BIM: A Healthy Disruption to a Fragmented and Broken Process

Much has been said and written about the inefficiencies of the construction industry.
Fragmented in its makeup and slow to adopt change, statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that the construction industry productivity not only lags behind other industries, but is also in decline. The costs of these inefficiencies are palpable, costing billions of dollars.

Let’s be clear, BIM is not the salvation of the construction industry. Efforts on many fronts will be needed to address issues that have gone unattended far too long. But there’s good reason to believe that the introduction of BIM will serve as a catalyst for many of the necessary changes to unfold. The signs are already there. At its core, a BIM based methodology is built around the notion of collaboration—people and systems exchanging information about a facility throughout its life cycle. Embracing a collaborative model is the most effective way I can think of to address fragmentation. Adopting this approach requires and results in a number of positive changes in the industry. While technology may be the catalyst, business process reform and vision is required to create meaningful change.