Defining Information Purpose Will Boost Productivity

clashes compared to traditional working methods. This has cost and time implications.And there are always times when some design modifications are needed, especially in response to new information or changing parameters. This is especially common during the early stages of the design process at the concept or development stages.However, developing the design in a 3D BIM environment requires more work to spatially coordinate information and resolve clashes compared to traditional working methods.This has cost and time implications. And there are always times when some design modifications are needed, especially in response to new information or changing parameters. This is especially common during the early stages of the design process at the concept or development stages.Although this requires more upfront time and costs, the pay-off is seen in the greater insights provided by well-managed asset information models. For example, we have seen several benefits on our surface transportation projects, including more reliable project data, greater certainty and improved planning.

An information strategy is crucial
Considering the vast amounts of data that can be generated during the asset lifecycle, infrastructure owners must set out an overarching information management strategy at the outset to outline the direction of travel. Such a strategy must define the purpose of information required during the project lifecycle, how this information will support overall goals, and the level of confidence in the information collected throughout all development phases.

For the information strategy to be successful, it should relate to the maturity of input data such as surveys and site investigations which are typically procured in phases on infrastructure projects and progressively inform the design’s level of maturity and level of confidence. A balance has to be struck between developing more comprehensive data for the insights and efficiency it brings, and the impact on the cost of producing and managing this design data.

As we evolve towards Industry 4.0, the uptake of 3D BIM for infrastructure design continues to accelerate. As new projects are set up, one of the key questions we need to address is: at what point in the project lifecycle do we need comprehensive and accurate datasets? Answering this question considering the state of each project, maturity of design input data, the benefits to be gained and project funding will inevitably boost productivity.