Developing your BIM Career

I recently read Bob Murray's LinkedIn post on "10 Tips on Personal Career Development" and it got me thinking (as his articles usually do), so I thought I'd write my own 10 tips on how to develop your Career in BIM.

Check out Bob's two books "It's Already Inside" and "Unlocked". 

I often have the opportunity to speak to students at Colleges and University on BIM and how its impact on the AECO industry. 

Here are my 10 tips:

1: The position your want may not exist yet.... technology is changing so rapidly and businesses don't realise the opportunities they're missing out on... you can take advantage of that by carving out your own position.

2: Don't be afraid of change, change is constant and moving at a rapid pace. Everyday you will learn something new! Gather those experiences and apply it to the current situation.

3: Say "Yes" see my post in this topic. Don’t be afraid to take on something new, you may be intimidated or doubt your own abilities, but unless you take on the challenge you may never discover your full potential.

4: Engage, don't be afraid to ask questions, there are not stupid questions.

5: Educate yourself by attending conferences and workshops. These events are fantastic opportunity to network and participate in stimulating conversation. You also get to meet and know the leaders in your industry.

6: Teach; teaching is a great opportunity to learn. Students ask the greatest questions and the discussions resulting from a teaching session are thought provoking. 
You learn by teaching!

7: Read, on line, articles, books (digital or paper). Stay current with what's going on in the world associated to BIM, this will broaden your horizons and knowledge.

8: Encourage other. By promoting and encouraging other around you, you will find that you will develop a group of like minded people with whom you can share idea's, challenges and innovative thinking.

9: Surround yourself with the right people, seek out those that challenge you and inspire you to greatness.

10: Colour outside the lines. Look for cross over opportunities where you see possibilities to share or utilise your skills in other fields. 
For example, BIM for the gaming industry? Gaming tools for the AEC industry!

11: Find a Mentor, be a Mentor.

Yes there are 11, always deliver more than promised ;-)

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How to be an effective Leader

Here's another image that was recently shared with me.

I think this very accurately describes how good leaders lead.

Vulnerable: Dont be afraid to admit your wrong, you will gain the respect of others. 

Mirror: Act in a way you want others on your team to act, lead by example.

Started: We all started at the bottom, respect and listen to those starting from the beginning as they often have a "fresh" view.... and be humble of your position. 

Integrity: Dictionary defines Integrity as "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness". Do what is right, for your team, for the company and for the project.

Before: Promote other and encourage development.

Not about you: It'll backfire if it's about you.

On your own: Surround yourself by good people and good things will happen, the key to your success is the success of your team and their ability to thrive under your leadership.

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Leadership

I came across this image today and felt the need to share.

Sometimes those in a leadership loose focus of this and their main concern is the "business model".
A leaders responsibility is to maintain the businesses success... and manage, in a thoughtful manner, those under their charge. This means making sure that their goals and aspirations are being met.

Your success is dependent upon the quality of those around you and you will only be able to retain quality people by keeping them engaged, active in leadership decisions (direction) and providing them with opportunities to grow.  I think this is crucial than ever before as this is the evolution of good business management.

And remember, you are a leader, regardless of your position.

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Being an Outstanding BIM Manager - 4

4.     Software

How to keep up-to-date on software, including new processes and implementation and roll-out of new or add-in software.

Gone are the days when we would skip every other release and continue working on our old version of software... and even then quite often have to save down to share files with consultants. Nowadays with Autodesk Subscription there are no reasons not to upgrade.

Take advantage of what you pay Autodesk every year in your subscription fees and maximise your software ROI by upgrading and utilising the add-ons and every piece of software you have as part of your sub. If you start missing releases it's a bigger learning curve to catch up... learning curves slow down production!

Our projects are getting larger and more complex, the performance of Revit is improving with each new release.

Get it.
Test it.
Use it.

Afterthought:

Work with IT, they need to have an understanding of how you use the software and it’s demands. Explain the ROI of utilizing add-on’s and subscription tools, upper management may not understand BIM but they understand ROI.

That being said, make sure when you implement an add-on or additional tool you roll it out to the right people, you want to maximize its effectiveness and improve its chances of success, you can only do this with the right people who are willing to test new tools… bugs and all.

When to Colour Inside the Lines

I’ve often written about giving your team the freedom to explore alternate methods of performing a task, or working through a process. We typically call this thinking outside the box or colouring outside the lines. Here’s the flip side to that, when you need to think inside the box or colour within the lines.

We develop process for a reason, typically to manage quality control and efficiency by providing a means of achieving consistency. When developing a process we explore ways of achieving efficiency in completing set tasks in order to achieve set goals, you invested time and effort exploring alternate methods. I’m constantly looking at ways to improve a process and welcome suggestions and feedback on how the process is working out or could be improved. That being said, you may come across an individual who will second guess every aspect of a process, whether it be through pure enthusiasm, or arrogance, you need to be able to manage this person as they can quickly become a disruption to you and your team.

Clearly explaining why things are done a certain way can quite often clarify any misunderstandings.

Harness enthusiasm

Harness the individual’s enthusiasm by directing their attention to a more productive role. Firstly sit down with the team, not just the individual (you don’t want to single anyone out), and explain the process and why things are done a certain way, if the consensus is that the process is broken or could be improved the individual probably is onto something. If not, and this individual still thinks things can be done in a better way, involve this person in the development of other processes, you may have just found your next QC champion.

If this person is just being disruptive then you may have the wrong team member on your project, it may be best to redirect this individual to a more productive role on another project where they feel they have more control over the project, failing that, it’s time to involve your HR department. It may just be a case of the person feeling underutilized and redirecting their efforts may be a solution.

Don’t misinterpret dissension with enthusiasm.

Colour within the lines

By encouraging your team to colour within the lines you providing them with a set of constraints (not a bad thing) or boundaries that allow them to be creative in a focused direction. Giving your team members a clear set of goals allows them to focus on a task and, when accomplished, gives them a sense of achievement. This can only be done when they have a clear direction or a roadmap to achieving their goal or tasks, this gives them clear boundaries and the confidence that they can then explore these boundaries.

We all do well when given a task and the tools to achieve a set goal, don’t disregard questions about your process, but don’t let it become a disruption to your team.

Direct you team to colour within the lines and encourage them to be creative.

Being an Outstanding BIM Manager - 3

3.     The “BIM Effect”

How does BIM affect the other departments in your firm?

BIM has an impact in all departments such as IT, Human Resources, Marketing and Finance.

If you work in a fully *BIMplimented firm, or are making the transition from CAD to BIM you would have noticed that BIM has an impact on the operation of your business.

As a BIM Manager you can advise and provide valuable information to other departments in the company. Take a good look at your company’s current Work Flow or Flow of Operations manual. Quite often the “Flow of Op’s” is based upon traditional methods of drawing and document creation and doesn’t really fit well with today’s Building Information Technology use in Architecture.

BIM has had quite an impact in the AEC industry over the past number of years and in most cases our traditional Architectural business model hasn’t changed. We need to look at expectations of output and time at each stage. Personally I have found as a direct result of implement BIM that we need more time during Design and Development and less time for Working Drawings. This change impacts contractual agreements, fee structure and client expectations. BIM has had a direct impact on every stage of our Flow of Ops manual from marketing to administration to production.

IT: Internal or Outsourced

Working with IT is critical, your IT support needs to have an understanding of BIM and the demands it has on a project. BIM needs to work in conjunction on IT as IT manages the network, the Revit Server, computer requirements and can be a valuable resource creating scripts etc.

Evaluate your needs for training and your best possible options, if you’re not comfortable instructing maybe you have a power user who may be comfortable instructing or possibly you have external resources available.

HR: Staff Selection and Training

Who knows your technical staff better than you do?

Who can evaluate a potential employee's BIM skills better than you? Be a part of the interview process, even create a BIM or Revit skills evaluation test. Typically I can decipher how good a potential employee's Revit skills are just by talking to them and asking them pertinent questions.

You know your technical staff's skills better than HR, it's up to you as the BIM Manager to improve your technical staff's skills by making training and education options available.

Same applies to team selection, you know the best people for the type of project, their skill sets, what types of projects they like to work on and also when and how to "push" them forward and place them in a team position to help them move forward.

As an active BIM Manager you will have the best knowledge of your staff’s skillsets. Quite often you will know who the best person capable for a specific project.  I communicate regularly with project managers and discuss what Tech’s are available (or coming available) and make suggestions which people would be suited for project teams. Keep in mind that you don’t want to burn out your Revit Power Users, typically after a particularly arduous project I’ll give that team a break and recommend them for a simpler “fun” project, and on the other hand I’ll gently push those tech’s that I think are ready for it to step into the role of Project BIM Captain. Resist the urge to step in and take over a project… it’s not your role.

Finance: BIM’s impact on the bottom line

Traditional billing method still working for ya? How about billing?

Advise the project manager on time line expectations and billing time line.

BIM has changed the typical design time line and unfortunately the billing sequence still does not reflect that change.

* BIMplimented - Full BIM implementation. A firm utilizing BIM technology to accomplish its goals as a profitable entity.

  

Afterthought

Make time to know your colleagues in other departments, eat your lunch with them, greet them in the elevator. By getting to know your colleagues that are “outside your circle” you’ll develop a better understanding of the challenges they face and see ways where you each will be able to help one another.

Educate your colleagues (marketing, finance, HR, event reception) on BIM and it’s impact of the business, this will give them a better understanding of the benefits of BIM and your role in the company. You don’t necessarily need to run a workshop for them just have a conversation.

Participate in the staff meetings, give updates on new features, tools or even give your perspective on where the technology is going and how it will impact the industry.

Being an Outstanding BIM Manager - 2

2.     Quality Control

Outline, develop and maintain a quality control process. Examine your documentation of protocols and procedures around the design process, strategies for sharing and working with consultants, and how the Revit model can be used with other software and consultants.

The BIM manager must develop and maintain the BIM support files and documentation including the structure, development and maintenance of templates, define what constitutes a comprehensive component library, and outline how to develop and maintain a quality assurance and quality control system. 

Examine your internal documentation of protocols and procedures around the design process, strategies for sharing and working with consultants, and how the Revit model can be used with other software and consultants.

Having a manual is great…. When people read it and keep it handy. My experience is that after the standards document is created it is quickly out of date and easily forgotten and left on the shelf. By incorporating your standards into the template it makes it easier for people to follow.

Don’t be so rigid in your standards, they’re a guideline not hard and fast rules! Our industry is full of creative people who need boundaries but not fences. If it works and doesn’t adversely affect the process (ie; keeps the look and information consistent) give your staff the flexibility to improve how things are done, this can only be done if they have permission to “colour outside the lines”.

The “What”

–      What exactly do we need to change?

The “How”

–      How are we going to do this?

What are the Goals?

·       Produce a BIM Management system that meets the organizations goals of profitability,    consistency, efficiency and accuracy

·       Establish a collaboration and communications plan

·       Clearly defined BIM work plan – BIM Execution Plan

·       Consolidation of all BIM supporting documents

·       Address the needs and concerns of Project Managers and Technical staff

·       Structured in accordance with the existing flow of operations

·       Introduce/reference a quality assurance and control process (QAQC)

How we currently collaborate – the “traditional process”

  - File Exchange – VPN, Email, C4R…

  - BIMx, LOD Matrix, BIM Lead Meetings

  - Our consultants level of expertise in BIM

  - Their knowledge has an impact on our ability to deliver

  - Our level of expertise in BIM

  - Source out your Revit Rock Stars

  - All other aspects of our business including:

      Project Management

      Marketing and Business Development

      Finance

      Human Resources

Afterthought
Ask when the last review of your companies QAQC process was updated.

Get organised! I know it takes time and we all have tight deadlines on projects, but nothing can create “time” like being well organised. Start with your own desk, take time each day to get organised and plan what you want to achieve that day, even if it all goes awry for the most part you’ll be able to check off your “to do “ list and get more accomplished.

Ask for feedback, you don’t have all the answers and getting other peoples perspectives widens your view of how things can be improved upon. Ask what works and what doesn’t work.

Buy some colour pencils and a colouring book, colour outside the lines… ;-)

Being an Outstanding BIM Manager - 1

1.     Business Development and Direction

Examine how and where BIM can improve your business opportunities.

Advancing the BIM Agenda in your firm

Talk to the decision makers and present to them the benefits and capabilities of BIM.

How can we educate our clients to take advantage of our services.

Be a part of the initial project process, talk to the clients about what BIM can for the benefit of the project. Make the promotion of BIM a marketing opportunity for your firm.

Business opportunities utilizing BIM

What opportunities are out there utilizing the power of BIM; QTO, Visualization, Marketing, AR, VR.... etc....

Through the adoption of collaborative delivery practices, project outcomes are enhanced through the alignment of the goals of the project team and early involvement of all members of the project team.

Things to consider when establishing your BIM project are:

• Who should be included in the team
• Establishing principles of trust
• Methods for enhancing effective collaboration and information sharing
• Ensuring team success through successful collaboration
•  Establishing project team decision making process

Afterthought

If you are not in a position to educate the decision makers start at a level where you can. 

Start with your peers, introduce them to new tools and features they may not be already using, you will quickly be known as one of the “go to guy” in your office and this will elevate you to a position where you will have an influence on those around you where your comments will be heard and given the proper consideration they deserve.

Next time you have the opportunity to speak with senior staff mention how aspects of BIM can be utilized for the benefit of the project. For example next time you’re in the elevator with a partner or project manager mention to them ways that the model and be utilized for the benefit of the company or the project.

Plant the seed….

Being Organised

One key to being an effective manager is your own personal organisational skills. Not only the ability to organise other peoples, tasks, schedules, priorities and goals but to be able to organise your own!

Being an organised person gives you credibility to those around you, being seen as a prompt, well organised person gives the impression that you’re a confident person that is capable of getting things done right and on time, people will value your opinion and listen to your thoughts…
All this just because you’re organised.

So what does being organised mean?

Being organised allows you to focus your thoughts and tasks so you can be more effective in your time management by scheduling your tasks according to priority.

When you feel overwhelmed by your workload, creating a list will help you focus on addressing the critical items first. By clearly developing a list of tasks and prioritising them gives you focus and a clear plan of action. Having a plan relives you of the stress of an overwhelming workload by breaking your workload down into manageable tasks.

Here’s a tips on how to develop your “to-do” list.

Write a list every morning of the tasks you wish to accomplish that day, then sort them according to priority. Write down everything, from the simplest task such as replying to a specific email or phone call to the most complex, throughout the day add items to my list and change priorities if need be.

Tackle the most challenging tasks first, addressing the most challenging tasks first gives you a sense of satisfaction, even just starting a task or an action gives you a since of relief and puts you in a positive frame of mind for the rest of the day.

Break down your tasks into long term and short term, keep notes by your list items on the status and only cross off the item once completed or transfer the item to a current list.

I have two lists, I have a large “Tasks and Goals” book where I keep track of the big picture items, my long term tasks, goals and ideas are all kept in one place. I also have a secondary smaller “Daily Tasks” book where I write down my daily or weekly tasks as well as items I need to address later in the week or for when I’m in a meeting or in a specific office. This is part of my preparation for the week ahead, allowing me to start planning ahead.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed take a break and pick one of the easy items on your list, by ticking off completed items on your list will add to your feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Don’t feel guilty about spending time getting yourself organised in the morning, spending time getting your thoughts together and how you plan on tackling the day ahead. This will put you in a good frame of mind for the rest of the day an prevent you spinning your wheels on items that will side track you from what you really want to accomplish that day.

Put your list in a prominent place on your desk, in plain sight so you can refer to it often allowing you to maintain your focus.

Finally: Feel the sense of satisfaction at the end of a hard day’s work as you review your completed list! There’s nothing better at the work day to go over you list with a sense of accomplishment as you mark off the tasks you have addressed throughout the day. Any unfinished items will be a good start to the next day’s list.

Great… now I can check “write article on lists” off my to-do list. ;-)

Not everyone needs to be a Revit Rock Star!

Not everyone wants to be a rock star, some team members are quite happy keeping their head down and do the work assigned to them and they have no desire to take on additional responsibility or step out of their comfort zone. These are my “Steady Eddy’s”, team members who focus on getting the work done!

And that’s OK!

Not everyone needs to be a Rock Star!

It’s your job to recognize these individuals and guide them to be the best they can possibly be (or want to be), some individuals are goal oriented achievers, whereas others will make it quite clear to you that they have no interest in taking on responsibility, they just want to do their job, and do it well.

By recognizing this you can adapt the direction you are “encouraging” each of your team members. Don’t try to push someone to be a “rock star” who is not interested, it’ll backfire on you and end badly. By understanding each team member you can gauge how best to utilize their skills and how comfortable they would be stepping out of their comfort zone.

Utilize your “steady “Eddy’s” in positions where production is key, you can typically rely on these people to produce clear accurate work when provided with clear accurate direction. 

These team members are your foundation to the productivity of the project and should not be neglected. Your steady “Eddies” will progress on their own time, they will wait to see what has been proven and when they are ready and have seen firsthand the proven path they will be ready to move forward.

I’ve spoken previously on team members who are either not read, or willing to move forward, here you have two options; either redirect their knowledge into a position where you still can utilize their depth of knowledge or let them move on where their comfort level is more in line with another company. Reluctance to do this will result in your team working to the lowest denominator. Don’t let someone’s reluctance to move forward inhibit the rest of your team, this will only result in frustration of those wanting to move forward and hold back potential team members from reaching their goals. Ultimately you will lose the key people who are beneficial to your company and you will be left with those who are holding you and the company back.

Do whatever you can to provide encouragement to your team, make resources available for those who want to explore their possibilities, praise and reward your “steady Eddy’s” you may be surprised as to who takes up the challenge and becomes your next Rock Star!

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Being a BIM Manager

I read Luke Johnson's blog "What Revit Wants" this morning. His posting was in response to a linked in article titled "Yes Your Firm Needs a BIM Manager". I agree to the article (why your firm needs a BIM Manager) and also with Luke's comment, "BIM Managers being a Jack of all Trades".

However I feel that both only are speaking about certain aspects of being a BIM Manager. 

In my opinion the role is an evolving one as your firm develops their BIM content, processes and protocols.

Personally, what I have found is that when I joined my current firm a number of years ago as their first BIM Manager, my role was to develop standards and templates etc and to maintain those standards, similar to the traditional role of a CAD Manager. 

I have found that as these standards, protocols and processes are being developed my role has naturally transitioned to tasks beyond basic standards maintenance including the involvement of the initial project start-up and the implementation of the BIMx plan.

I now have in place processes and BIM strategies for each project and have in place people in various “BIM” positions in the project team to facilitate the BIM process throughout all stages of the project. My role now as BIM Manager has involved to include all aspects of BIM throughout the firm. 

This evolution never occurred as a CAD Manager, I believe that the "BIM Manager" role is evolving still and will be a staple component to all projects.