{"id":146595,"date":"2024-12-09T10:54:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T10:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=146595"},"modified":"2024-12-09T10:54:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T10:54:58","slug":"10-years-on-from-plain-language-bim-why-are-we-still-struggling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/digital-construction-news\/bim-news\/10-years-on-from-plain-language-bim-why-are-we-still-struggling\/146595\/","title":{"rendered":"10 years on from Plain Language BIM: Why are we still struggling?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A decade on from his book Plain Language BIM, infrastructure and digital transformation expert Iain\u00a0 Miskimmin argues that we are still struggling to deliver the right information to the right people at the right time<\/h2>\n

Ten years ago, I wrote Plain Language BIM. I wanted to share the lessons we\u2019d learned at the Crossrail Information Management Academy<\/a> and from the many brilliant international visitors who joined us.<\/p>\n

Back then, I, like many of you, hoped BIM would soon become business as usual – so much so that people like me wouldn\u2019t even be needed anymore.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to today, and\u2026 well, here we are.<\/p>\n

BIM still feels like an optional extra – something you need to specify, start late and often drop when the budget tightens. Why? Surely if BIM had a clear, simple value proposition for every stakeholder across the lifecycle, we wouldn\u2019t still be trying to sell the idea!<\/p>\n

Making trust a reality<\/h3>\n

At its heart, BIM is about value – and value is built on trust.<\/p>\n

To truly trust information, we need to know exactly what it is, where to find it, where it came from and who created it.<\/p>\n

We need confidence that it hasn\u2019t been tampered with and that it\u2019s presented in a way that\u2019s easy to understand.<\/p>\n

When we can rely on information like this, it drives better decisions and delivers real value.<\/p>\n

Despite working with some of the most brilliant and passionate minds in the industry – people who live and breathe this vision – for almost 20 years, we\u2019re still fighting to make that trust a reality, and then ultimately ourselves redundant.<\/p>\n

Yes, redundant! The dream is for BIM to be so natural, so ingrained in daily work, that it\u2019s second nature. When everyone uses it without a second thought because it always delivers value – whether that\u2019s financial, environmental or even for safety – then we can all ride off into the sunset.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019re not there yet. Why? In my opinion, we\u2019re making BIM too hard. The language is confusing, and the perceived burden often outweighs the benefits.<\/p>\n

Clients are told to buy five standards, hire someone to interpret them and invest in\u00a0 software that takes months to configure – all before they even define all the information they\u2019re trying to manage, which I fear is becoming an overinflated behemoth of its own! No wonder they balk.<\/p>\n

Speaking the right language<\/h3>\n

I opened my book by saying BIM was the worst acronym imaginable, and I stand by that. The only part that truly makes sense is the \u201cI\u201d for Information. And that\u2019s where the focus should be.<\/p>\n

So, why am I not retired, reading books and drinking gin, relaxing in the knowledge that BIM has achieved its full potential?<\/p>\n

Well, maybe it\u2019s because we\u2019re not speaking the right language.<\/p>\n