Integrating BIM with Lean Construction approach: Functional requirements and production management software

Highlights

• A production management system based on BIM-Lean synergies is transferred into functional requirements for software implementation.

• Existing BIM-Lean IT-tools are briefly analyzed and the need for a new software system is derived.

• A functioning web application prototype that implements the functional requirements is introduced.

• Findings from prototype demonstrations to domain experts are presented.

Abstract

“BeaM!” is a production management system that aims at supporting a BIM-integrated application of Lean Construction Management methods on construction sites. In particular, an advanced variant of the Last Planner System is integrated with BIM information on data processing level. This paper transfers the theoretical concepts of the “BeaM!” production management system into functional requirements for software implementation. The functional requirements are introduced along with a set of use cases and actors. Furthermore, a first prototype built using these functional requirements is presented. The prototype has been demonstrated to and evaluated by a total of 20 domain experts from practice to evaluate the prototype and its underlying functional requirements. Following a Design Science Research approach, the evaluation is focused on practical utility and applicability of the prototype. Findings as obtained from the demonstrations and expert interviews are presented and future development directions are outlined in this paper.

Introduction

Massive cost overruns, often caused by unstable construction processes and resulting inability to meet schedule milestones, are regular practice in the global construction industry (CI) [1], [2]. As the CI never tires of emphasizing that its business has a much higher degree of complexity than other industrial sectors (e.g. due to one-of-a-kind productions) [3], [4], the current status quo has become widely accepted and is often seen as an unchangeable matter of fact in practice. Nevertheless, there are efforts among practitioners and scientists to improve the current situation. In particular, great potential for improvement is seen in the standardization and automation of processes and workflows in both the planning and execution stages [5]. Nowadays, standardization and automation is difficult to achieve without digital tools and digitalized business processes [6]. In turn, digitalization in the CI cannot be treated without the process of Building Information Modeling (BIM), which is considered to be its core element [7].

BIM is one of the conceptual pillars of a new software prototype, whose underlying functional requirements and current status of implementation are the main subject of this paper. The other pillar is Lean Construction Management (LCM), the high-level goal of which is to increase the value of to-be-delivered-construction-projects through the elimination of waste [8]. In this context, as an example, waste can consist of waiting times in poorly designed or executed construction processes [9]. Hence, also LCM strives for standardization of processes that lead to more valuable products.

Both BIM and Lean are becoming more and more popular in practice and in research [10], but with few exceptions, both approaches are largely treated independently of each other by the scientific community [11]. These exceptions mainly deal with theoretical synergies that might occur when Lean and BIM are being used in conjunction [12], [13], [14].

In a previous publication [10], the authors of this study have conducted an integrative review on the state-of-the-art of co-applications of BIM and the Last Planner System (LPS) as one of the most important LCM methods [13] to analyze both the status quo of synergy exploitation in the construction execution phase and existing theoretical concepts for this phase. One of the findings revealed a lack of a conceptual model for the integration of BIM and the LPS. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that both concepts are often used solely in parallel rather than truly integrated in a holistic information system. In conclusion and as a summary of these earlier works, it can be stated that information inherently available in BIM models is not used in a structured and integrated way for the application of the LPS. Consequently, the research question addressed in this paper arises as “How to use BIM data effectively and continuously for construction process planning and control in line with Lean principles?”

The conceptual basis for a new BIM-LPS integrating information system emerges from the previously conducted integrative literature review by the authors of this study mentioned above [4]. The core ideas of the there found conceptual model for BIM-LPS integration comprise an extension of Ballard's original model of the LPS [15]. This original model has been extended by BIM elements which serve both as input and output/visualization instrument on the one hand. On the other hand, a (digital) Kanban system should help to balance load to capacity, to optimize flow through limited Work-in-Progress (WIP), and to improve visual management. Moreover, Kanban systems, when applied to the LPS could help to release new work when tasks are completed, due to Kanban's nature of being a system to provide information as pull signals along value-adding-chains. Lastly, this conceptual model foresees new roles for enhanced process compliance and customer satisfaction in the style of Scrum. In particular, one new role is needed (“new role 1”) that precisely implements the LPS methodology in conjunction with BIM to prevent partial implementations as it often has been observed in pure LPS implementations [10]. Besides that, another role has been identified as being required (“new role 2”) to ensure that process planning and construction execution is in line with the customer requirements. Details for this conceptual model can be found in the original publication by Schimanski et al. [10], [4].

Based on this conceptual model, a new holistic BIM-based production management system for the phase of construction execution has been formulated that has been named “BeaM!¹”. The term holistic refers to the consideration of the project management functions of quality, schedule and costs. The interplay of these functions are addressed by advancement and integration of existing construction management techniques, namely LPS, Kanban, Scrum and the Earned Value Management (EVM) approach. To be more precise, the core idea of BeaM! is to digitalize the LPS methodologically in order to make it applicable on digital touchboards and linkable to BIM objects. In addition to the established functions of the LPS (see also the current LPS benchmark by Ballard and Tommelein [16]), the role of the LPS as a conceptual Kanban system [17] is supported by implementing features that allow for controlling the work-in-progress through digital Kanban and thus for meeting Ballard's request of “balancing load to capacity” [15]. Furthermore, the LPS is methodologically extended by BeaM! in that cost parameters can be assigned to the digital sticky-notes, and hence evaluations according to the EVM become possible without counteracting the LPS efforts for an optimal workflow. A reference to the Scrum framework exists in that new specific roles (namely the BeaM!-Knight and the BeaM!-King) become necessary for the implementation of the system. The consistent connection to BIM models is used on the one hand to obtain data relevant for process planning from the BIM models and on the other hand to visualize the process status by means of the model, e.g. by colorized model elements, where each color corresponds to a specific status.

However, methodologically the LPS remains the main driver of the BeaM! production management system. Therefore, the main steps consist of (1) the collaborative creation of a phase schedule based on master schedules already available and defining the processes relevant to the phase, (2) the breakdown of processes into operations in the course of look-ahead planning, (3) make-ready planning through constraint analysis and removal, and (4) commitment planning as well as subsequent (5) monitoring of progress at the construction site. The original work on the BeaM!-production management system can be found in Schimanski et al. [18], [4].

The BeaM!-software prototype as described in this paper seeks to transform the underlying theoretical concepts into a usable IT-artifact. The next step in the overall BeaM!-research stream – and at the same time the main subject of this paper – is the formulation of functional requirements that allow for software prototyping of a new BIM-LPS information system based on the theoretical concepts described above. The software implementation based on the functional requirements has already been initiated. Hence, the status quo of the resulting software prototype is also described in this paper. Furthermore, its utility and applicability in practice are evaluated by following a Design Science Research approach. Therewith, the suitability of the proposed functional requirements for constructing a useful BIM-Lean IT-artifact for practice are implicitly assessed as well. This comprises the main contribution of this paper.

Subsequent to the introduction section, the body of this article is organized as follows: Section 2 draws a line to related work from previous scientific studies regarding BIM and Lean synergies. Additionally, existing software solutions that integrate BIM and Lean principles are briefly presented. Section 3 provides for a more detailed explanation of the applied research strategy for the overarching BeaM!-research initiative and contextualizes the research process of this paper therein. Section 4 describes the functional requirements elicitation process and the actual development of the software prototype, whilst Section 5 is concerned with the evaluation of what has been developed so far and discusses the demonstration findings. Section 6 concludes this study, providing also for an outlook and possible future research directions.