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Imperfect Information Results in Imperfect Project Execution

Major infrastructure projects often work with imperfect information. Sometimes asset data is incomplete or may not accurately reflect the condition of the asset. In other cases, information is available but doesn’t get communicated fully between operational teams or to subcontractors.

The net results are overruns in budget and timing. Research from 2015 reported that only 31% of major construction projects came within 10% of the original cost estimate. The same survey showed that 85% of companies had experienced delays on recent projects.

Having not just the right systems but also the right approach to information sharing is a vital component in delivering better value solutions.

Level 2 BIM continues to get a bad press in some parts of the industry. You can see plenty of heated debates in online forums about whether it represents added value or just more work. Perhaps there’s an understandable frustration if people commit many hours of effort entering data that isn’t then used, shared or updated by project teams.

Tools or Attitudes?

The tools are not really the issue. They are not perfect, but they work well in a culture where information is recognised as the vital asset that it should be.

What often gets missed is the need to deliver structured and usable data that meets the customer’s needs. Much more front-end engagement is needed to resolve any issues before the project gets underway. And much more training of contractor and subcontractor staff is needed to make efficient information sharing the reality.

Some surveys concerning BIM point to lack of clear client criteria as a major issue hindering BIM level 2 progress. The logical question is what contractors then do about this. Do they work closely with the customer to help define data standards, or use lack of standards as an excuse?

On projects where we’ve invested time to train our teams and subcontractors, online data sharing has made significant improvements to efficiency and to the project data legacy. So the key procurement question isn’t whether you use BIM, but how you use it to add value to the project.

A genuine commitment to sharing information and promoting partnership working at every level is the best guarantee that a project won’t be significantly compromised by information gaps.

Better use of information is central to the task of reducing whole life costs through improved durability and simpler future maintenance. Commitment to sharing information openly is probably the best guarantee of long-term success that you could have.

Find out more about our Infrastructure projects here.

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