On BIM managers...(or aspiring to become one!!)

[busybee1308]

Dear Revit users and experts,

I learned Revit Architecture as a student, and have been using it on and off for some time.I am nowhere an expert, and on a scale of 1-10, I would probably give myself a 6 on how adept I am at it.(in that I can make parametric families and some other complex stuff/could probably troubleshoot 10-20% of the queries on this forum)

However, I have never used Revit professionally and my current organisation does not use Revit.I have been experimenting with it on my own, and I model stuff on it to help me understand it better.

I want to get as close to 10 as possible. Corny as it sounds, my life's ambition is to become a BIM manager or a Revit specialist....and I need advice on how to go about it.
Do Revit managers start out as managers?Or do you guys start out as regular users and then get drawn into the IT management side of things?

I would love to hear your stories...Any comments/suggestions/feedback/pearls of wisdom/personal stories/plans of action... would be extremely welcome and highly appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

[truevis]

I recommend reading this board. Most BIM manager issues, that there are, have already been discussed here.

[m20roxxers]

Try to convince the firm of the benefits.

That way as possibly the driving force or most experienced user they well help bring you forward as you learn and develop.

Most people on this board in these roles, have picked up the software and convinced their firm. Or have been motivated to push the boundaries when the firm has picked up the software and shown initiative.

However I will warn you, I can't speak for others, but I have dedicated alot of personal time on projects, systems, reading, solutions etc to get to this point, I imagine others might be the same or I'm probably just a little slow But it's definitely a passion for me and it's good when your work is also a hobby

[Scott Womack]

...........t I have dedicated alot of personal time on projects, systems, reading, solutions etc to get to this point, I imagine others might be the same or I'm probably just a little slow But it's definitely a passion for me and it's good when your work is also a hobby

As a practicing Architect/Project manager, I too have spent a tremendous amount of my own "unpaid" time experimenting, reading these forums, beta testing, etc. to further my knowledge of this software.

Every extra bit of knowledge helps to lessen the impact/disruption to my life/work schedule as we near the end of CD's on large projects. I no longer have to "live" at the office, or work the majority of weekends due to the increased knowledge of the software and its capabilities. This is how that additional time pays off for me. Is it a one for one pay-back? possibly, but then after joining this firm, and being here less than a year when the first round of lay-offs occurred in early 2009, I was kept, while others that had been here and either did not learn how to use Revit, or didn't utilize it well, were laid off. IMHO, this was a definite result of the additional effort invested along the way.

[cvandevere]

I agree with what others have stated. I think first and foremost concentrate on completing IDP, passing the licensing exam and becoming an architect.

[Alfredo Medina]

... when the first round of lay-offs occurred in early 2009, I was kept, while others that had been here and either did not learn how to use Revit, or didn't utilize it well, were laid off. IMHO, this was a definite result of the additional effort invested along the way.

Very interesting, Scott, that you consider that the extra mile you ran with Revit by your initiative was a key point in surviving at your work during this economic crisis; in addition, of course, to your expertise in the profession. You are an exception: an architect and project manager who is very interested in getting all he can get out of the tool that he uses every day to do his work in the most accurate and efficient way that is possible. In some other places, strange as it might sound, having that kind of interest in the software can be a disadvantage for career advancement within the office, especially in places where project managers and upper management are not aware of the importance of how technology is gradually and steadily changing the way architecture is being produced.

[billspa]

To be a BIM Manager, one must scroll for 40 days and 40 nights moving from firm to firm...

Seriously, most of what we know as BIM specialists might start with understanding the software. I believe understanding best practices will transform a software support guru into a valuable BIM Manager. This goes without saying that a good manager is a facilitator and possibly a master at gathering knowledge.

Part of my role is to filter out and figure out efficient ways to share all this knowledge - mostly so we can make meaning and apply it to real projects.

So, I do agree that learning how to be an architect is the first step - which never ends. I do feel that the paths can run parallel.

Lastly, some of us use BIM as a tool to prepare for a streamlined integrated process – whether for design, fabrication, construction, facilities management, or all - which in turn will save the world…

[cliff collins]

Yes--somehow I became one of these guys! It was not intended, it just evolved
and the opportunity presented itself in an unexpected fashion.

I have spent the last 20-25 years going from hand-drawing, to Cad, to ADT/ACA,
then the 1st version of Revit (pre-Adesk) to the present. I have always concentrated on
learning the latest software and BIM became the "light at the end of the tunnel" several years ago, when Revit first appeared.

Being and Architect and a BIM Manager is a great combination--and I think in the future
more and more Architects will have the BIM skills as the "old shool" gives way to the next
BIM-savvy generation.

So--keep going and you too can become what you dream of being.

WARNING: It DOES take a whole lot of extra effort!

good luck

cheers

[STHRevit]

The first thing to come to terms with is that BIM does not mean Revit.
BIM (Building Information Modelling) is a process and Revit is a tool in that process.

Becoming a BIM manager is about gathering all the information and using/displaying it to convey the design intent and construction of the project.
In the BIM proces you might come accross several software packages to obtain the overall solutioin ie, MS Project or Primavera, Navisworks, Ecotect, Revit Arch, Revit MEP, Revit Struct etc etc.

Now I am not saying that you need to know how to use all of these software packages but be aware that they are out there and being used to supply a complete BIM solution.

IMHO working in a firm and implementing one particular stream of Revit puts you more in a Project/Model Manager role, not BIM manager.

Just my 2c worth.

[cliff collins]

ArchDoc raises a great point. BIM is much more than just Revit.

The other packages he mentions all play a part in the overall BIM strategy.

However, Revit is the "centerpiece" at the heart of a building project that provides
the flow of Information for all the other apps.

cheers