Building Information Management

Knowledge Management

Knowledge adds value to a business through its products, processes and people. With knowledge come better decisions, more efficient teams, and a commitment to learning. T he human species has pursued and handed down knowledge the ages as an integral function of society.

KM is an investment in the future of the organization . People generate lot of information and acquire worthful professional skills who are engaged in the project of construction industry in due course. But it is a pity that these kinds of resources become unavailable for future learning as they were confined in the heads of individual people or filed in paper format.

In order to solve these problems digitalization and capture of information is previously required. When information about building standards, regulations, specifications or products can be analysed together with intellectual property created in previous projects, designs, proposals, overall planning as well as the core build process will benefit.

Key features of Knowledge Management :

• Culture
• Building a foundation
• Motivating staff
• Training
• Making Resource available
• Executive support

Project Lifecycle Management (PLM)

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture, to service and disposal. PLM integrates people, data, processes and business systems and provides a product information backbone for companies and their extended enterprise.

Improving the way a design is translated into the physical construction phase and the communication that supports this effort is one of the challenges facing the AEC industry. PLM is an approach and technology that supports this activity and provides the infrastructure upon which a robust engineering framework can be developed to deliver a project. PLM has evolved from an extension of 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools that have been around for many years and adds further technology that allows product visualisation, digital mock-up, knowledge capture, re-use, digital manufacture and collaboration, all of which is controlled and co-ordinated within an overall data management system

Performance & Quality Management

The term is closely related with: performance measurement, benchmarking and quality management. Construction projects are driven by people rather than by automated business processes. Performance has to be assessed and if possible measured through 'performance indicators'. Supporting systems and tools are required to establish assessment methods and performance indicators. The language of performance measurement includes terms such as effectiveness, efficiency, outcomes, outputs, productivity, quality, and inputs.

Communication and operational decisions considerably get better if all related data and information such as CAD drawings, contracts, daily reports or projects plans are operated from a single database.

Tools for the exchange of CAD data at the time of design process is one more area of quality and performance improvements. For example the composition of CAD models describing the different components of a building into a complete single 3D cad model. Complete building information can be made available based on a 3D CAD models and different colors are used to indicate in the 3D CAD model which parts are within, or respectively behind budget or schedule. The result is what is now known as '4D' CAD Models of a project. Adding a 5 th dimension of time over the project creates a '5D' model.

Performance Management System

Performance Standards

• Identify relevant standards
• Select indicators
• Set goals and targets
• Communicate expectations

Performance Measurement

• Refine indicators and define measures
• Develop data systems
• Collect data

Reporting of Progress

• Analyze of data
• Feed data back to managers, staff, policy makers and constituents
• Develop a regular reporting cycle

Quality Improvement Process

• Use data for decisions to improve policies, programs and outcomes
• Manage changes
• Create a learning organization

Total Life cycle management

Life cycle management has been defined as the application of life cycle thinking to modern business practice, with the aim to manage the total life cycle of an organization's products and services toward more sustainable consumption and production.

Life Cycle Management (LCM) is an integrated concept to assist in businesses managing the total life cycle of products and services towards more sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Three seperated, independent and individual management tools, development management (DM), project management (PM) and facility management (FM), are integrated and unified as a lifecycle management system for the construction project.

New business models like Public Private partnerships move responsibility for buildings, bridges or toll roads towards the main contractor along the entire life cycle. This means basically a main contractor is in charge of design and build, including financing and operation of a construction object.

Emphasized by functional specialization in the industry the main contractor takes responsibility for the success of all subcontractors and partners along the life cycle. On the other hand partners depend on the success of the entire project as well. This commitment to continuous improvement enables them to build stronger customer relationships, deliver greater value and improve their operational efficiency.

Construction industry is trying to provide comprehensive, complete service and end product for client to learn from other industries. It is reform tendency from provider (constructor) side. The buyer (investor) side of construction product should consider also management reform. If the integrated construction production procedure from constructor side and the integrated management procedure from investor side will be developed, the construction industry will have huge changes, and will be added value not only for them, but also for macro- economy.

Education and Skills Management

Construction companies understanding these new challenges will have to work closely together in order to enable the evolution of cross cultural, transparent collaboration on the basis of common business goals.

New types of jobs will evolve as knowledge management and 4D process simulations become reality. Professionals with hybrid skills will be required to leverage these new possibilities. Experiences already made in other industry around knowledge worker productivities can help the construction industry to lower initial hurdles.

The organization will benefit by:

• Greater strategic focus of those involved in Site Management and Supervision
• Higher productivity of contracting personnel
• Reduced cost of Site Management and Supervision
• Better outcomes in Advanced Techniques of Site Management and Supervision
• Improved Site Management and Supervision performance