Building information modeling body of knowledge. II: Consensus building and use cases

Wu, W; Mayo, G; McCuen, T L; Issa, R R A and Smith, D K (2018) Building information modeling body of knowledge. II: Consensus building and use cases. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 144(8): 04018066, ISSN 0733-9364

Abstract

This paper aims to apply the building information modeling (BIM) body of knowledge (BOK) framework, established during the background, framework, and initial development phase, to determine what common knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) should be represented in the BIM BOK using a Delphi method with inputs from subject matter experts (SMEs). After three rounds of the Delphi study, a dynamic BIM BOK of 67 instances (line items) was developed and consensus was measured for each line item with importance ratings and levels of agreement (LOAs) achieved among the SMEs. The paper then plots heat maps to highlight varieties of perceived importance and consensus (i.e., calculated LOAs) of the BIM BOK line items and their distribution along different dimensions of the BIM BOK framework. The visualization aids supplied by the heat maps revealed significant trends of SMEs' perceptions toward specific BIM competencies. Noticeably, better consensus and higher importance ratings were observed among BIM BOK line items that were associated with more seasoned professionals. Lower consensus was observed on what BIM competency young professionals were expected to develop. This disparity could be attributed to the lack of lucidity in foundational BIM education and training, and suggested gaps that needed to be filled in order to help young professionals grow into true experts. This phase of the BIM BOK research is expected to make considerable contributions to BIM curriculum and training development and competency cultivation in both academia and industry. It lays a solid foundation for standardizing baseline performance for BIM education accreditation and professional licensing and certification. These contributions are elaborated via the discussion of potential use cases of implementing the BIM BOK. The paper concludes with an outlook for future research to continuously enhance and update the BIM BOK via reinforced industry and academia partnership.

Item Type: Article
Index terms: licensing, consensus building, certification, maps, visualization, body of knowledge, partnership, Delphi method, building information modelling, disparity, dimension, education and training, academia
Subjects: knowledge management, health monitoring assessment and metrics, knowledge transfer, data collection methods, administrative processes, information systems, collaborative management, partnership management, professional education, educational institutions, social justice, design practice, spatial and geospatial analysis
Topics: Contract Administration, Education, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Ethics, Stakeholder Management, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice
Descriptive scope: 3 PCE

N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here