CAFM and as built model updating

Hi,

I am a newbie here so be kind to me.

I have recently started a new role for a large health care operator and I am in the process of gathering as much information about our buildings as possible. Up to now the building archive consists of hand drawings, older autocad pdfs, newer autocad files etc. It is one part of my new role to collate all this into a BIM model using Revit. I know I will have many questions about that as I go along, however that is not what I am currently unsure of.

We will soon be purchasing a CAFM system which we will use as a delivery portal so contracters, engineers and consultant can login and get a copy of our up to date model. The plan is they will then go back to their offices, create, draw etc and then when the project is finished come back with up to date models. In theory it is very simple, we give, they change, model gets updated. However in reality we will have many small projects running independant of each other. Our CAFM system will of course be able to keep its data up to date, as the contracters will have a stipulatated demand to up date the relevant information for their particular building element, be that windows, doors, ventilation etc from within the delivery portal.

The scenario I am trying to describe is that the day our model becomes finished, it will already be out of date, as new projects will start almost immediately This is an older facility in constant development. It is possible for us to have 10 projects running at the same time, which have absolutely no link to each other. How do I keep my model up to date. If it was a new building, finished, I would have an as built version, when the next project starts, i would give a copy of this to the contractor et al, and I could use work sharing, copy monitor etc. But in reality I will have many projects and it could be very confusing and nigh on impossible to manage. ANy suggestions or examples of how I can approach this?

Mark

Mark,

I am pretty interested in knowing that myself.
I used to work for a healthcare facility, and did the paper to cad transition. I didn't work on the PM side, so getting CAD files at the end of the project, even though they were in the contract specs used for bidding, was a massive challenge.
We started using BIM after RMEP was established (we didn't care to before when just the architects were using it, as we didn't have a CAFM system and needed it for maintenance/engineering/future planning).
At the time I left, about 20% of the campus was available in RMEP or AMEP.
We never even got as far as a master model for the whole place, just about 1/3 of it (I spent most of my last years there trying to get a CAFM system in with our CMMS upgrade, and overseeing the utility survey needed before our ~bn$ campus renovation could start). And, I'd say 20% of those millions of square feet were renovated every year.

With AutoCAD, it was at least pretty straightforward. X-ref the architectural, then, as new MEPFP content came in, archiving the project as-is, then breaking out the different data types and pasting them into different composite sets (ductwork, piping, power, fire alarm, etc). Tedious, but, clearcut.

There are a couple links on the BIM page of the FM Community that might be helpful... https://www.augi.com/communities/fac...ity/bim-and-fm Like the Circular Linking and Coordinating Projects entries toward the bottom.

Seriously, if you can document this process, you will be world-famous.

I am most curious how the CAFM system will serve as a portal for them to get a model? I can see getting equipment lists with specs, etc, but, don't understand how a model will tie in to them?
We typically pull data from AutoCAD plines or Revit rooms as data records into a CAFM system. People get data, or color-coded plans out of it, but, not AutoCAD files or Revit models.

Oh, and congrats on your first post! Always great to see such an exciting discussion in here.

Thanks for your reply Melanie. Would be good to feed off your experience. I am in a situation where Autocad has been the main tool for many years and we have just bought Revit. A great deal of my job is to convince my fellow workers of the benefits of Revit and BIM. We will change the way we start a project as the building owner so as the completed project is rich in FM data, This included the proces on how we exchange our models. The plan is to have a central projectweb area where the main consultants can can gather what they need. In the end they will be responsible for making sure the contractors fill out the relevant data cards from within our CAFM system. I am in Europe, so we have slightly different project models here, with not so much total contracts/main contracts as , I think, is the norm in the US. So here it goes from Client/Clients advisor - main consultant (usually a consortium of engineer firms and Architect firms) - main contractor - many subcontractors, although there are variants of this model. The portal I am talking about is just a module which is part of the CAFM system, which is in effect a project webarea. As well as changing the drawing program our ICT agreements, classification system, file naming conventions, file system and others will also change so as to adhere to the current standards in our country, no small task. It is just as well at I am familiar with John Kotter’s 8 Step Process for Leading Change and Kurt Lewin three step model change theory, I think I may need them.

Mark, Melanie,

I think the model update challenge is "the BIM elephant in the room", so to speak, and for BIM as an operational tool. Not convinced I've seen an answer but it seems to be deciding at what point the geometry model object, vs data parameters, needs to reflect reality. Does it matter if a pump family stays the same when the actual object changes (eg swapped out for one of similar size) as long as the parameters update. It does matter if say a room changes but in a full BIM model you face the challenge of dealing with Arch, MEP and maybe even structural model updates. A challenge...

Robin (doing the same as you for an airport)

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Originally Posted by robin.capper

Mark, Melanie,

I think the model update challenge is "the BIM elephant in the room", so to speak, and for BIM as an operational tool. Not convinced I've seen an answer but it seems to be deciding at what point the geometry model object, vs data parameters, needs to reflect reality. Does it matter if a pump family stays the same when the actual object changes (eg swapped out for one of similar size) as long as the parameters update. It does matter if say a room changes but in a full BIM model you face the challenge of dealing with Arch, MEP and maybe even structural model updates. A challenge...

Robin (doing the same as you for an airport)

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You are so right!

There needs to be communication. In my last facility that used BIM, we knew what we needed as data and did or didn't need as geometry. We had a very experienced team that could say. The HVAC data lived in the CMMS, didn't need to be in the model except as an approximate geometric representation. The building finishes could be sparse because we had standard materials we didn't deviate from, etc.

The changes I reference myself when talking about between construction and the next renovation, is, when someone goes out to maintain a system and sees a pipe is missing from the drawing or there are valves on the model that don't exist in real life, etc... minor changes, but, still important to keep our maintenance tools up to date.

I think one key here is looking at what data you want to sync, be that Rooms/Space for a CAFM system or Equipment Assets for a CMMS; or both in individual systems or both in an IWMS. Next, does that CAFM system, CMMS or IWMS bi-directionally sync with Revit. Allowing those that are working in Revit to update data in the FM database and those not using Revit (the majority of your team) can view and use both the data in the FM database as well as the data being synced in from Revit. It's defiantly true that Record Revit Models are out of date just days, weeks or a few months after delivery, that is why having the As-Builts incorporated into the Revit model are critical in developing that As-Maintained model that becomes your single source of truth for reviewing that building in its entirety over the lifecycle. These systems also have complex data standards and structures that will require validation upon data acceptance into the system so make sure you as an owner have provided the AEC Team an Implementation Plan on what and how the data is to be structured for validation. We have also seen its much more economical to integrate platforms opposed to having the AEC Team train to use software they are not familiar with, there are many FM products they would have to learn if every owner requires them to directly enter the data in to the system using their software. In some cases, it will even require duplication of data entry as the AEC Team will still need that data entered for the owner in that system in their own system for their team members. Noticed I mentioned 'Record Revit Model', not 'As-Built Model', that because 95% of the time the as-built model with be Navisworks, something you can't author building changes to over time and keep up to date nor link to the CAFM/CMMS/IWMS system. With these bi-directional systems you can map data parameters from Rooms and Equipment directly into the FM product with your As-Maintained model, creating a manageable lifecycle workflow. I would also highly recommend using the entire VDC workflow for collaboratively gathering and collecting data for the FM solution, it goes beyond just BIM.

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Originally Posted by allen_angle

We have also seen its much more economical to integrate platforms opposed to having the AEC Team train to use software they are not familiar with, there are many FM products they would have to learn if every owner requires them to directly enter the data in to the system using their software. In some cases, it will even require duplication of data entry as the AEC Team will still need that data entered for the owner in that system in their own system for their team members. Noticed I mentioned 'Record Revit Model', not 'As-Built Model', that because 95% of the time the as-built model with be Navisworks, something you can't author building changes to over time and keep up to date nor link to the CAFM/CMMS/IWMS system.

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I completely agree with most of your post. I'd like to request clarification on what you mean for this portion on integrating platforms, though?

I started writing a response to Mark's original post and realized it was quickly turning into something much lengthier, so I turned it into a post on my blog http://bimination.blogspot.com/2016/...intaining.html.
The short answer is that as an airport, this is a problem we have been wrestling with for some time, and we feel like we have developed a pretty good solution. When a new project starts up, we use the defined project scope to cut a slice or plug out of the existing Facility Model. That scope plug becomes a model group which we then turn into a Linked Model using the never-mentioned-by-hardly-anyone Convert Group to Linked Model tool. That linked model becomes the basis for the project model. When the project is complete, we Bind the now updated linked model back into the Facility Model.