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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How to Succeed in Implementing BIM Part 2: The Four Phases of a Successful Implementation of a New Process

The Four Phases of a Successful Implementation of a New Process

Continuation from How to Succeed in Implementing BIM Part 1

Phase 1: Preparation and Evaluation

Analyze your current processes and abilities, create a baseline to help you evaluate areas of attention as part of the new process implementation process. A review the current operations will assist you in recognizing and addressing area’s where improvements can be made that have the biggest impact.

Evaluate your current technological needs, make sure your computers and network will be able to meet the performance requirements of any new software. Research what you need and plan accordingly in preparation for moving forward, best to do this early on to minimize staff’s frustration and the impact of upgrading equipment.

Engage your staff, take advantage of resource by recognizing existing knowledge and understanding, inclusion of staff is very important to gain their confidence and trust in the implementation.

Phase 2: Establish Goals and Milestones

Objectives, Stages & Milestones; specific policy objectives, intermediate capability stages, and measurable maturity milestones separating current status from a quantifiable future target.

To measure your progress and success you need to establish goals and milestones, these should include both short term and long term goals. Each organization has an ultimate ambition and long-term goal when it comes to adopting a new process. Based on the ultimate ambition, intermediate goals need to be defined together with measurable progress indicators and targeted milestone. It is important to set achievable goals and milestones, to avoid discouragement taking over a successful adoption.

Phase 3: Define the Process

Through defining your goals and milestones you’ll be able to use these to help you start to clearly define the implementation process, typically the process can be broken down into three categories including; People, Process and Technology.  Breaking the process down into these three categories will help you define the processes and clearly outline each the steps and how they relate to each other.

People

People are crucial to the success of implementing any kind of new process, for this to be successful you need to gain their confidence and trust that the implementation of any new processes is an improvement to the old. Identify when, how, who and what training is needed to reach the next milestone.

The biggest hurdle for any organization is the change in culture, by undertaking effective “on demand” training combined with “hands-on” expertise to assist and reassure staff that they have somewhere to answer questions and play a supportive role.

Training is an investment in your team, and your organization.

As your staff develop their skills and an understanding of your goals and objectives, you will start to see confidence develop.

Internally Look for Drivers & Champions, people within your organization that are enthusiastic and supportive of changes that make improvement. These individuals will demonstrate a willingness to participate in the adoption and seek out efficacy and innovation in the system and process.

If your new process or workflow involves new software , look for competent educators and learning resources that cover the concepts, tools and workflows. These can be either delivered through tertiary education, vocational training, professional development or by training sessions held by “in house” champions.

Process

Develop processes that are flexible, manageable and can evolve alongside your organization and the developing industry. Implement the process gradually and have key adopters take the lead and encourage the change in culture.

Technology

Technology is the tools of our trade, having the right tools allow us to achieve our goals. Having inadequate tools not only limit production but also play a major factor in staff moral. Technology plays an important role in any organization. Consider future expansion while measuring against the immediate needs. Balance the need verses associated costs, review accessibility and affordability of upgrading necessary hardware and upgrades to software and network systems.

Phase 4: Implementing and Monitoring

Once a certain level of comfort is reached, the capabilities and process should be assessed and reviewed through developing metrics for benchmarking project outcomes and assessing the capabilities of individuals, organizations and teams.

The team should not only have a process to follow but also have available to them the resources to be efficient in their tasks. Having unreliable resources, or worse yet resources your team are unable to find, gives them permission to create their own content, essentially disregarding any quality control and duplicating work already completed.

Invest in the time to fully evaluate your existing processes, what works, what doesn’t work and where gaps appear in the processes. Through a thorough review of existing process you will be able to clearly define the flow of operations and the impact BIM has to all aspects of business. Review your own processes with fresh eyes to see where you can make improvements, look at it from the standpoint of production and what resources you would need to efficiently complete the task at hand.

Measurement & Optimization

• Make process easy to follow, keep it clear and easily understood, don’t make a process too constraining or onerous or you’ll find that no one will follow it.

• Make your process flexible to accommodate a variety of situations or your staff’s needs.

• Provide information on the process in a variety of formats, such as online, printed booklet form, pdf etc. Make it readily accessible to everyone in formats they can relate to, too encourages adoption.

• Having management promote and endorse the process is the key to a successful adoption.

Adoption of a new process takes time, continual promotion through encouraging awareness and engagement of the processes until it becomes part of the culture. Monitor your team, provide constant reminders that that will encourage the development of a culture that follows the processes.

Finally, be patient and flexible. You’ll need both to successfully implement change.

How to succeed in implementing (BIM) process Part 1

When speaking with project managers I often hear their frustration in having to not being able to fully complete the documentation often required as part of a formal process, often a Quality Control process. I often hear that we have the “right approach” but “not the budget” when trying to incorporate Quality Control strategies into their production process. Managers are pressed to produce deliverables on a tight budget within a compressed timeframe, time spent filling out documentation associated to a formal process are often seen as an inconvenience, a low priority, or even a waste of time. The pressure of having to deliver product, along with the challenges of inconsistency in team members and design changes outweigh the perceived need to fill out forms or follow a process they feel is not necessary.

We spend a lot of time developing process and building the associated resources, having a clear path and the tools available for people to make their goals successful is very important, however we need to also include educating the decision makers on the “why” of any new process, those that have an impact on how budgets and resources are assigned and ultimately contribute to the success of any implementation.

By implementing process during the early stages we dramatically increase the success rate of projects, success rely’ s on having, and implementing, a plan early on so as to avoid having to address issues that could have been easily been avoided or recognized through proper planning earlier on.

We need to start addressing issues before they become problems, the key to this is through the education and implementation of process, at all levels of the organization, especially at the higher management level where decisions on timelines and budgets are made making available the time and resources so we can be successful.

We don’t develop process just for the sake of creating paperwork, or to satisfy the needs of a contract, processes are developed after learning from previous mistakes and learning from lessons learned from past projects.

What do you need to know about implementing a new process?

Do your homework, find out what the driving factors are for making any changes to your existing process, and spend some time finding out the current understanding of the process and where the current breakdowns exist.  

Deliverables: Specify exactly what your organizational deliverables are, regardless of whether that’s a service or product your organization should have specific goals and expectations on what is delivered to your clients. From this you will clearly be able to provide what is required and recognize opportunities where additional services can be promoted. 

Create specific policy objectives and measureable milestones separating current status from a quantifiable future target. Through this you’ll be able to gauge success and improvement.

Drivers & Champions: These are individuals who are excited about the prospect of developing an innovative system/process and engaging in the implementation process.

How will improving your process play into your business strategy?

Review your objectives and strategies, you may have to adjust your goals and objectives to suit the needs of your organization.

Here are some of the benefits of improved process you can take advantage of as part of your business strategy:

• Sustainability
• Innovation
• Quality – Efficiency in process
• Competitive advantage
• Collaboration, opportunities to collaborate with similar businesses
• Risk Mitigation – Information management, time efficiency, saving $$
• Data Management

Often implementation fails not due to the lack of staff participation but rather the failure of management to fully understand what the adoption really means. There is a lack of understanding of how the new process will have an impact on how business is sourced, procured and executed. Management need to fully realize the short term cost of implementation versus the long term benefits of adoption of a new process.

A successful implementation strategy needs to be customized and assessed for each unique situation, however, looking at it from a high-level, there are four distinct stages that can be identified and help shape the outlines for a successful adoption. 

Continue reading part 2 on the next blog posting, "The Four Phases of a Successful Implementation of a New Process"

How to Manage a Meeting

Managing a meeting is a very important skills.

Meetings can either be a huge drain on time and resources or a huge benefit to both those involved and the organization as a whole. If you are reluctant to attend regular scheduled meetings, or feel they are a waste of time the meeting is likely not being run effectively.

How effective a meeting is can depend upon who, and how the meeting is managed. The benefits of a well run meeting can be priceless, whether it be a short 10 min meeting or a  multi day summit, you want people to walk away from a meeting with the feeling of accomplishment and a sense of time spent.

If you are the organizer of a meeting, you are basically demanding an investment of time and knowledge from your participants, whether they are from within your organization or outside your organization there is a significant investment in cost and resources associated with holding a meeting. 

The time spent during this gathering can be an invaluable investment that will have a positive impact on your project.

I’ve attended many meetings… meetings dealing with complex issues that have brought together people from around the world with considerable investment in time and money. I’ve been fortunate to observe a number of very well organised people who are able to run a well thought out, successful meeting.

Taya Photography

Here is an amalgamation of tips and notes I’ve gathered from observing how successful meetings is organized.

Why: Firstly why are you having a meeting, is it absolutely necessary?

Consider the return on investment and what alternate options do you have to deal with the issues. If the meeting is just to inform take a look at other mediums that can be use to share the information, such as email, posting on a project forum, chat room or website. There are a number of great online platforms that allow for collaboration and sharing of documents and information where multiple people can add their thoughts and comments at their convenience.

Who: Who needs to attend?

Consider each individual's involvement on the issues and their ability to address or participate in finding solutions. Only involve those who are able to provide solutions, select people who have the ability to communicate effectively, avoid inviting people who are typically reluctant to contribute or who are dogmatic in their opinion, you want to create an environment of collaboration and solutions. 

Agenda: Have a well organised agenda that covers the topics needed to be discussed during the meeting. This means doing some preparation, find out prior to the meeting what the issues are which will define your objectives. From this you will be in a better position to invite the right people to the meeting in an effort to find the best possible solutions.

Stick to the agenda… but, don’t be afraid to veer off track to address issues that may arise. A good way to manage any "side" issues that come up  is to place them in a “cage” which can be addressed later allowing you to get back on the immediate topic. A “cage” is an area on a whiteboard or flip chart where you can list topics that need to be addressed at the end of a meeting. Before the end of a meeting these “caged” items should be assigned to an individual who can briefly give a 10 minute summary addressing exactly what the issue is and what possible solutions may be available, if no solutions are available this then becomes a action item delegating responsibility.

Meeting Summary: After the meeting, go over the objectives and outcome of the meeting, recognise people’s contributions and their participation. Summarize the challenges, solutions, plans and resolutions that have been addressed and those that require additional attention. Keep it simple, concise and brief. (something I find challenging...)

Action Items: Delegate responsibility of items that need to be addressed resulting from the meeting. You may have run a productive meeting but if there are no action items resulting from the meeting issues may not get resolved outside of the board room. Assign action items to those who are best suited to deal with the item as action items will hold people accountable.

                                

Hope these tips help you manage your next meeting. Whether it's between two people or twenty, I have found these tips invaluable in holding a productive meeting.

Get it now.. it's free!

I've posted in the past about Bob Murray's "It's Already Inside". 

Bob has recently released his second edition of his book  "It's Already Inside", and for a limited time it's available FREE to download the Kindle version.

 

Here's some excerpt from his book.

Back in the day, Baby Boomer leaders (1946 to 1964) had a group of employees that were married to their jobs, had a predictable set of expectations, and only wanted to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Then things started to change.

Generation X (1965 to 1980) entered the workplace, and they were driven, individualistic and not committed to any specific career. We can thank Gen X for the 12-hour workday!
Then, not too long after, enter the Millennials (1981 to 1995). This group grew up with omnipresent parents and don’t know a world without computers. They lack delineation between work and personal lives (they see working in the office and still being on social media just as normal as doing work related projects and email during their “own time”). 
And, they want flexibility in virtually everything.

Now, we add in Generation Z (1995 to 2010). They are savvy, know exactly what they want and are demanding it right from the start — yes, including your corner office.
So, as a leader, how do you maintain sanity in the workplace, build a high performance culture, satisfy customers and grow profitably?

The answer is simple. Here is my quick five-step approach to working in harmony with up to four different generations:

1.  Let go of any prejudice you may have about the behavior of a certain generation. Embrace the difference. Learn the value each generation brings.

2.  Make it a daily habit to ensure that everyone understands your vision and strategies. Make them understand your why – it will help them understand their purpose.

3.  Ensure that everyone clearly understands their individual role and responsibility.

4.  Turn goals and objectives into a game, with a scoreboard and outcome if they win.

5.  Communicate often through multiple media, because all five generations all consume their information in different ways.

Thanks Bob! Great advise.

About Robert Murray:
Robert is based out of the Vancouver Lower Mainland, is a critically acclaimed Author, Global Speaker and Business Strategist.

Check out Bob's web site and I recommend you subscribe to his blog.

Also check out his books "It's Already Inside" and "Unlocked" on Amazon.

Say Yes

Something I learnt years ago was to say “yes” when asked to participate or take on a role or a responsibility. This has become my philosophy in life, to say “yes” more often. This came about after a colleague, whom I respected, asked me to join a committee he was chair of. Prior to this we had parallel careers, we worked together at an Architecture firm and he quickly rose in the ranks and eventually moved on to bigger and better things. He now plays a senior role in a large architectural firm and is influential in the Architecture industry both locally and nationally.

This has become my philosophy in life, to say “yes” more often.

Early on I realized that I had to make myself stand out if I wanted to move forward. If someone asked me to complete a task I would say yes, even if what was asked of me was outside my comfort level. What I quickly found was that by stepping outside of my comfort zone that saying yes more often not only opened doors to opportunities but it also increased my knowledge and skills.

Start with asking questions, find out as much as you can by asking questions. People don't expect you to know everything and if you explain that your unfamiliar with the task people are more than happy to help, often people are so thankful to find someone who is willing to take on the job that they don’t mind helping you out and guiding you along.

Often I have found that the task or role isn’t as arduous as first thought, and with some guidance and a little ingenuity you’ll be surprised as to how quick you'll be able to catch on.

The point I’m trying to make is don’t let your self-doubt or reserve stop you from moving forward in both your personal and professional life. 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.

Take the risk, take on the challenge and say yes when approached to head up that difficult project, or join a committee or complete a task. I even got to a point  that when a trusted friend or colleague approached me I would say yes even before they asked me… I trusted their judgement and their faith that I have the capabilities to complete the task or responsibility they’re assigning me.

Some have said to me that if you say yes too often that you’ll take on too much or that people will take advantage of you. You, yourself, know the difference between opportunity and when you’re being taken advantage of. Make these opportunities work for you, learn new skills, make key connections and be know as someone who gets things done.   

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 - 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….