A decade on from his book Plain Language BIM, infrastructure and digital transformation expert Iain Miskimmin argues that we are still struggling to deliver the right information to the right people at the right time
Ten years ago, I wrote Plain Language BIM. I wanted to share the lessons we’d learned at the Crossrail Information Management Academy and from the many brilliant international visitors who joined us.
Back then, I, like many of you, hoped BIM would soon become business as usual – so much so that people like me wouldn’t even be needed anymore.
Fast forward to today, and… well, here we are.
BIM still feels like an optional extra – something you need to specify, start late and often drop when the budget tightens. Why? Surely if BIM had a clear, simple value proposition for every stakeholder across the lifecycle, we wouldn’t still be trying to sell the idea!
Making trust a reality
At its heart, BIM is about value – and value is built on trust.
To truly trust information, we need to know exactly what it is, where to find it, where it came from and who created it.
We need confidence that it hasn’t been tampered with and that it’s presented in a way that’s easy to understand.
When we can rely on information like this, it drives better decisions and delivers real value.
Despite working with some of the most brilliant and passionate minds in the industry – people who live and breathe this vision – for almost 20 years, we’re still fighting to make that trust a reality, and then ultimately ourselves redundant.
Yes, redundant! The dream is for BIM to be so natural, so ingrained in daily work, that it’s second nature. When everyone uses it without a second thought because it always delivers value – whether that’s financial, environmental or even for safety – then we can all ride off into the sunset.
But we’re not there yet. Why? In my opinion, we’re making BIM too hard. The language is confusing, and the perceived burden often outweighs the benefits.
Clients are told to buy five standards, hire someone to interpret them and invest in software that takes months to configure – all before they even define all the information they’re trying to manage, which I fear is becoming an overinflated behemoth of its own! No wonder they balk.
Speaking the right language
I opened my book by saying BIM was the worst acronym imaginable, and I stand by that. The only part that truly makes sense is the “I” for Information. And that’s where the focus should be.
So, why am I not retired, reading books and drinking gin, relaxing in the knowledge that BIM has achieved its full potential?
Well, maybe it’s because we’re not speaking the right language.
- To finance teams, we need to demonstrate how good information reduces risk, lowers loan interest rates and improves profit margins.
- To project managers, we should show how progressively assured information eases those sleepless nights by proving the project is on track.
- To designers, we need to focus on ensuring the design functions and performs as required, layering on detail only when it’s needed.
- To clients, we should streamline and simplify. Write plain-language standards tailored to their needs – one clear guide per stakeholder, not a library of documents to decode.
Not so it is an extra, a burden or something that is dropped when things a squeezed, but an essential life preserver.
Most importantly, we need to focus on value. Clients don’t need the mix ratio of concrete; they care that it’s strong and looks good. Finance teams don’t care about insulation brands; they want the budget to balance. Maintenance engineers don’t need a 3D model of a pump; they need to know where it is and how to fix it.
BIM is three letters, so let’s limit actions to one, two and three. BIM should be about delivering the right information, to the right people, at the right time – nothing more, nothing less.
So where does that leave us? Maybe the answer lies in two famous quotes. Henry David Thoreau said “simplify!” Jerry Maguire said,“ show me the money!” If we do both – simplify BIM and prove its value – we might finally make it the no-brainer it was always meant to be.
And who knows? Maybe then I can finally hang up my tricorne BIM hat and call it a day.
