Guidelines to develop a BIM model focused on construction planning and control

Abstract

Information pulled from 4D simulations may be used to compare construction scenarios as well as to support decision-making in production planning and control. Different projects, software, tools and planning methods result in a diversity of inputs that should be considered while trying to fulfil 4D simulation needs. If those are not properly addressed, it may lead to inconsistencies and lack of suitable information. The existing literature on 4D BIM does not provide much advice on which information should be considered to develop a 4D simulation. The aim of this paper is to propose a set of guidelines to devise BIM models to support production planning and control with emphasis on Lean Construction principles and concepts. Design Science Research was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation, which was based on three empirical studies. The main contributions of this study are concerning with understanding the sources of information for3D modelling and how information should be gathered so that 4D BIM model scan effectively support planning and control decisions. A model based on these guidelines should provide relevant information to support decision making, and consequently contribute to reduce variability, increase data reliability, eliminate non-value adding activities and reduce 3D modelling time.