BIM MANAGER: PROFILE, FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSABILITIES
ZIGURAT GLOBAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY19 DECEMBER, 2018
What exactly is a BIM Manager? How is this profile evolving in the current construction sector? What role does this figure play in the transition to digitalization?
Juan Carlos Mendoza, BIM Manager in ReStudio and alumni of the Máster Internacional BIM Manager of Zigurat, explains in detail the new role that this professional profile is acquiring.
An emerging concept
In countries where the implementation of BIM has already some results or, in those where there are BIM implementation initiatives (this only includes countries that count with public and official statistics and documentation), it has been possible to define the role of the BIM Manager or BIM coordinator (it does not matter what this position is called).
In my country, Peru, the position of the BIM Manager is still unclear. Most companies hire technicians who have only taken a couple of Revit courses or are somewhat familiarized with other BIM software and who irresponsibly call themselves ‘BIM Manager’.
And it is not the responsibility of the companies that hire them; this happens because the human resources do not have a defined profile of what BIM Manager’s functions will be, what type of specialization does the position require, the remuneration they will receive (the profile of BIM Manager is still new and this is the point).
In this article, we will try to define the profile of the BIM Manager, this is not intended to be taken at face value as suggested.
The BIM Manager, the new type of leader
If we refer to the definition of BIM Manager, we talk about a professional whose mission is to lead the correct implementation and use of the BIM methodology, coordinating the process of modelling the project (here would go all related to the standards manuals, BIM execution plan and all the documents that must be written and applied).
In addition, the BIM Manager shall coordinate close collaboration between the different actors involved, has to have a global vision of the project and ensure the correct integration of the models and their disciplines, while also coordinating the generation of content and have the ability to communicate the benefits and difficulties of the BIM to the company.
The key factors of being BIM Manager
The BIM Manager combines the profile of a technician with a Project Manager and a Manager:
Technical profile, should know: Technology + IT + Processes Manager
Management of budgets, quality, risks, times and resources
Personal relationships
Conflict management
Focus on results
Self-discipline
Responsible and tedious
Team player
– Ability to delegate
Highly motivated to perform his/her duties
Intelligence and mind for innovation
Capacity of analysis and synthesis
Communication capacity
Listening ability
Observation skills
Working capacity
High level of commitment
Perseverance and perseverance
Mental and physical strength
Leadership
Moral integrity and ethics
Critical spirit
– Proactivity
Checklist of skills and abilities of the BIM Manager:
Leadership development
Work teams’ management
Training in project management
Recognition of priorities
Business Plan development
Risk management
Project planning methodology
Efficient time management
Document management
Project documentation.
Information management and structuring
Standardization
BIM Manager Knowledge checklist:
BIM applications
Vault document management
Deployment
Subscription system
Licensing
Second Article
How to become A BIM Manager
A BIM Manager's role is necessarily nebulous. Day-to-day duties will depend very much on the task at hand and at what stage in a change process or construction project the manager is working.
In general, get *GOOD* with Revit (or ArchiCAD) and have a solid familiarity with the other. Be able to find a solution to any weird production staff request to show something in CDs, or be able to explain to them why that will be bad practice, and decrease the accuracy of their work. Learn how to build, troubleshoot, rebuild and fix complex nested families. Understand how add-ins work, how rendering works, and not only why Jim on the 2nd floor’s workstation prints differently than everyone else’s PDF generator, but how to fix that.
In short, it is not about the software. It is about the management of the workflow, processes, and people working with the software. Because every company uses different software, technology, systems, the BIM manager is responsible for such collaboration, project teamwork with different disciplines/companies to work. BIM management goes more into project management and requires both architectural and technical expertise. Being a BIM manager is not easy, as once you list out the responsibilities, you will see why.
A big part of the role is about change management, getting the most out of the technology, people, process and policies that underpin changed ways of working to deliver the outputs needed for collaborative construction.
You have two ways to do so:
1. Training through the projects which I have mentioned, in my previous conversation.
2. Take the 1 Year Diploma from ZIGURAT University.
The first way is the best, learning through practice.
Third Article
Many polytechnics and private institutions provide Specialist Diploma courses as avenues to upgrade one's technical expertise in order to meet the demands of the industry. After struggling for 5 months of part-time study to get a Specialist Diploma, I decided to do a search on the value of obtaining the Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling.
Until the day when BCA mandates that BIM managers should possess a Specialist Diploma certificate, the qualifications of BIM managers are still vague. Anyone can "grow" into a BIM manager with some form of self-study and effort to do their own skills-upgrading.
While googling, I found an interesting discussion on LinkedIn with professionals in the field offering some insights to what a BIM manager do: https://www.linkedin.com/grp/post/68075-112896065In short, it is not about the software. It is about the management of the workflow, processes, and people working with the software. Because every company uses different software, technology, systems, the BIM manager is responsible for such collaboration, project teamwork with different disciplines/companies to work. BIM management goes more into project management and requires both architectural and technical expertise. Being a BIM manager is not easy, as once you list out the responsibilities, you will see why. Poster #2 puts it succinctly:They need the skill of understanding the company they work for; a realization of the goals that need to be achieved; the ability to manage individuals (even if they are not direct reports); the "skill" of discovering better / creative ways to achieve goals; the intelligence and communication skills to quantify and communicate the value of these achievements within the organization.Is the time spent going through the Specialist Diploma worth it? I should be able to tell in 6 months time.
Forth Article
The terms 'BIM Manager', 'BIM Co-ordinator' and even 'Information Officer' have crept into construction vocabulary in recent years. In the UK an information manager is responsible for management of the CDE with no design responsibility. A BIM co-ordinator contributes to information management through establishing standards for models and execution plans.
For many companies a BIM Manager is a catch-all role associated with driving forth changes around digital ways of working. What is clear is a 'BIM Manager' cannot be identified by a uniform set of tasks. This is a role that varies across sectors and from company to company. Moreover, the role of a BIM Manager is in constant flux as working practices change to meet the ever-evolving demands of the digital construction revolution.
What does a BIM Manager manage?
Thought it's nigh on impossible to find a one-size-fits-all BIM Manager job description there are some things that are common.
Starting with a broad view, a BIM Manager can conceivably be thought of as someone with responsibilities in regard to the planning, design, delivery and operation of as-built assets.
The BIM Manager's job is, as you would expect to 'manage', but this is not a management role in the traditional sense.
A big part of the role is about change management, getting the most out of the technology, people, process and policies that underpin changed ways of working to deliver the outputs needed for collaborative construction.
What kinds of skills does a BIM Manager need?
In many companies the BIM Manager role evolved in response to a need to implement new technology. Many managers will, therefore, have a background in tech while others will have nurtured an interest and enthusiasm in these areas, upskilling in response to a business need.
When companies first started exploring BIM it may have been possible for BIM Managers with knowledge of tools and workflows, and a smattering of 'soft' skills, to get by, today the role is much broader and expectations greater.
Some BIM Managers will have come to the role with a history of developing policy and process and implementing change, along with wider business acumen. These skills reflect the fact that understanding how BIM should be delivered to best drive efficiencies and meet business objectives is crucial. Other BIM Managers may come to the role with more of a focus on information management.
The truth is, a BIM Manager needs a broad set of skills to manage and drive change that fully reaps the rewards of the digital construction revolution and encourage others to do likewise. And it is this broad skillset that means post holders are likely to come to the role with a varied range of prior experiences.
The need to guide organizations from traditional to digital means of delivery is still very much required and for the foreseeable future the BIM Manager's role remains crucial.
Essential for all is a need to evangelize the benefits of change, good communication, as well as continuous learning and development.
This is not a role for those who like the status quo, effective BIM Managers need to be prepared to elevate their role to flag issues, concerns and impacts to an organisation's leadership team to ensure the best decisions are made.
In an industry renowned for tight deadlines and low profit margins, the push for change and innovation needs to be well informed and well considered and the BIM Manager is fundamental here.
The BIM Manager should fight against pseudo BIM (BIM-like outputs not delivered optimally, efficiently) and cut through the noise and hyperbole.
What does a BIM Manager actually do?
A BIM Manager's role is necessarily nebulous.
Day-to-day duties will depend very much on the task at hand and at what stage in a change process or construction project the manager is working.
As more stakeholders start to think about and engage with BIM workflows then the BIM Manager's role will flex in response.
Is becoming a BIM Manager a job for life?
As designers, engineers, contractors and others all start working in new ways then, over time, BIM will become business as usual. It's therefore likely that the BIM manager's skills will be subsumed into design, engineering or contractor roles without the need for a special BIM label or even a dedicated manager role. With processes established 'everyone' will contribute to and own the BIM.
With such a varied picture of BIM maturity from company-to-company and between disciplines, there's still an awful lot for a BIM Manager to do. The need to guide organizations from traditional to digital means of delivery is still very much required and for the foreseeable future the BIM Manager's role remains crucial.
Who manages BIM? Do we need a BIM manager? Back in 2011 The NBS BIM Research Report found an industry awash with different opinions on what BIM actually is, and what change it could mean for the architecture and construction industries. Following the release of these findings, NBS quickly gathered some key voices and leading industry commentators, including Paul Morrell OBE, around a table to discuss how BIM will impact the construction sector, and how this will lead to a very different, increasingly collaborative approach to building design and management.
2
J
JOHN CENA
May 05, 2021
I'm exceptionally glad to peruse this article. This is the sort of manual that should be given and not the arbitrary deception that is at different web journals. Like your sharing this best posting. Thyroid RFA Expert Treatments
1
H
hasnain khatri
Apr 28, 2021
What exactly is a BIM Manager? How is this profile evolving in the current construction sector? These answers can be answered easily if you visit thelaptopadviser.com and read the article.
Some Articles about BIM manager
First Article:
BIM MANAGER: PROFILE, FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSABILITIES
ZIGURAT GLOBAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 19 DECEMBER, 2018
What exactly is a BIM Manager? How is this profile evolving in the current construction sector? What role does this figure play in the transition to digitalization?
Juan Carlos Mendoza, BIM Manager in ReStudio and alumni of the Máster Internacional BIM Manager of Zigurat, explains in detail the new role that this professional profile is acquiring.
An emerging concept
In countries where the implementation of BIM has already some results or, in those where there are BIM implementation initiatives (this only includes countries that count with public and official statistics and documentation), it has been possible to define the role of the BIM Manager or BIM coordinator (it does not matter what this position is called).
In my country, Peru, the position of the BIM Manager is still unclear. Most companies hire technicians who have only taken a couple of Revit courses or are somewhat familiarized with other BIM software and who irresponsibly call themselves ‘BIM Manager’.
And it is not the responsibility of the companies that hire them; this happens because the human resources do not have a defined profile of what BIM Manager’s functions will be, what type of specialization does the position require, the remuneration they will receive (the profile of BIM Manager is still new and this is the point).
In this article, we will try to define the profile of the BIM Manager, this is not intended to be taken at face value as suggested.
The BIM Manager, the new type of leader
If we refer to the definition of BIM Manager, we talk about a professional whose mission is to lead the correct implementation and use of the BIM methodology, coordinating the process of modelling the project (here would go all related to the standards manuals, BIM execution plan and all the documents that must be written and applied).
In addition, the BIM Manager shall coordinate close collaboration between the different actors involved, has to have a global vision of the project and ensure the correct integration of the models and their disciplines, while also coordinating the generation of content and have the ability to communicate the benefits and difficulties of the BIM to the company.
The key factors of being BIM Manager
The BIM Manager combines the profile of a technician with a Project Manager and a Manager:
Technical profile, should know: Technology + IT + Processes Manager
Management of budgets, quality, risks, times and resources
Personal relationships
Conflict management
Focus on results
Self-discipline
Responsible and tedious
Team player
– Ability to delegate
Highly motivated to perform his/her duties
Intelligence and mind for innovation
Capacity of analysis and synthesis
Communication capacity
Listening ability
Observation skills
Working capacity
High level of commitment
Perseverance and perseverance
Mental and physical strength
Leadership
Moral integrity and ethics
Critical spirit
– Proactivity
Checklist of skills and abilities of the BIM Manager:
Leadership development
Work teams’ management
Training in project management
Recognition of priorities
Business Plan development
Risk management
Project planning methodology
Efficient time management
Document management
Project documentation.
Information management and structuring
Standardization
BIM Manager Knowledge checklist:
BIM applications
Vault document management
Deployment
Subscription system
Licensing
Second Article
How to become A BIM Manager
A BIM Manager's role is necessarily nebulous. Day-to-day duties will depend very much on the task at hand and at what stage in a change process or construction project the manager is working.
In general, get *GOOD* with Revit (or ArchiCAD) and have a solid familiarity with the other. Be able to find a solution to any weird production staff request to show something in CDs, or be able to explain to them why that will be bad practice, and decrease the accuracy of their work. Learn how to build, troubleshoot, rebuild and fix complex nested families. Understand how add-ins work, how rendering works, and not only why Jim on the 2nd floor’s workstation prints differently than everyone else’s PDF generator, but how to fix that.
In short, it is not about the software. It is about the management of the workflow, processes, and people working with the software. Because every company uses different software, technology, systems, the BIM manager is responsible for such collaboration, project teamwork with different disciplines/companies to work. BIM management goes more into project management and requires both architectural and technical expertise. Being a BIM manager is not easy, as once you list out the responsibilities, you will see why.
A big part of the role is about change management, getting the most out of the technology, people, process and policies that underpin changed ways of working to deliver the outputs needed for collaborative construction.
You have two ways to do so:
1. Training through the projects which I have mentioned, in my previous conversation.
2. Take the 1 Year Diploma from ZIGURAT University.
The first way is the best, learning through practice.
Third Article
Many polytechnics and private institutions provide Specialist Diploma courses as avenues to upgrade one's technical expertise in order to meet the demands of the industry. After struggling for 5 months of part-time study to get a Specialist Diploma, I decided to do a search on the value of obtaining the Specialist Diploma in Building Information Modelling. Until the day when BCA mandates that BIM managers should possess a Specialist Diploma certificate, the qualifications of BIM managers are still vague. Anyone can "grow" into a BIM manager with some form of self-study and effort to do their own skills-upgrading. While googling, I found an interesting discussion on LinkedIn with professionals in the field offering some insights to what a BIM manager do: https://www.linkedin.com/grp/post/68075-112896065 In short, it is not about the software. It is about the management of the workflow, processes, and people working with the software. Because every company uses different software, technology, systems, the BIM manager is responsible for such collaboration, project teamwork with different disciplines/companies to work. BIM management goes more into project management and requires both architectural and technical expertise. Being a BIM manager is not easy, as once you list out the responsibilities, you will see why. Poster #2 puts it succinctly: They need the skill of understanding the company they work for; a realization of the goals that need to be achieved; the ability to manage individuals (even if they are not direct reports); the "skill" of discovering better / creative ways to achieve goals; the intelligence and communication skills to quantify and communicate the value of these achievements within the organization. Is the time spent going through the Specialist Diploma worth it? I should be able to tell in 6 months time.
Forth Article
The terms 'BIM Manager', 'BIM Co-ordinator' and even 'Information Officer' have crept into construction vocabulary in recent years. In the UK an information manager is responsible for management of the CDE with no design responsibility. A BIM co-ordinator contributes to information management through establishing standards for models and execution plans.
For many companies a BIM Manager is a catch-all role associated with driving forth changes around digital ways of working. What is clear is a 'BIM Manager' cannot be identified by a uniform set of tasks. This is a role that varies across sectors and from company to company. Moreover, the role of a BIM Manager is in constant flux as working practices change to meet the ever-evolving demands of the digital construction revolution.
What does a BIM Manager manage?
Thought it's nigh on impossible to find a one-size-fits-all BIM Manager job description there are some things that are common.
Starting with a broad view, a BIM Manager can conceivably be thought of as someone with responsibilities in regard to the planning, design, delivery and operation of as-built assets.
The BIM Manager's job is, as you would expect to 'manage', but this is not a management role in the traditional sense.
A big part of the role is about change management, getting the most out of the technology, people, process and policies that underpin changed ways of working to deliver the outputs needed for collaborative construction.
What kinds of skills does a BIM Manager need?
In many companies the BIM Manager role evolved in response to a need to implement new technology. Many managers will, therefore, have a background in tech while others will have nurtured an interest and enthusiasm in these areas, upskilling in response to a business need.
When companies first started exploring BIM it may have been possible for BIM Managers with knowledge of tools and workflows, and a smattering of 'soft' skills, to get by, today the role is much broader and expectations greater.
Some BIM Managers will have come to the role with a history of developing policy and process and implementing change, along with wider business acumen. These skills reflect the fact that understanding how BIM should be delivered to best drive efficiencies and meet business objectives is crucial. Other BIM Managers may come to the role with more of a focus on information management.
The truth is, a BIM Manager needs a broad set of skills to manage and drive change that fully reaps the rewards of the digital construction revolution and encourage others to do likewise. And it is this broad skillset that means post holders are likely to come to the role with a varied range of prior experiences.
The need to guide organizations from traditional to digital means of delivery is still very much required and for the foreseeable future the BIM Manager's role remains crucial.
Essential for all is a need to evangelize the benefits of change, good communication, as well as continuous learning and development.
This is not a role for those who like the status quo, effective BIM Managers need to be prepared to elevate their role to flag issues, concerns and impacts to an organisation's leadership team to ensure the best decisions are made.
In an industry renowned for tight deadlines and low profit margins, the push for change and innovation needs to be well informed and well considered and the BIM Manager is fundamental here.
The BIM Manager should fight against pseudo BIM (BIM-like outputs not delivered optimally, efficiently) and cut through the noise and hyperbole.
What does a BIM Manager actually do?
A BIM Manager's role is necessarily nebulous.
Day-to-day duties will depend very much on the task at hand and at what stage in a change process or construction project the manager is working.
As more stakeholders start to think about and engage with BIM workflows then the BIM Manager's role will flex in response.
Is becoming a BIM Manager a job for life?
As designers, engineers, contractors and others all start working in new ways then, over time, BIM will become business as usual. It's therefore likely that the BIM manager's skills will be subsumed into design, engineering or contractor roles without the need for a special BIM label or even a dedicated manager role. With processes established 'everyone' will contribute to and own the BIM.
With such a varied picture of BIM maturity from company-to-company and between disciplines, there's still an awful lot for a BIM Manager to do. The need to guide organizations from traditional to digital means of delivery is still very much required and for the foreseeable future the BIM Manager's role remains crucial.
Image: The Open University under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 licence.
What to view next...
Who manages BIM? Do we need a BIM manager? Back in 2011 The NBS BIM Research Report found an industry awash with different opinions on what BIM actually is, and what change it could mean for the architecture and construction industries. Following the release of these findings, NBS quickly gathered some key voices and leading industry commentators, including Paul Morrell OBE, around a table to discuss how BIM will impact the construction sector, and how this will lead to a very different, increasingly collaborative approach to building design and management.
I'm exceptionally glad to peruse this article. This is the sort of manual that should be given and not the arbitrary deception that is at different web journals. Like your sharing this best posting. Thyroid RFA Expert Treatments
What exactly is a BIM Manager? How is this profile evolving in the current construction sector? These answers can be answered easily if you visit thelaptopadviser.com and read the article.