BIM as an effective information management tool for achieving key performance indicators in construction projects

Abstract

The UK Government mandates the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for all centrally procured Government contracts from 2016. This of course challenged the industry to shift away from the traditional ‘silo’ practices to ‘collaborative’ working environments. BIM provides a collaborative platform to share information between project stakeholders and also guides to deliver products/processes effectively and efficiently. However, what strikes for the practitioners to move for a BIM platform is how it will support the achievement of project specific Key Performance Indicators (KPI). There are massive information generation and heterogeneous flows can be identified throughout a project lifecycle and the value of that information is enormous. From the definition itself, BIM has the capability of absorbing every benefit which can be obtained through information management. This paper explains the use of BIM as an effective information management tool for achieving the KPIs in construction projects. Initially, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify the application of BIM in construction project lifecycle and its role as an effective information management tool. In addition to six (6) numbers of interviews were conducted among the construction industry professionals to identify the practical use of BIM in construction projects and its effectiveness in achieving project KPIs. The findings of the study illustrate the BIM driven construction project KPIs and their importance in achieving project goals.