View templates enforce consistency across a set.
◦ What goes wrong on a real project when views are configured individually?
When views are configured individually, this results in a loss of consistency across model sheets and inconsistent output. For example, some sheets may hide certain objects/content, while others show it in their view. This can become slow and costly to fix, and impact coordination across teams. As well, if views are configured individually, this means that if something is changed in a certain view, this change has to be implemented manually across each drawing sheet, introducing the potential for error and further reducing consistency across the sheet set.
◦ Who should own the templates and standards, and why?
Typically the BIM manager or project manager/lead should own the templates and standards. This prevents other collaborators from accidentally changing and editing the view templates. Having a single person own the templates and standards makes it easier to maintain consistency across drawing sheets and keep track of changes that are made to the view templates. The project manager/lead typically are responsible for the model at a high-level (holistic view), and are already accountable for managing the team and following the execution plan, so it makes most sense for them to be responsible for the templates and standards.
Your schedules pull information straight out of the model.
◦ How can schedules support procurement and model based estimating?
Schedules can help support procurement and model based estimating by easily tabulating relevant information and providing automatic counts and totals, that update when the model is updated. This helps provide contractors with an estimate of what is needed and how much.
◦ What is the danger of a schedule that is accurate about the model but wrong about the building?
People tend to assume the model is correct and matches the building, thus if the schedule is accurate about the model but wrong about the building, this can result in incorrect quantities and types of material procured and other estimates that are made based on model schedules. This can result in costly errors that may exceed the project budget.
◦ What did your calculated field reveal that the plans did not?
For the space schedule, I set-up a calculated field that determined the percentage of total area for each space. This helped visualize how much of the total area in the space schedule (which was filtered to just include the ground commercial floor and first floor of office space), was allocated to each space type. From this calculated field, it can be seen that a significant portion of the total floor area is dedicated towards retail spaces (on the ground floor), the ground floor lobby, and the kitchen space of the office floor. Documenting this metric allows me to see ahead of time which parts of the building design may be more energy-intensive/load-heavy due to their larger square footage.
You published two versions and compared them.
◦ Why does version history matter more on a shared model than a personal one?
Version history matters more on a shared model than a personal one because multiple users may be working on the same model concurrently. Being able to go back to a specific version history makes it easier to trace changes back to different people, maintain accountability, resolve coordination issues/clashes across teams, and recover from mistakes in newer models made by others.
◦ If a consultant says their work was based on last week's version, what do you need to be able to tell them?
If a consultant says their work was based on last week’s version, you should be able to tell them what was updated in the newest version of the model since then, and how this impacts their work.
◦ When should a model be formally issued rather than just saved?
A model should be formally issued rather than just saved when it is being handed over to another team or party to work on. If the model is currently just being worked on by you, then saving it is sufficient. However, if another team will be referencing it or editing it, then it should be formally issued to prevent coordination issues and model clashes.