A common theme, here at KnowledgeSmart, is that of skilled professionals being able to demonstrate their capability and credentials, whatever the subject. And it is a topic which is being discussed at the highest levels, here in the UK, as 2012 rolls around.
Back in 2009, I posed the (rather tongue-in-cheek) question; what do bus drivers and welders have in common that CAD & BIM professionals don't? The answer is simple; bus drivers and welders need to demonstrate their professional credentials on a regular basis throughout their careers, in order to be allowed to do their job.
Bus drivers (and lorry drivers) have to pass a 'certificate of professional competence' in order to drive their vehicles in the UK. The CPC was developed as a requirement of a European Directive, designed to improve the knowledge and skills of professional LGV and PCV drivers throughout their working life. There are two parts to the legislation:
- An Initial Qualification that must be achieved by new (LGV and PCV) drivers along with their vocational licence to enable them to use their licence professionally.
- Periodic Training, which involves all professional drivers undertaking 35 hours of training every 5 years.
Meanwhile, welder certifications are specially designed tests to determine a welder's skill and ability to deposit sound weld metal. The tests consist of many variables, including the specific welding process, type of metal, thickness, joint design, position, and others. Most certifications expire after a certain time limit, and have different requirements for renewal or extension of the certification. Once a welder passes a test (or a series of tests) their employer will certify the ability to pass the test, and the limitations or extent they are qualified to weld, as a written document (welder qualification test record, or WQTR).
So if the driving industry has a recognised benchmark for performance and if the welding industry won't allow its members to pick up a blow-torch without first demonstrating they have the requisite skills, then why on earth does the AEC industry let just about anyone gain access to a CAD or BIM software license?
I remember reading a story on ENR.com, a while back, highlighting the dangers of unqualified staff working on projects. A warehouse in Philadelphia suffered a major structural collapse, resulting in damages of $3.5M USD. A building-collapse expert concluded, 'The team committed several engineering errors of "amazing proportions" that caused the Philadelphia warehouse to fail under the weight of snow'. He found that the warehouse had only one-third of the steel roof framing it needed.
Someone using analysis software grossly underestimated the quantity of materials, the error went unnoticed, the building was constructed, the snow fell... and they firm got hit with $3.5M in costs. Plus a number of people were hurt when the roof fell in. Ouch! Suddenly a few extra dollars on testing a person's proficiency using engineering software, plus a few hours training, seems like a good use of the company resources!
A CIO at a large US design firm once said to me; “The minute you give someone a BIM license on their desktop – you are effectively giving them full access to your end product. You want to be sure they know what they are doing!”. This firm doesn't allocate a license to someone's desktop unless they have first met the minimum threshold competence level for performance, as identified by the firm's BIM administrators (using KnowledgeSmart, in this instance).
A bus company doesn't give someone the keys to its shiniest double-decker without making absolutely sure they have the current skills required to drive the vehicle. Isn't it time that the AEC industry recognised the need for clear skills certification in core authoring, BIM, Civil and analysis software packages? And a continuous improvement program for design and engineering professionals to demonstrate their credentials to their employers on an ongoing basis?
Well, hopefully, that is precisely what is happening, as the UK Government mandates use of BIM Level 2 on all appropriate construction projects, by 2016. Despite (or perhaps because of) the ongoing economic hardship around the world, many firms are revisiting their technology assessment and training programmes, to make sure that they can measure the skills of key personnel. Firms who can demonstrate to clients that they have the requisite skills to deliver a BIM project safely, on time and budget, will have a definite competitive advantage, as the clock counts down to 2016.
R
Monday, 9 January 2012
Thursday, 8 December 2011
AUGI Top DAUG 2011 - The Results
The AUGI Top DAUG competition was introduced at Autodesk University, way back in 2000. The contest originally consisted of two parts, based on AutoCAD 2D knowledge. This year, AUGI teamed up with KnowledgeSmart to expand the range of topics to include 7 tracks; 3ds Max, AutoCAD 2D, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Inventor, Revit Architecture, Revit MEP and Revit Structure.
Here is an overview of the contest from AUGI Hot News:
http://augi.typepad.com/files/augi-hotnews-daily---wednesday-nov-30-2011.pdf
There were some great prizes up for grabs, too. Track winners walked away with a $100 USD Amazon voucher (a combination of high scores and fastest times determined the winner of each track) and the overall winner also won a HP notebook PC and a free pass to AU 2012!
We spent several hours on the Monday, setting up 18 networked PC's in the exhibition hall, at the AUGI stand. All 126 copies of the Autodesk software needed checking, then all the KS sample data sets had to be uploaded to each machine and checked again. Big thanks to Daniel Heselwood, from Evolve, for answering our call for help. (We actually called Daniel to ask for his help with a missing xref - and 4 hours later he was still helping us finish up!).
Here's a snapshot of the stand, when we were all set up:
The competition ran over 3 days (2 x 3 hour slots on the first 2 days, with a final hour session on the last day). Contestants had to answer a range of questions, using the 2012 version of each software title. Each session was limited to just 14 minutes, so people had to work fast! The new format proved popular, with eager users queuing up to grab a spare seat. Special thanks to AUGI team members, Bob Diaz and Michael Patrick, for briefing users and making sure everything ran smoothly.
Here are the Top DAUG's in action:
By the end of the contest, we posted 305 results, across 7 tracks. On a conference venue web connection, with the added ingredients of free beer and wine, we had a completion rate of 99%, which was way ahead of our anticipated 95% target. (Our support team promptly rescued the missing two scores, so all completed tests were captured and logged on the AUGI dashboard).
Throughout the competition, we posted a rolling list of the top 10 contestants for each track, on the AUGI big screen.
The Results
Congratulations to the following contestants, who won their respective Tracks:
3ds Max Track Winner: James Clarke
AutoCAD 2D Track Winner: Brent McAnney
AutoCAD Civil 3D Track Winner: Brian Hailey
Inventor Track Winner: Joe Bartels
Revit Architecture Track Winner: Aaron Maller
Revit MEP Track Winner: David Raynor
Revit Structure Track Winner: Rebecca Frangipane
And a special mention to the overall winner of AUGI Top DAUG 2011:
Brian Hailey
Analysis
So, let's take a detailed look at the results of this year's Top DAUG competition.
Overall
No. of Tests Completed: 305
Overall Average: 53% in 12 mins 56 secs
Track 1 - 3ds Max
Track Winner: James Clarke
Winning Score: 64% in 13 mins 55 secs
Top 10 Contestants:
James Clarke
Jesse Sandifer
Daniel Heselwood
Paul Mazzoni
Fernando Oliveira
Jens Tange
Matti Oopik
Yosun Chang
Douglas Bowers
Charlie Forsythe
No. Completed: 13
Group Average: 18% in 12 mins 15 secs
Top 10 Average: 20% in 12 mins 2 secs
Track 2 - AutoCAD 2D
Track Winner: Brent McAnney
Winning Score: 100% in 11 mins 25 secs
Top 10 Contestants:
Brent McAnney
Alex Lepeska
Scott Wilcox
Heather Shrieves
Timothy Vaughan
Ben Rand
Decio Ferreira
Jim LaPier
Richard Lawrence
Youssri SalmanNo. Completed: 110
Group Average: 42% in 13 mins 43 secs
Top 10 Average: 82% in 12 mins 42 secs
Track 3 - AutoCAD Civil 3D
Track Winner: Brian Hailey
Winning Score: 100% in 6 mins 10 secs
Top 10 Contestants:
Brian Hailey
Richard Lawrence
Travis Winter
Bryan Thomasy
Kirk Noonan
Jeff Nichols
Bruce Klug
Brent McAnney
Charles D'Errico
Bill Neuhauser
No. Completed: 26
Group Average: 61% in 12 mins 33 secs
Top 10 Average: 90% in 11 mins 24 secs
Track 4 - Inventor
Track Winner: Joe Bartels
Winning Score: 80% in 8 mins 20 secs
Top 10 Contestants:
Joe Bartels
Gerrard Hickson
Andrew Warren
Bill Graham
Alex Karan
Marius Minnen
Anders Tokerud
Chris Brown
Scott Wayand
Curtiss Cooke
No. Completed: 27
Group Average: 59% in 13 mins 6 secs
Top 10 Average: 75% in 12 mins 9 secs
Track 5 - Revit Architecture
Track Winner: Aaron Maller
Winning Score: 100% in 6 mins 55 secs
Top 10 Contestants:
Aaron Maller
Brian Mackey
Anthony Tiefenbach
Steve Faust
Sean Darnell
Eric Bernier
Adam Ward
Douglas Bowers
Andrew Fisher
David Ivey
No. Completed: 84
Group Average: 79% in 11 mins 35 secs
Top 10 Average: 99% in 10 mins 7 secs
Track 6 - Revit MEP
Track Winner: David Raynor
Winning Score: 80% in 13 mins 25 secs
Top 10 Contestants:
David Raynor
John Karben
Fernando Oliveira
Jason Vaia
Philip Charlson
David Rushforth
Clifford Baker
Douglas Bowers
Maxime Sanschagrin
Paul Beseman
No. Completed: 23
Group Average: 54% in 13 mins 50 secs
Top 10 Average: 67% in 13 mins 49 secs
Track 7 - Revit Structure
Track Winner: Rebecca Frangipane
Winning Score: 98% in 13 mins 45 secs
Top 10 Contestants:
Rebecca Frangipane
Andrew Lawrence
Dezi Ratley
Brian Mackey
Eric Bernier
Matthew Hill
Tina Bos
Michael Patrick
Jason Rhodes
Fernando Oliveira
No. Completed: 22
Group Average: 56% in 13 mins 32 secs
Top 10 Average: 77% in 13 mins 5 secs
Further Analysis & Observations
Popular Tracks
The most popular tracks, in order of completed tests, were as follows:
AutoCAD 2D - 110 results
Revit Architecture - 84 results
Inventor - 27 results
AutoCAD Civil 3D - 26 results
Revit MEP - 23 results
Revit Structure - 22 results
3ds Max - 13 results
Training Needs Analysis
So what does all this mean, in terms of performance and training?
For 3ds Max, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Creation Parameters, Cross Sections, Map Channels, Map Coordinates, Object Data Flow, Object Modifiers, Object Properties, Pivots, Rotate and Space Warps.
For AutoCAD 2D, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Attaching References, Modifying References, Dimensioning Objects, Measuring, System Variables, Object Snaps, Arcs, Drafting Tools, Lines and Tangent.
For AutoCAD Civil 3D, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Changing a Slope, Pipe Networks, Sections, Corridor Surfaces, Corridors, Breaklines, Surfaces, Survey, Alignments and Parcels.
For Inventor, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Parameters, Tolerances, Features, Revolve, Sketch, Hole, Project Settings, Styles, Components and Parts.
For Revit Architecture, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Clipboard, Data Integrity, Modeling, Family Editor, Families, File Management, Worksharing, Room Tags, Walls and Annotation.
For Revit MEP, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
System Inspector, Apparent Load Values, Creating Power Systems, Editing Properties, Modifying Light Fixtures, Panel Circuits, Panel Schedules, Photometric Web Files, Selecting Equipment and Electrical Settings.
For Revit Structure, the top 10 training items were, in priority order:
Families, Scope Boxes, Types, Visibility, Roofs, Floors, Slabs, Structural Deck, Annotation and Span Direction Symbol.
Revit Data
It's interesting to compare the Revit results, across the 3 disciplines, which arguably reflects where Revit currently sits, in terms of wider industry adoption. Revit Architecture proved to be the most popular track and the overall experience of the users taking part in Top DAUG, suggests that this software is the most mature, in terms of individual expertise. Revit MEP and Revit Structure were very close, in terms of overall performance, but considerably behind Revit Architecture, on a like-for-like productivity comparison.
RAC overall: 79% in 11 mins 35 secs
RMEP overall: 54% in 13 mins 50 secs
RST overall: 56% in 13 mins 32 secs
It's also worth noting that the average Revit Architecture score, for the top 10 users, was an impressive 99% in 10 mins 7 secs. In fact, 31 users out of 84 posted scores of 90% or higher, which is outstanding.
As an additional comparison, we posted 28 results for Revit Architecture at RTC USA, earlier in the year. The overall average for Revit Architecture, at the RTC 'Top Cat' contest, was 79% in 9 mins 7 secs. (NB the questions were different at RTC, but the level of difficulty was on par with Top DAUG).
Range of scores
Interestingly, across the 7 tracks, we saw scores ranging from 0% to 100%. Here is a summary of both ends of the performance scale:
7 x 100% scores (1 x AutoCAD 2D, 1 x AutoCAD Civil 3D, 5 x Revit Architecture).
13 x 0% scores (1 x 3ds Max, 11 x AutoCAD 2D, 1 x Revit Architecture).
Honourable mentions
Along with our track winners, the following contestants deserve a special mention, for their performance in the competition:
Brian Mackey - winner of the RTC USA Top Cat contest in the summer, Brian placed second in the Top DAUG RAC track (scoring 100%), and also placed in the top 4 for RST. An exceptional effort!
Brent McAnney - won the AutoCAD 2D track and placed in the top 8 for AutoCAD Civil 3D.
Eric Bernier - placed inside the top 6 for both the RAC and RST tracks.
Douglas Bowers - placed inside the top 8 for both the RAC and RMEP tracks.
Fernando Oliveira - placed inside the top 10 for the 3ds Max, RMEP and RST tracks.
Richard Lawrence - placed inside the top 10 for both the AutoCAD 2D and AutoCAD Civil 3D tracks.
Heather Shrieves - placed inside the top 5 for AutoCAD 2D and top 12 for Inventor.
Jason Vaia - placed inside the top 5 for RMEP and top 18 for RAC.
Boys vs Girls
Finally, let's take a look at the demographic breakdown of the competition. Out of 305 contestants, 271 were male and 34 female. The average overall performance for each group breaks down like this:
Female: 61% in 12 mins 37 secs
Male: 53% in 12 mins 57 secs
So, there we have it! A thoroughly enjoyable 3 days at AU2011. 305 completed tests, across 7 popular Autodesk software applications. It's fair to say that the overall standard was extremely high, with some truly outstanding individual performances from our track winners and top 10 contestants.
Congratulations to all our winners. Thanks again to the AUGI team for all their support, in helping us put together the new format for Top DAUG. Particular thanks to AUGI President, David Harrington, past-President, Mark Kiker and past-Board member, Bob Diaz. Lastly, a big thank you to everyone who took part in this year's contest. See you all at the Mandalay Bay in 2012?
R
Friday, 25 November 2011
KS devs - a brief look ahead
As we head to the close of the year, I thought it might be useful to drop a quick update on the blog, about the work currently under development.
The next release is split into two parts. Part one goes live next month and introduces some fairly big changes to the core KS system. These updates involve introducing a hierarchical tree structure into the user accounts, sharing tests/modules between child accounts, moving users/results data between accounts, and including a new 'draft' phase when creating new test content.
Part two focuses on improving the 'Invites' area of the dashboard, with a number of great ideas from the KS user group being added to the system. We'll also introduce personal dashboard pages, so individuals can track their own progress, over time.
A key theme for KS in 2012 is to continue the concept of 'links to learning'. We are in discussion with a number of training providers, discussing how to make the journey from assessment to learning even smoother.
Exporting user and results data is another common theme, which will be addressed further in 2012. Tighter integration of skills assessment data, into wider HR systems and company Intranets, has been a popular discussion topic this year.
We'll be adding some new question types to the dashboard in a future release, including survey tools and the ability to gather and present user feedback and opinion, as well as test results. The KS 'community' area will also continue to grow in the months ahead, offering KS firms more opportunities to exchange test questions and material.
More benchmark stats and reporting options will be appearing in the next release, with more detailed geographical and industry breakdowns for AEC businesses to compare performance. We'll also be adding some new content management tools, which will be particularly helpful to KS firms with large test libraries.
Speaking of which, the KS 'off the shelf' library continues to roll on, with new modules appearing each month. Next up, we'll be adding more Civil 3D questions, more Revit Structure and Revit MEP questions, a Navisworks Manage module, an Ecotect module, plus some new material based on Oracle's Primavera PCM application.
So that's a quick overview of what's coming over the next 3, 6 and 12 months. As always, we welcome your feedback, constructive comments and new ideas. It looks like 2012 is shaping up to be a busy one.
May we (continue to) live in interesting times!
R
The next release is split into two parts. Part one goes live next month and introduces some fairly big changes to the core KS system. These updates involve introducing a hierarchical tree structure into the user accounts, sharing tests/modules between child accounts, moving users/results data between accounts, and including a new 'draft' phase when creating new test content.
Part two focuses on improving the 'Invites' area of the dashboard, with a number of great ideas from the KS user group being added to the system. We'll also introduce personal dashboard pages, so individuals can track their own progress, over time.
A key theme for KS in 2012 is to continue the concept of 'links to learning'. We are in discussion with a number of training providers, discussing how to make the journey from assessment to learning even smoother.
Exporting user and results data is another common theme, which will be addressed further in 2012. Tighter integration of skills assessment data, into wider HR systems and company Intranets, has been a popular discussion topic this year.
We'll be adding some new question types to the dashboard in a future release, including survey tools and the ability to gather and present user feedback and opinion, as well as test results. The KS 'community' area will also continue to grow in the months ahead, offering KS firms more opportunities to exchange test questions and material.
More benchmark stats and reporting options will be appearing in the next release, with more detailed geographical and industry breakdowns for AEC businesses to compare performance. We'll also be adding some new content management tools, which will be particularly helpful to KS firms with large test libraries.
Speaking of which, the KS 'off the shelf' library continues to roll on, with new modules appearing each month. Next up, we'll be adding more Civil 3D questions, more Revit Structure and Revit MEP questions, a Navisworks Manage module, an Ecotect module, plus some new material based on Oracle's Primavera PCM application.
So that's a quick overview of what's coming over the next 3, 6 and 12 months. As always, we welcome your feedback, constructive comments and new ideas. It looks like 2012 is shaping up to be a busy one.
May we (continue to) live in interesting times!
R
AU 2011
OK, it's that time of year again. KS is exhibiting at this year's Autodesk University. We’re also co-hosting the AUGI Top DAUG skills contest this year: http://www.augi.com/autodesk/AU/augi-top-daug.
In spite of the ongoing financial woes around the world, this year's show promises to be one of the busiest yet. No doubt there will be much talk of BIM, VDC, IPD, Cloud computing and, if rumours prove to be true, announcements about an Autodesk move into the PLM space. We'll see!
For now, if you're heading out to Las Vegas next week, do please drop by the KS booth, or come and see us at the AUGI Top DAUG area.
We look forward to meeting you.
R
In spite of the ongoing financial woes around the world, this year's show promises to be one of the busiest yet. No doubt there will be much talk of BIM, VDC, IPD, Cloud computing and, if rumours prove to be true, announcements about an Autodesk move into the PLM space. We'll see!
For now, if you're heading out to Las Vegas next week, do please drop by the KS booth, or come and see us at the AUGI Top DAUG area.
We look forward to meeting you.
R
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
BIMshow Live
Amongst a host of upcoming Conferences, Roundtables and Webinars, all on the ubiquitous topic of BIM, one in particular stands out from the crowd.
In November, the inaugural BIMshow Live takes place at the Business Design Centre, in London.
HOK's prolific blogger and tweeter, David Light, provides a handy summary on his popular BIM & Revit blog.
Here's the link: http://autodesk-revit.blogspot.com/2011/09/bimshow-live.html.
R
In November, the inaugural BIMshow Live takes place at the Business Design Centre, in London.
HOK's prolific blogger and tweeter, David Light, provides a handy summary on his popular BIM & Revit blog.
Here's the link: http://autodesk-revit.blogspot.com/2011/09/bimshow-live.html.
R
KS Community - BIM Fundamentals
There is a wide range of quality assessment content, currently appearing in KS dashboards, written by AEC firms from all over the world. Topics vary from in-house CAD & BIM processes, to 'how to use the company Intranet', to BIM workflows and standards, to Project Management skills, and more.
An interesting trend is that firms are actively engaging KS to facilitate a 'community' pool of content, whereby firms, using the law of reciprocity, are volunteering to share their own, self-authored, non-proprietary test content, with other KS firms, in exchange for the option to access material from the wider KS community.
It is an environment of cooperation and collaboration, which is refreshing in its simplicity and effectiveness. And we're just getting started! Already, we are seeing a stream of fresh, new, current material coming online, every month. Oh, and the best modules are being added to existing KS libraries FREE of charge.
Under the umbrella of the free community content, something very interesting happened just last week. A handful of firms contributed their in-house questions on 'BIM Fundamentals', to the community pool.
Now, whilst this module is a work in progress, I thought it would be interesting to send some invites out to the BIM community, to take a look at what has been authored so far. To say that this has caused quite a lot of conflicting opinion, would be quite the understatement! I knew that attempting to create a general BIM test was going to be tricky, as ‘good’ BIM practice is still subjective, across the regions.
The fact is, this set, is really meant to be ‘raw material’, i.e. not to be used by any firm un-edited. For example, there is a slight Revit bias in one or two of the technical questions, but that is principally because all these questions were written by AEC firms, many of whom are primarily Autodesk users. (One could also argue that this is reflective of industry, I suppose). A Bentley or Graphisoft firm, will almost certainly have an opposing view and that's as it should be.
From my perspective, I think this set could be used by a firm (appropriately edited) to stimulate a more intelligent discussion in-house about BIM, BIM process, BIM strategy, what BIM is (and is not), and so on. The coaching notes are quite helpful to fill in the blanks in people’s general level of understanding.
We’ve had some interesting suggestions on additional topics to cover. These include; IFC, IPD, IDM, information exchange protocols, clash detection and coordination procedures, BIM implementation plans, level of development standards, managing model merge from other consultants/sub-contractors, BIM workflows (who starts first, who has priority), 4D, 5D, COBie, field BIM, model validation, BuildingSMART, sustainability and the McLeamy curve.
The simple fact is that, globally, the industry is still at a comparatively early stage of BIM adoption and the questions in the set so far – all donated by firms in the field, using BIM every day on projects – reflect where they are currently up to, with their BIM thinking.
I think we’ll see some new BIM questions rolling in, over the coming weeks, as the discussion continues. We’ve had such a wide range of comments already (in just a few days) so it is very clear that opinion remains divided, even amongst BIM ‘experts’! :)
On a related note, I was reading a thought-provoking article by Martyn Day, at AEC Magazine, entitled, 'The Trouble with BIM'. (See link: http://aecmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=450).
As the KS community pool gathers momentum, I think we'll see a host of new test material coming online. My view is that it’s easier for firms to start from an existing set of material, than to re-write the whole thing from scratch. That's why having full editorial control over the content is vital.
As far as a universally accepted BIM standard goes, I think we're some way off realising this goal. I'll leave the final word to one of the beta testers, who displayed an admirable sense of self-deprecation, and who clearly grasped the intent with which the beta invites were sent out; 'Does this mean I'm too DIM for BIM?' :)
R
An interesting trend is that firms are actively engaging KS to facilitate a 'community' pool of content, whereby firms, using the law of reciprocity, are volunteering to share their own, self-authored, non-proprietary test content, with other KS firms, in exchange for the option to access material from the wider KS community.
It is an environment of cooperation and collaboration, which is refreshing in its simplicity and effectiveness. And we're just getting started! Already, we are seeing a stream of fresh, new, current material coming online, every month. Oh, and the best modules are being added to existing KS libraries FREE of charge.
Under the umbrella of the free community content, something very interesting happened just last week. A handful of firms contributed their in-house questions on 'BIM Fundamentals', to the community pool.
Now, whilst this module is a work in progress, I thought it would be interesting to send some invites out to the BIM community, to take a look at what has been authored so far. To say that this has caused quite a lot of conflicting opinion, would be quite the understatement! I knew that attempting to create a general BIM test was going to be tricky, as ‘good’ BIM practice is still subjective, across the regions.
The fact is, this set, is really meant to be ‘raw material’, i.e. not to be used by any firm un-edited. For example, there is a slight Revit bias in one or two of the technical questions, but that is principally because all these questions were written by AEC firms, many of whom are primarily Autodesk users. (One could also argue that this is reflective of industry, I suppose). A Bentley or Graphisoft firm, will almost certainly have an opposing view and that's as it should be.
From my perspective, I think this set could be used by a firm (appropriately edited) to stimulate a more intelligent discussion in-house about BIM, BIM process, BIM strategy, what BIM is (and is not), and so on. The coaching notes are quite helpful to fill in the blanks in people’s general level of understanding.
We’ve had some interesting suggestions on additional topics to cover. These include; IFC, IPD, IDM, information exchange protocols, clash detection and coordination procedures, BIM implementation plans, level of development standards, managing model merge from other consultants/sub-contractors, BIM workflows (who starts first, who has priority), 4D, 5D, COBie, field BIM, model validation, BuildingSMART, sustainability and the McLeamy curve.
The simple fact is that, globally, the industry is still at a comparatively early stage of BIM adoption and the questions in the set so far – all donated by firms in the field, using BIM every day on projects – reflect where they are currently up to, with their BIM thinking.
I think we’ll see some new BIM questions rolling in, over the coming weeks, as the discussion continues. We’ve had such a wide range of comments already (in just a few days) so it is very clear that opinion remains divided, even amongst BIM ‘experts’! :)
On a related note, I was reading a thought-provoking article by Martyn Day, at AEC Magazine, entitled, 'The Trouble with BIM'. (See link: http://aecmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=450).
As the KS community pool gathers momentum, I think we'll see a host of new test material coming online. My view is that it’s easier for firms to start from an existing set of material, than to re-write the whole thing from scratch. That's why having full editorial control over the content is vital.
As far as a universally accepted BIM standard goes, I think we're some way off realising this goal. I'll leave the final word to one of the beta testers, who displayed an admirable sense of self-deprecation, and who clearly grasped the intent with which the beta invites were sent out; 'Does this mean I'm too DIM for BIM?' :)
R
Monday, 12 September 2011
BIM and Integrated Design - a new book by Randy Deutsch
Friend of KnowledgeSmart, Randy Deutsch, has written a fantastic new book, called, 'BIM and Integrated Design: Strategies for Architectural Practice'.
Unlike many of the recent books and manuals on BIM, this book is devoted to the subject of how BIM affects individuals and organizations working within the construction industry.
As one of the most popular speakers and presenters on the AEC circuit, Randy is well placed to comment on the journey that many firms are currently making towards BIM adoption. In his book, Randy discusses the implementation of building information modeling software as a cultural process with a focus on the technology’s impact and transformative effect—both potentially disruptive and liberating—on the social, psychological, and practical aspects of the workplace.
BIM and Integrated Design answers the questions that BIM poses to the firm that adopts it. Through thorough research and a series of case study interviews with industry leaders, this book helps us learn:
• Effective learning strategies for fully understanding BIM software and its use
• Key points about integrated design to help you promote the process to owners and your team
• How BIM changes not only the technology, process, and delivery but also the leadership playing field
• How to become a more effective leader no matter where you find yourself in the organization or on the project team
• How the introduction of BIM into the workforce has significant education, recruitment, and training implications
Covering all of the human issues brought about by the advent of BIM into the architecture workplace, profession, and industry, BIM and Integrated Design shows how to overcome real and perceived barriers to its use.
Click here for a link to Wiley's website, for more information and to order a copy of Randy's book.
R
Unlike many of the recent books and manuals on BIM, this book is devoted to the subject of how BIM affects individuals and organizations working within the construction industry.
As one of the most popular speakers and presenters on the AEC circuit, Randy is well placed to comment on the journey that many firms are currently making towards BIM adoption. In his book, Randy discusses the implementation of building information modeling software as a cultural process with a focus on the technology’s impact and transformative effect—both potentially disruptive and liberating—on the social, psychological, and practical aspects of the workplace.
BIM and Integrated Design answers the questions that BIM poses to the firm that adopts it. Through thorough research and a series of case study interviews with industry leaders, this book helps us learn:
• Effective learning strategies for fully understanding BIM software and its use
• Key points about integrated design to help you promote the process to owners and your team
• How BIM changes not only the technology, process, and delivery but also the leadership playing field
• How to become a more effective leader no matter where you find yourself in the organization or on the project team
• How the introduction of BIM into the workforce has significant education, recruitment, and training implications
Covering all of the human issues brought about by the advent of BIM into the architecture workplace, profession, and industry, BIM and Integrated Design shows how to overcome real and perceived barriers to its use.
Click here for a link to Wiley's website, for more information and to order a copy of Randy's book.
R
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