Demand for BIM in CIS is growing rapidly. According to analysts, by 2030 the BIM market will exceed RUB 25 billion. But buying software and asking designers to "work in BIM" is not enough. For the technology to deliver results, the organization must go through several consecutive stages.
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1. Define why the company needs BIM Before buying software and training employees, it is important to understand what problem you want to solve.
Most often implement BIM, in order to: - win orders from clients that require BIM models; - improve the quality of design documentation; - reduce errors and eliminate unnecessary rework; - stand out in the market and improve competitiveness. But: At the start, BIM rarely reduces design costs - the first projects may require more time and resources.
The main savings come later - during construction and while the facility is in operation. Another important point is a shared understanding of goals within the company. Management and the team must share the same understanding of why the new technology is being introduced. If management expects quick results while employees see BIM as an extra burden, implementation will quickly stall. 2. Appoint an owner and bring in specialists You need an employee who will lead the process inside the company.
This role is usually handled by BIM manager or BIM coordinator, who: - configures workflows; - prepares rules for working with models; - helps the team solve technical issues; - ensures standards are followed. It is important that the specialist understands design well and has hands-on project experience. If the company lacks these skills, it is reasonable to bring in an external integrator.
Experts will help: - set up the work environment; - choose the tools; - train employees; - develop internal working rules. 3. Train the team and establish working rules Mass training the whole team at once rarely produces good results. People quickly forget theory if they do not apply it in practice. It is much more effective to proceed gradually: - first train a small pilot group; - start working on a real project; - then bring in the remaining specialists.
At the same time, it is important to prepare common rules for working with models. They should define: - file structure; - rules for naming elements; - model requirements - responsibilities of project participants. These rules help avoid chaos and speed up collaboration. 4. Launch a pilot project Do not roll out BIM across all company projects at once. Choose one project and test the new approach there.
A pilot project will help: - check interaction between departments; - understand which processes work poorly; - assess real costs; - show the team the first results. Mistakes will appear at this stage - that is a normal part of the process. The main thing is to fix them before scaling. 5. Expand BIM use Once the pilot is complete, the company already understands how to work with models and what rules are needed. After that, BIM can be gradually applied to other projects.
When scaling, it is important to regularly check: - whether employees follow the adopted standards; - whether project participants use current data; - whether departments receive the information they need from the model; - whether the company achieves the goals it set at the start. If implementation is carried out consistently, BIM really starts to deliver results. Companies approve design decisions faster, coordinate specialists better, and reduce the number of construction errors.
BIM implementation mistakes Many organizations face the same problems when they start working with BIM. Below are the mistakes that most often lead to wasted time and budget, along with ways to avoid them.
| Error | What it can lead to | How to do it right |
|---|
| They set goals that are too broad or unrealistic | The team does not understand exactly what needs to be improved.
Management does not see results and quickly becomes disappointed | Set 2-3 specific goals. For example:
reduce clashes by 50%, generate specifications directly from the model,
reduce project coordination time |
| They assign a random employee as BIM manager | A person does not know the design processes,
so the team does not accept its decisions | Find a specialist with design experience and hands-on BIM practice.
It is important that they understand designers' real tasks |
| They buy software without preparation | Licenses are expensive, but employees keep working the old way | First train a small pilot team and test the processes.
After that, choose and buy software tools |
| They write a work standard just for the report | The document exists, but no one uses it | Create rules gradually. Describe only the processes
that the team already uses in practice |
| They do not use a common data environment | Different file versions, drawing confusion, and construction mistakes | Store documents and models in a single system from the start
with version control |
| They try to assign implementation to one person | The employee is overloaded with tasks, and processes slow down | Distribute tasks among several participants
or bring in external specialists at the start |
Tip: First, organize your documents and set up a single repository with version control. This will quickly solve one of the most common problems: outdated drawings will stop reaching the construction site. After that, you can gradually add work with BIM models, automatic specifications, and other tools.
