John Millar of BIM Academy explores practical examples of how information management be leveraged to drive better societal outcomes for the public sector
In part one of this series, we introduced information management and the value it offers to local authorities and the public sector to improve its efficacy in operations, efficiency as an organisation and success as a public service provider.
With the principles of information management out of the way, let’s now consider some practical examples of how these can be leveraged to drive better societal outcomes.
Case study 1: The Standard Information Management Plan (SIMP)
In 2018, the Scottish Government announced the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) – an investment of £2bn into Scotland’s learning estate.
This programme offers Scotland’s local authorities funding for proposed new build, extension or refurbishment projects based on local need. Delivered over three major phases, this funding will replenish Scotland’s learning estate by delivering schools fit for the future across its 32 regions.
In order for these projects to be eligible for LEIP funding, they are required to adhere to rigorous criteria that encompass all aspects of the project, from design and construction quality to sustainability to digital capability.
As a result, these projects are required to fully adopt BIM according to ISO 19650 to ensure the informational availability that will be required to effectively operate and maintain these built assets to a high degree over the operational phase of their lifecycles. For each local authority, this includes a review of current operations, the definition of comprehensive information requirements and the ongoing monitoring of the delivery phase to ensure that these requirements are being addressed.
This is to ensure not only consistency in how these many individual projects are briefed and delivered at a national level but also in how they will be managed and maintained by local authorities during operations.
This is not a simple task. With each local authority having its own levels of digital knowledge and capability, not to mention experience with ISO 19650, an element of standardisation was necessary to ensure that each authority – regardless of knowledge, skills or experience – will be able to satisfy the LEIP criteria.
This has resulted in the Standard Information Management Plan (SIMP) – a best practice suite of information management documentation developed and prescribed by the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), which allows local authorities, supported by a competent information manager, to develop, document and maintain their information requirements in a consistent, ISO 19650-compliant and machine-readable way.
This provides clarity on expected information deliverables to be produced throughout the project – ensuring that what is needed is what is provided – and also supports the final compilation, review and acceptance of all handover information, smoothening the transition from handover to operations.
Moreover, this provides a highly reliable and immensely valuable backend information repository, which can be built upon in years to come and drawn from as and when needed to both support and improve operations on a facility-by-facility basis.
This approach is being adopted on all LEIP-funded school projects across Scotland and is now also beginning to see adoption in non-educational contexts.
Case study 2: The Building Safety Act
Emerging in response to the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, which claimed the lives of 72 individuals and exposed significant deficiencies in the management of building safety, the Building Safety Act seeks to establish a more robust and accountable regulatory framework for the construction and operation of buildings.
It places new obligations on building owners and sets higher standards for fire and structural safety, particularly in high-rise residential buildings.
Under the act, building owners are obliged to ensure that their buildings meet the prescribed safety requirements and that the necessary steps are taken to manage risk effectively.
Effective information management plays a vital role in fulfilling the requirements of the act, as this involves the gathering, organisation and maintenance of a wide range of crucial information throughout the entire lifecycle of a building – what is often referred to as the golden thread of information.
This refers to the crucial documentation that traces design intent, construction details and subsequent modifications to a built asset, representing the seamless flow of information from the design and construction phases to operations and ensuring that key stakeholders have access to accurate, up to date and reliable information throughout the entirety of the building’s lifecycle.
By implementing robust information management practices in response to the act, building owners and local authorities can ensure the availability, integrity and accessibility of the relevant information.
This facilitates efficient decision-making, risk assessment and coordination among stakeholders, while enabling the proactive identification of hazards, streamlining maintenance activities and supporting effective emergency response procedures.
Ultimately, the act exemplifies how data and effective management practice can literally save lives. With the registration of relevant buildings now underway, this is a timely example of the importance (and legal significance) of information management in safeguarding occupant wellbeing and safety while preventing potential tragedies.
Digital strategy underpinned by information management is valuable in driving better societal outcomes
As is demonstrated by the above examples, an ambitious digital strategy underpinned by effective information management is immensely valuable for local authorities and public sector organisations in driving better societal outcomes.
Both examples demonstrate an effective, top-down approach to improving the ways in which organisations operate, comply with their statutory obligations and improve service delivery.
There are many other areas where information management can make a difference and not all of them are immediately obvious. Ultimately, each organisation is unique and will require a degree of study, observation and research to develop a tailored approach.
This will include (but is not limited to) all relevant information requirements and a strategy for maximum exploitation of the available technology.
All of this is but the first, crucial step towards successful digital transformation for the organisation, and with all there is to gain – greater connectivity within the built environment and more dependable service delivery – the time to consider the role of informatics in the public sector is now.
John Millar
Technologist
BIM Academy
Tel: +44 (0)191 269 5444
