An investigation into Building Information Modelling Assessment Methods (BIM-AMs)

This paper reports on an investigation into the mapping of Building Information Modelling Assessment Methods (BIM-AMs) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. Drawing on insights from the literature, twelve BIM-AMs were initially analysed and compared. Some of the key points distinguishing AMs are the level of detail and areas of measurement. Based on the fact that BIM-AMs span the full range of the complexity spectrum, two AMs were used in a number of case study projects to explore their variations. The first, a simplified AM, is the National BIM Standard Capability Maturity Model (NBIMS-CMM) developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). The second, more detailed, is the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Scorecard, developed at Stanford University. A comparative case study methodology was implemented to investigate characterisations of the two AMs. The analysis included two different phases. The first phase assessed the reliability of using one BIM-AM on a single project but was completed by two members of the same team to explore subjectivity. The second phase applied two BIM-AMs to the same project to investigate whether they gave consistent assessments. Observations of the results identified limitations of BIM-AMs, in particular in their dependency on qualitative judgements. They are beneficial for industry, stakeholders and decision makers to measure BIM implementation, but attention needs to be given to the possibility of using more quantitative measurements in assessing BIM maturity.