How BIM can Bankrupt Your Firm
Why do some firms embrace BIM and rave about its benefits while other firms try BIM and fail miserably? We all know this diagram:
But here’s another diagram. This is the one that describes firms that panic, firms that succumb to Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread (FUD), firms that after one or two attempts let their boxes of Revit 2010 get dusty on the shelves or backslide into using ArchiCAD 12 as a 2D CAD program. This is why they fail.
The Worst of Both Worlds.
If you start off following the BIM paradigm, then panic and shift to a CAD mindset, you’ll spend 50%-80% of your time on design and then 50-80% of your time on documentation. In the best case scenario you will use all your time and fee by the end of Documentation, leaving nothing for Coordination. In the worst case scenario, you will hit your 100% mark with an undocumented, uncoordinated, half-baked design. Jumping ship once you’ve started down the BIM path won’t save you anything. It’ll just lead to disaster.
(and remember time = money)
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Erik
Well said. Again.
Jared Banks
Thanks Erik! And don’t think I forgot that I owe you a guest post one of these days… and that you’ll owe me one too, if you want.
Bilal Succar
Jared…Great post + great graphics! Thank you.
Zeyang
great graphics!
Djordje
regretfully, proven in practice too often …
Stephan Langella
Hi Jared,
I agree with the notion of panic equals drowning.
I question the curves in the diagram as they seem to be generally accepted but in 22 years of this process I’ve never seen the BIM one as shown.
A steep rise early, gentle rise and then taper off 2-3 weeks before end of construction, like a flat bell.
Where does this diagram that appears to start with 20 people come from???
Jared Banks
Stephen, good question. I’m not 100% sure of the origin of the first diagram (I got it from Graphisoft a few years ago). While I know the lines are just conceptualizing an insanely complex problem and process, I think there is truth to the front loading of effort. Also from my experience with smaller projects & ArchiCAD/BIM, the graph feels quite true. But I could see that on much larger projects (with larger teams) the curve might look a lot different for both processes.
I’d be very curious to see what you think is a more reasonable time/effort curve. Shoot me an e-mail and we’ll do a follow up post!
Chris L
I think the issue that could be improved with these graphs is simply that there needs to be a “Pre-Design” phase (which includes but is not limited to “existing conditions”) on that graph, located before the Design Phase – ESPECIALLY since Information is becoming increasingly important.
The other thing that would skew the above graphs is that the newbies are probably not coming into the process with a proven template – so are starting WAY behind the eight-ball. Imagine if you added a “Template preparation” phase to the above graphs!!
(PS Jared, I’m now at least four-links deep in a rabbit trail of interesting topics that started back at your Sloppy Modelling Isnt Making Me Sad post. The trouble is you write too well. Can you please do the occasional boring blog post just so that I can stand a chance of breaking free and getting back to work!? 😀 )
Jared Banks
Chris, great observation. These graphs are due for an update. You are absolutely right that templates and pre-design make all the difference. If we look at BIM/CAD/hand drafting from the standpoint of templates and ‘what do you have on Day 1 (or maybe Day 0)’, then the benefits become more clear. BIM, being a more robust tool and process allows for more templating and setup. So the starting point (from graphics to sheets to default composites to data and model elements) for BIM + Template is so much greater than any previous production tool + template. This is both because of the tool and the process (ARCHICAD, Revit, etc. can handle templates better than CAD and because the process encourages/facilitates templating).
I clearly need to return to this post and create those graphs!
I foresee two new graphs: Tool + Template, Tool without Template.
(also glad you enjoy my writing and that I’m sending you down deep rabbit holes of BIM).
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Mark Loomis
Here’s the original MacLeamy Curve that your graphs are based upon: http://www.msa-ipd.com/MacleamyCurve.pdf
And here’s an interesting take on it much like your own: http://www.nzarchitecture.com/blog/index.php/2011/10/15/macleamy/
Jared Banks
Mark, thanks. That blog post looks super interesting. Off to go read it now.
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Broke 2D Dave
I’d suggest the graphs show bankrupting a job, not an office. It can be assumed there were other procedures in place prior to a firm’s pseudo commitment to BIM.
Now that I’m a few years into AC and my mini-bim endeavors, one thing screams out as an essential/critical path objective. That is modeling well. Without a quality model, the results are horrible plans, sections, elevations, etc., and one can kiss their BIM aspirations good-bye.
IMHO, my models are awful. I break out in a cold sweat at the thought of building a storefront system with specialty doors or even standard doors that look close to what I need. Still… I can’t get walls to join consistently. Installing overhead doors is an extensive trial and error process for a sort-of, hope-nobody-will-notice appearance. Couple these with unacceptable sections/elevations and a desire for quality drawings like the ‘old’ 2D cad procedures and…it’s no wonder newbies switch delivery methods and bankrupt a job.
I had a recent project with storefront systems so out of control… In an effort to make them look correct in plan and elevations, my labels were duplicitous and illogical. I had no intelligable choice but to add 2D labels with 2D schedules. Talk about blowing your budget, that helped. Add 2D sections and I need a second job to cover my losses.
All I can ask myself is how do I model better to take advantage of interactive schedules, quality, accurate details and documentation?
How do I model myself after the AC stars? That is the question. And the answer may lead to profitability…
Jared Banks
Dave, sorry for the super slow response. It’s been a busy bunch of weeks. I’d argue that a few bankrupt jobs can lead to a bankrupt firm. If they are large enough projects compared to the health/size of the firm. But you’re right, there’s enough other stuff that maybe it can be seen as a badly done BIM can be the final straw that breaks that proverbial camel’s back…
But that’s tangential to the bigger questions you’re asking. I think your models, or what I saw a while back, were better than you think. Another thing to think about, and perhaps this deserves revisiting in another post is how much BIM should you do on a given project? Where can you use BIM, taking into consideration your current abilities, to make a profit. And where can you engineer an old-style non-BIM solution? So if you’re going to do a 2D schedule don’t waste your time adding schedule info into the door and window objects. Is that good BIMming? No. But might that be more profitable for you? Perhaps. Maybe the first step is a list of doors and windows from the model, but all the info is by hand. BIM babysteps. Can you model less so that it’s easier to add some 2D to your 3D sections, rather than doing 2d sections from scratch or accepting horribly ugly 3D sections? The goal being each project add a little more 3D and a little less 2D, but do it in a controlled manner so that you’re not overloaded with 3D ugliness that you can’t manage on budget and on time. I need to write more about this!
Broke 2D Dave
Throw on top a few quirky AC text behaviors and I was ready to quit AC al together.
Broke 2D Dave
The above comment makes little sense without the previous post…
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VISHAL AGRAWAL
I AM ON THAT SHIP RIGHT NOW BUT I TRUST ON MY SHIP AND WANT TO FIGHT AND STRUGGLE TILL THE LAST PENNY IN MY ACCOUNT.