution and a system priority structure for MEP that gets subs involved early.

 

Coordination Resolution – 40% Faster than Traditional Clash Detection

Vico Services has developed the 2D-3D-4D coordination resolution process which decreases the time spent on clash detection by 40%, while still maintaining the goal of zero change orders.

 

For the Executive Team…

 

HR Alternatives for BIM

Vico offers several options to help GCs develop a deep BIM bench: project engineers, onsite project managers, modeling teams on retainer, and even certifying current staff on Vico Services’ Six Sigma virtual construction best practices.

 

Can You Say Change 24 Times?

5D Virtual Construction does require significant change but there is real reward.  Leaders can point to project costs avoided, fewer reactive RFI’s, compressed project schedules, and a genuinely collaborative process that delivers a superior owner experience.  They can also point to better performance in recruiting top talent and higher employee morale even with today’s torrid work pace.   Perhaps most importantly, these leading firms are winning the projects they want to win; easily differentiating themselves from those builders who have yet to embrace this change.

 

BIM Doesn’t Come in a Box

Buying some modeling software, some clash detection software, and hiring a recent CM graduate to use them just isn’t a viable BIM strategy. True BIM adoption takes guts to change the status quo.

 

The Benefits of 5D BIM for Builders

When all is said and done about 5D BIM and virtual construction, the holy grail is to be able to sit in front of the owner and say: I can tell you pretty confidently what that is going to do to the project. And to have everybody else in the room understand why you are concluding that and know where your numbers came from and agree to it.

 

Why Integrating Virtual Construction Matters to the CIO

CIOs hold the key to successfully deploying 5D BIM across their organization. With Vico’s leveraged integration, a change to the model automatically changes the cost and schedule. Creating models does not involve an IT strategy, but seamlessly connecting all departments using BIM as the enabling technology is – and that’s a powerful advantage for the company brand.

 

Today’s Construction Market Challenges

This frank discussion of the current construction economy was excerpted from  the Vico Unplugged webinar.  We examine the many shades of BIM available for general contractors in today’s commercial construction market and how Vico’s software and services department has responded to help GCs.

 

5D BIM Versus 50-Yard-Line Tickets

Construction firms have a choice: the can differentiate themselves with 50-yard line tickets or 5D BIM. While Owners might like the game, they will love the scientific rigor with which their project is managed.

 

Does the Commercial Construction Market Need the BIM SAT’s?

There is a lot of BIM-Washing going on on bid day. Is your firm “the genuine article” or just “a poser”? Perhaps we as an industry should require certification, or at least the SAT’s for BIM.

 

Get on the BIM Path

“Going BIM” is more than models. True 5D BIM means creating a live model that help you deliver data-driven answers to every question that arises from project conception through completion. Vico offers a series of executive workshops to keep your firm on the BIM Path.

 

What Can We Learn from Other Disruptive Technologies?

The disruptive technology in the American Revolution was the long rifle. In today’s commercial construction market, 5D BIM is the game changer.

 

Resistance to Change in 5D BIM Implementations

Implementing 5D BIM invariably encounters resistance to change. This blog entry recounts typical objections from schedulers and planners used to CPM methodologies.

 

One Model or Many?

Why should an owner pay a GC to build a model if the architect has already provided one? What is the difference between a design-intent model and a means and methods model?

 

Isn’t It Time to “Walk the Walk” with BIM?

What is the #1 reason to use BIM? To win more work. Plain and simple. But with so many GCs putting models on a computer screen, how can you differentiate 5D BIM to an Owner? You have to learn to “walk the walk” and make BIM capabilities a priority in your firm.

 

We will be posting "extra credit" resources for each of the departments, so please check back.  And for those of you who would rather watch the movie than read the article, we do have webinars that can be substituted.  We also offer a step-by-step guide to our 5D virtual construction workflow with video tutorials. These videos are just 2-5 minutes in length, but illustrate how to use a particular piece of functionality. You can access the video library index and view just what you need, or download the complete set of training videos. We have training videos for Estimators, Schedulers, Supers, and anyone who does CM Reporting.

 

Please be sure to add your recommendations in the Comments Section below.

 

Happy Reading from Team Vico!

What Role Do YOU Play in the BIM Strategy?

 

Each department in a General Contractor’s firm plays a significant role in making 5D BIM successful.  To that end, we’ve developed webinars and articles to help each department get the most out of BIM and use it to profit the company.

 

The Business Development Manager working to win a new bid needs to build out a compelling Owner presentation, RFP responses, propose different contracts requirements for the team members, and determine the key 5D BIM differentiators your firm brings to the table. This means winning more projects and developing trusted relationships within the community.

Webinar: Win the Deal

Webinar: The Business Value of BIM

Webinar: The 5D Virtual Construction Workflow

Article: Differentiating Your Firm with 5D BIM

Article: BIM as a Disruptive Technology

 

The BIM Manager needs to expand the BIM strategy across departments and across offices. S/he needs to develop core competencies around model coordination, as well as develop and provide a well thought out program to bring in Estimators and Schedulers for whom you can then explain and pilot model-based scheduling and model-based estimating solutions.

Webinar: The BIM Master Class Series

Webinar: Using the Model Progression Specification

Webinar: Doc Set Manager

Article: 10 Things Every BIM Manager Should Know

Article: BIM Doesn’t Come in a Box

 

The Estimating Department works diligently with all the data they have available to build out the cost plans.  But even with all their cumulative experience, the last thing they want to do is miss scope.  Not only do they want to nail the bid, but also offer some what-if scenarios to the Owner.  If they can communicate the options to the Owner now, there won’t be the need for value engineering later.

Webinar: BIM-Based Estimating Basics

Webinar: The 5D Virtual Construction Workflow

Training: Cost Planner Video Tutorials

Article: The Benefits of Cost Planning Versus Estimating

Article: Does BIM Mean Estimators Are Out of a Job?

 

The Scheduling Department needs to put together the best plan for each project understanding that if they build the schedule with minimal stops and starts for the Subs, they will come back with better pricing.  Then they head out to the jobsite to work with the Super to reconcile the plan with the percent put in place.  Using the same optimization techniques from preconstruction, they can work together to correct any potential cascading delays on the site.

Webinar: Introduction to Location-Based Management and Last Planner

Webinar: Location-Breakdown Structure

Webinar: Planning and Controlling the Schedule

Articles: Olli Seppanen’s Blog

 

The Project Engineers need to develop a drawing register for checking and maintaining the latest construction drawings, a system for processing RFIs, and working closer with Subs to achieve scope and quality goals. The PE’s need quantities by trade and location for Subs, as well as extremely detailed quantities for your self-performed work. And finally, PE’s need design to build/build to design - a unique solution that gets accurate placement for braces, hangers, and MEP components.

Webinar: Getting from Zero to 5D

Webinar: Seismic BIM with ISAT

Webinar: BIM-Based Estimating Fundamentals

Webinar: Doc Set Manager

Webinar: Hensel Phelps and the Denver Justice Center

 

The Superintendents, because they are often a key part of presentation teams, need to articulate the benefits of 5D BIM on the jobsite – managing Subs with real-time crew forecasts updated with actual progress, weekly charts showing “work in place,” organizing inspections, and preparing status reports for the Owner.

Webinar: Introduction to LBMS and Last Planner

Webinar: LBS Manager in the 5D Workflow

Webinar: Planning and Controlling the Schedule

Article: Superintendents Just Get BIM

Article: 4 Best Practices for Using Scheduling Simulation Movies

 

The Project Managers have two distinct goals: manage the Owner’s satisfaction and deliver a profitable project for the firm. But the current process is woefully lacking to present complicated cost data from design changes. That can change immediately with Target Cost presentation tools tied to model and budget and an early warning system for the delays, claims, and subcontractor issues that impact schedule.

Webinar: Case Studies from Swinerton Builders

Webinar: Hensel Phelps and the Denver Justice Center

Webinar: Mission Hospital and the Virtual Mock-Up

Webinar: Model-Based Estimating Basics

Article: 10 Reasons PMs Should Champion BIM

 

The VP of Preconstruction needs target costing and cost planning, clash detection and coordination, model-based scheduling, and model-based estimating in Preconstruction to avoid budget problems. And with these unique BIM-based deliverables, s/he improves communication with the Owner to get to a GMP.

Webinar: BIM 201: Coordination in 3D and 4D

Webinar: The New Preconstruction

Webinar: The 5D Virtual Construction Workflow

Article: Top 10 Reasons to Do 5D BIM

Article: Top 10 Ways to Derail Your BIM Project

 

The VP of Operations needs a dashboard view instead of a rear-view mirror. There is a repeatable, consistent checklist for successful 5D BIM projects in order to alleviate the need for heroic actions at the end of the project. This cuts down on litigation, upside-down projects, and even the loss of good talent to the competition.

Webinar: Knowledgebase of Cost and Time Elements

Webinar: Coordination in a Hard Bid

Webinar: LBS Manager in the 5D Workflow

Webinar: Planning and Controlling the Schedule

Article: The Benefits of Location-Based Management to Owners

Article: Why Change the Way You Schedule Projects?

 

The CIO needs a strategic alternative to different documents everywhere or BIM glue-ware – a leveraged integration where a change to the model automatically changes the cost and schedule. Creating models does not involve an IT strategy, but seamlessly connecting all departments using BIM as the enabling technology is – and that’s a powerful differentiator to the company brand.

Webinar: The CIO’s Role in the BIM Strategy

Webinar: 5D BIM for the Enterprise

Webinar: Vico Office Unplugged

Webinar: Using the MPS

Article:  Why BIM Integration Matters to the CIO

Article:  4 Ways to Improve BIM Model Fidelity

 

The CEO of the firm has decided to add 5D BIM to the quiver because it all adds up to managing and maintaining serial client relationships and building a reputation as the go-to firm for new projects. This means hand-picking partners and winning as much new business as is bondable and serviceable. It means growing the company.

Webinar: BIM for Executives

Webinar: The Business Value of BIM

Webinar: Win the Deal

Article: 50-Yard-Line Tickets or 5D BIM?

Article: Can You Say Change 24 Times?

 

Do you have what it takes to make BIM a strategic initiative in your firm? Are you ready to start winning new business with BIM, performing effectively and profitably, and offering the Owner a better experience? Vico can help.