A Comparative Approach to Map BIM Workflow in US Mid-size Firms Using BPMN and IDEF Methods

The main objective of this research is to develop an explicit and flexible Business Process Model (BPM) for mid-sized architectural firms that are adapting to the wide scale implementation of BIM. The general outcome of this paper is a comparative description between two methods of mapping the existing workflow of BIM using the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and the Integration DEFinition (IDEF), as derived from an expert questionnaire and two BIM case studies. The paper focuses on the Schematic Design (SD) and Design Documents (DD) phases inside mid-sized architectural firms in the US.

keywords: Building Information Modeling (BIM), Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), Integration DEFinition (IDEF), Schematic Design (SD), Design Documents (DD)