BIM Specialist. A new profession that requires new (and not so new) skills. The demands for BIM specialists are increasing, but what then distinguishes, for example, a designer-technician from a BIM technician?
BIM Specialist. A new profession that requires new (and not so new) skills. The demands for BIM specialists are increasing, but what then distinguishes, for example, a designer-technician from a BIM technician; the project manager from the BIM manager; project coordinator from BIM coordinator?Short answer: specialist’s ability to use BIM software and understanding of BIM processes. Below we have described the classification of BIM specialist positions according to the necessary competences and desired technical support, including the programs used in daily work, which are used by leading BIM specialists in the Baltics.
Most often, BIM specialists are divided into conditional three sub-professions: BIM manager, BIM coordinator and BIM technician. There are also BIM experts, but they are BIM managers who have accumulated enough experience to be able to check the projects of others (to make sure that the customer has received a quality BIM project / service). A representative of each profession has its own specific duties that require certain skills and abilities. Skills and abilities are related to BIM technologies and processes, or equipment. Like any good specialist, BIM specialists must be provided with knowledge and tools that allow them to successfully perform their duties by applying knowledge. To better understand the necessary equipment, we will look at each BIM sub-profession separately, looking at the responsibilities and the quality of the necessary equipment.
BIM manager
Top class BIM specialist. Creates BIM strategy, BIM execution plan, defines BIM requirements and evaluates them. Sets the overall tone in BIM project implementation, predicting the application of appropriate processes and technologies to achieve BIM goals. Reviews the execution of the BIM project and the achievement of the set goals; responds to process deficiencies and makes plan / strategy improvements.
Intellectual equipment:
- Deep understanding of BIM processes
- In-depth understanding of the processes that make up the construction cycle
- In-depth understanding of project management principles and methodologies
- In-depth understanding of IT (BIM and not only) technologies, IT infrastructure, its constituent components and basic principles of application
- Deep understanding of company structure and processes
as well as:
- Ability to communicate
- Skills to present seemingly complex concepts in simple and understandable language
- Skills to create, manage and motivate BIM stakeholders
Technical equipment:
- MS Office (or similar) software (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)
- Solibri – tool for model quality checks
- Unified Data Environment (UDV), such as Trimble Connect
the project manager from the BIM manager; project coordinator from BIM coordinator?
Short answer: specialist’s ability to use BIM software and understanding of BIM processes. Below we have described the classification of BIM specialist positions according to the necessary competences and desired technical support, including the programs used in daily work, which are used by leading BIM specialists in the Baltics.
Most often, BIM specialists are divided into conditional three sub-professions: BIM manager, BIM coordinator and BIM technician. There are also BIM experts, but they are BIM managers who have accumulated enough experience to be able to check the projects of others (to make sure that the customer has received a quality BIM project / service). A representative of each profession has its own specific duties that require certain skills and abilities. Skills and abilities are related to BIM technologies and processes, or equipment. Like any good specialist, BIM specialists must be provided with knowledge and tools that allow them to successfully perform their duties by applying knowledge. To better understand the necessary equipment, we will look at each BIM sub-profession separately, looking at the responsibilities and the quality of the necessary equipment.
BIM manager
Top class BIM specialist. Creates BIM strategy, BIM execution plan, defines BIM requirements and evaluates them. Sets the overall tone in BIM project implementation, predicting the application of appropriate processes and technologies to achieve BIM goals. Reviews the execution of the BIM project and the achievement of the set goals; responds to process deficiencies and makes plan / strategy improvements.
Intellectual equipment:
- Deep understanding of BIM processes
- In-depth understanding of the processes that make up the construction cycle
- In-depth understanding of project management principles and methodologies
- In-depth understanding of IT (BIM and not only) technologies, IT infrastructure, its constituent components and basic principles of application
- Deep understanding of company structure and processes
as well as:
- Ability to communicate
- Skills to present seemingly complex concepts in simple and understandable language
- Skills to create, manage and motivate BIM stakeholders
Technical equipment:
- MS Office (or similar) software (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)
- Solibri – tool for model quality checks
- Unified Data Environment (UDV), such as Trimble Connect
BIM coordinator
High class BIM Specialist. Implements the BIM strategy in practice and implements the BIM execution plan. Responsible for coordinating the project based on the BIM execution plan. Details aspects of the plan, describing the practical course of work; matches models; performs inspections of BIM models (using appropriate technology); deficiencies found in communication; monitors schedule and controls BIM execution deliverables and prepares progress reports; develops BIM guidelines.
Intellectual equipment:
- Understanding of BIM processes and their constituent components
- Understanding the processes that make up the construction cycle
- Understanding of BIM and IT technologies, their possibilities and disadvantages
- Understanding of project management processes and methodologies
- Understanding of BIM quality aspects
as well as:
- Ability to explain seemingly complex concepts in simple and understandable language
- Ability to apply appropriate BIM tools during the project coordination process
- The ability to communicate and coordinate the resolution of identified deficiencies in an effective manner
Technical equipment:
- Solibri
- Unified Data Environment (UDV), such as Trimble Connect
- BIM Collab – a tool that provides the ability to organize and manage collisions both in the cloud and in the programs you use
- Bexel Manager (4D, 5D, 6D) – estimation and construction process management tool
- SimpleBIM – a tool for managing and filtering IFC information
- Plannerly – a planning tool
- MS Office (or similar) software (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.)
BIM Technician
Competent BIM specialist. Develops a BIM model, responds to the instructions of the BIM manager and coordinator, communicates BIM aspects within his organization, communicates with other BIM specialists, is responsible for the quality of his section’s BIM model and uploads the BIM model to VDV. Typically, it is the designer who develops the responsible sections of the BIM project in the BIM model using the appropriate BIM software.
Intellectual equipment:
- Understanding of BIM processes
- Understanding of the BIM specifics of the responsible project section
- Understanding the use of BIM reference models in design
as well as:
- In-depth skills to apply appropriate BIM authoring tools in the project development process
- Ability to follow established processes.
Technical equipment:
- BIM authoring tool: For civil
engineers: Tekla Structures For
architects: Revit or Archicad and Lumion (for BIM visualizations and animations) For
engineering network designers: CADMATIC Electrical, DDS-CAD or MagiCad For estimators
: BEXEL Manager or Solibri - VDV (if not provided by BIM coordinator) such as Trimble Connect
The role of BIM manager and BIM coordinator is often filled by the same person. Similarly, a BIM coordinator can also be a BIM technician, which is most often found among architects, when an architect (architect technician) with strong BIM competence both develops the model and also coordinates the BIM project. It is essential that the specialists mentioned above must be construction-related specialists. BIM software is just a tool that doesn’t do anything by itself, but the right BIM tool in the hands of a competent professional allows you to achieve the benefits of BIM while waiting for the project.
Appropriate specialist equipment is one of the main (if not the most important) aspects of a successful BIM project. Given that there are no separate training programs available for BIM professionals yet, BIM professionals need to be trained within their organization, thus maintaining their own organization’s mindset, work organization and set of competencies.
To define the above-mentioned equipment, the leading BIM specialists in the Baltics were identified and the mentioned BIM software is used by the leading BIM specialists all over the world.
The set of practical trainings at BIM ACCADEMY will help you to equip your BIM-designated specialist, where the training programs are designed and marked for professionals of narrow specialization. You can familiarize yourself with BIM software and purchase it by contacting our BIM consultant
If you don’t know where to start or you need help to create an accurate BIM implementation process, we offer to develop a BIM implementation strategy and a company BIM manual, which will help you to feel the benefits of BIM more successfully and faster.
PS, if you are not yet ready to create your own BIM staff position, but you are starting to feel the need for BIM, we have started providing the “BIM Technical Support” service, which provides you with all the necessary BIM competence at the moment when it is most needed
