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Building Information Modeling, or BIM has been slowly but surely, making its way into the AEC industry in recent years. Many construction companies across the world are now shifting their ventures to a partly or fully BIM-based environment. With its lifelike 3D visualization and simulation, BIM has provided us with an interactive and collaborative environment where each individual can put his best foot forward and contribute to the project in his own way. Especially over the last decade, project leaders and AEC professionals have realized the convenience, accuracy, efficiency, and reliability that only BIM can bring to their projects. 

Common challenges in BIM implementation

Despite its manifold advantages, a lot of construction firms and AEC professionals are still hesitant to adopt BIM as their primary working methodology. The primary reasons for this reluctance include 

• Lack of proper awareness regarding the “new” technology.
• Individual reluctance to adopt a fresh approach.
• A deficiency of seasoned BIM experts.
• Additional expenditure on tools and training.
• Lack of coordination among project participants.

In addition to this, many medium- or small-scale companies don’t want to spend their time and money implementing a technique that they are hardly ever going to use. Also, countless misconceptions still persist among the professionals, preventing them from stepping their foot into BIM environment.

How can a BIM consultant assist you?

BIM, being a relatively new concept in the AEC industry, has many false impressions and doubts revolving around it. To tackle this, the most common and convenient solution for companies is to have a BIM consultant at their side. Their skills and knowledge help construction firms and professionals dip their toes in as smoothly as possible. 

Apart from the BIM-based designing and drafting, a seasoned consultant will also help your team members become familiar with the technology. They will help you set proper standards and the necessary training modules for the staff. Their main job is to standardize BIM management in a build firm and to ensure the right collaboration and BIM’s effective implementation in their projects. Proper guidance from an expert also reduces the risk of fallacy, which is quite common in initial projects. 

Challenges to a BIM consultant

Becoming a BIM consultant does not require any specific degree or certification. A good knowledge of the technology and the ability to lead and assist novice individuals or companies in their projects are the two main things required for the successful implementation of BIM in any work environment. However, there are quite a few impediments and barriers that usually hinder a BIM consultant’s job.

• Lack of information among the individuals – The first and foremost challenge a consultant has to face with different companies is a lack of awareness and maturity. Although the technology of BIM is decades old, AEC professionals are still somewhat ignorant regarding its applications and potentials. Most individuals still consider it a designing and drafting tool, when it has so much more to offer them. Because of this, the BIM expert has to find a certain amount of time and a certain strategy, which differs from one to another, in order to make them understand the real implication of BIM.
• Adherence to older methods – Being set in their longstanding ways, people are resistant to shifting to a fully-fledged BIM-based work environment. They see BIM as an addition to their traditional working methods, instead of a replacement, which is why they prefer to use other, more familiar, designing and drafting tools like CAD. 

Convincing people to leave their traditional ways and invest their money and energy in the new technique is another big challenge for BIM consultants. Several companies are outright resistant to such a big and fast alteration in their work setting. Thus, the BIM expert has to find the right tactic to satisfy their doubts without making them feel rushed out of their comfort zones.

• Establishing right standards and collaboration – Building Information Modeling is a collaborative tool, which means, each participating individual is liable for the success or failure of the project. This many a time wreaks havoc among the team members. The lack of accountability can very easily create a mess, if not managed wisely. 

Moreover, the traditional processes of construction firms work more on a step-by-step basis rather than collaborating. On the other hand, BIM’s strength lies in the fact that it allows all the architects, engineers, contractors, and subcontractors to work together in almost all the phases. So, in order for companies to derive rightful results from the tool, it is necessary to create a structured and cooperative workspace.

• Finding appropriate equipment and software – Due to the novelty of BIM, it still lacks the right supply chain coordination at the moment. Manufacturers and suppliers, being unaware of the tool, are not able to fix the precise quality and standards for associated technology. Also, many BIM software programmes are not very adaptable to different kinds of project situations. On top of this, many a time they are not user-friendly, which, again, creates pointless doubts about their capabilities. This can not only hinder the true potential of BIM but, in many cases, render it mostly ineffective. 

Conclusion

As we have seen, BIM still has a fairly long way to go before manifesting its true potential in everyday projects. The main reason behind this is the lack of support and trust in BIM. Thus, in order to create and lead successful BIM projects, along with excellent knowledge of technology, a BIM consultant must have the right strategy, patience, and mindfulness to lead a project in diverse and resisting environments.