Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971 980
www.elsevier.com/locate/ijproman

The project benets of Building Information

Modelling (BIM)
David Bryde a,, Mart Broquetas

b, 1

, Jrgen Marc Volm

c, 2

Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies (BEST), School of the Built Environment, Faculty of Technology and Environment,
Liverpool John Moore University, Liverpool, L3 5UZ, UK
Escola Tcnica Superior d'Enginyers Industrials de Barcelona, Universitat Politcnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647, 5th, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
c
Department of Architecture and Design, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Schellingstr. 24, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
Received 7 February 2012; received in revised form 22 November 2012; accepted 11 December 2012

Abstract
Theoretical developments in Building Information Modelling (BIM) suggest that not only is it useful for geometric modelling of a building's
performance but also that it can assist in the management of construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which the
use of BIM has resulted in reported benets on a cross-section of construction projects. This exploration is done by collecting secondary data from
35 construction projects that utilised BIM. A set of project success criteria were generated and content analysis was used to establish the extent to
which each individual project met a criterion. The most frequently reported benet related to the cost reduction and control through the project life
cycle. Signicant time savings were also reported. Negative benets were mainly focused on the use of BIM software. Cost/benet analysis,
awareness raising and education and training are important activities to address the challenges of BIM usage.
2013 Elsevier Ltd. APM and IPMA. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Business Information Modelling (BIM); Project benets; Secondary data; Case studies

1. Introduction
Construction projects are becoming much more complex and
difficult to manage (Alshawi and Ingirige, 2003; Chan et al.,
2004; Williams, 2002). One complexity is the reciprocal interdependencies between different stakeholders, such as financing
bodies, authorities, architects, engineers, lawyers, contractors,
suppliers and trades (Clough et al., 2008). As a response to the
increasing complexity of projects, information and communication technology [ICT] has been developing at a very fast pace
(Taxn and Lillieskld, 2008). During the last decade, a major
shift in ICT for the construction industry has been the proliferation of Building Information Modelling [BIM] in industrial
and academic circles as the new Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Corresponding author. Tel.: + 44 151 231 2892.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (D. Bryde),
[email protected] (M. Broquetas), [email protected]
(J.M. Volm).
1
Tel.: + 34 626 619 221.
2
Tel.: + 49 711 8926 2679.
0263-7863/$36.00 2013 Elsevier Ltd. APM and IPMA. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.12.001

paradigm (Succar, 2009). BIM is currently the most common

denomination for a new way of approaching the design, construction and maintenance of buildings. It has been defined as a
set of interacting policies, processes and technologies generating
a methodology to manage the essential building design and
project data in digital format throughout the building's life-cycle
(Succar, 2009: 357). BIM has been utilised on high profile largescale projects, such as the recently constructed London 2012
Olympic 6,000 seating Velodrome cycle track and the 48 floor
Leadenhall Building The Cheesegrater, which, at 225 m, will
be one of the tallest buildings in the City of London on completion in 2014. In addition to such large scale projects BIM is
also used on individual components of projects of a smaller scale.
For example, the modular stairs in the new bus station at Slough,
UK, that was officially opened in June 2011 was designed and
fitted using BIM (Buildoffsite, 2011). Anticipating benefits from
the use of BIM in respect of reduced transaction costs and less
opportunity for errors to be made, the UK Government has stated
that from 2014 onwards all contracts awarded will require the
supply chain members to work collaboratively through the use of

972

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

fully collaborative 3D BIM (CabinetOffice, 2011: 14). 3D BIM

means all project and asset information, data and documentation
must be in electronic form. Furthermore, the public and private
sectors in the USA are collaborating to promote BIM's use
(Underwood and Isikdag, 2011). However there is a view that the
case for BIM is not totally proven, with the overall effectiveness
of BIM utilisation still not completely justified (Jung and Joo,
2010).
Succar's definition of BIM above highlights its holistic
nature, which includes not only software that allows the
geometrical modelling and the input of information but also
project management (PM)-related tools and processes. As such,
taking a holistic perspective of BIM places it firmly in the
construction PM domain. It has a potential use for construction
project managers in improving collaboration between stakeholders, reducing the time needed for documentation of the project
and, hence, producing beneficial project outcomes.
One strand of the BIM literature is to document in detail the
use of BIM on specific project cases, such as Heathrow Terminal
5 (BSI, 2010) and Walt Disney Concert Hall (Haymaker
and Fischer, 2001). What is lacking, though, is any cross-case
synthesis to ascertain the extent to which the use of BIM leads to
enhanced benefits to projects beyond the individual case under
consideration. To address this gap in the literature this paper
reports analysis of secondary data from 35 case studies relating
to the use of BIM that have been documented in the academic
literature or otherwise placed in the public domain; with the
purpose of answering the question, has the use of BIM resulted
in benefits to construction projects?
2. Literature review
Complex construction projects require inter-organizational
associations (Maurer, 2010). To ensure success in interorganizational project ventures, trust between the different
project partners is acknowledged as a key success factor
(Kadefors, 2004; Maurer, 2010). Because of the nature of work
in these inter-organizational ventures there is a well recognized
need for better integration, cooperation, and coordination of
construction project teams (Cicmil and Marshall, 2005, cited
in Maunula, 2008). Inter-organizational information systems
[IOIS] are one possible way to cope with the integration,
cooperation, and coordination challenges faced in construction
(Maunula, 2008). IOIS are sometimes referred to as Web-based
PM Systems [WPMS] (Forcada et al., 2007; Nitithamyong and
Skibniewski, 2004), Web-Collaborative Extranets [WCEs] or
Document Management Systems [DMS] (Ajam et al., 2010).
Whatever the nomenclature used, such systems facilitate the
sharing of diverse types of information in an accurate and timely
way, which is a key to achieving successful project outcomes
(Anumba et al., 2008). A document based way of working means
that through the project life cycle there is an unstructured stream
of text or graphic entities (BSI, 2010: 2). This unstructured
stream is a challenge for better integrated practices, with the
information exchanged at the document level generally fuzzy,
unformatted or difficult to interpret (Ajam et al., 2010: 763).
Ajam et al. (2010) argue that the proper use of an IOIS is that of

going from document sharing practices to sharing information

at the object or element level. Hence, BIM could be the key
approach to adopt to ensure this integration and shift from
the document paradigm to the Integrated Database paradigm
happens.
Whilst the topic of BIM has been studied by academics (see,
Aouad et al., 2006; Lee, 2008; Maunula, 2008; Succar, 2009);
by professional groups (BSI, 2010; McGraw-Hill, 2008, 2009,
2010a, 2010b); and, naturally, by software vendors (Autodesk,
2007; Bentley, 2003) very little of the PM literature focuses on
BIM from the PM point of view. An exception is Allison
(2010), who addresses the BIM potential as a PM tool more
directly. Allison describes 10 reasons why project manager
should champion 5D BIM. Aouad et al. (2006) defined this
multidimensional capacity of BIM as nD modelling, for it
allows adding an almost infinite number of dimensions to the
Building Model. 5D BIM is traditionally understood as BIM
that includes, besides the 3D model see introduction section
for a definition of 3D, scheduling information (the 4th D) and
information for estimating the project from the model (the
5th D). Although the work of Allison is from an employee of
a BIM software vendor, and the potential of BIM for PM
might be slightly exaggerated, the list of advantages for PM
practitioners is a useful starting point. These advantages are
compiled in Table 1, and are potential ways in which BIM can
benefit Project Managers.
The rising interest in BIM can be seen in conjunction with new
PM frameworks, such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD),
which increases the need for closer collaboration and more
effective communication (Eastman et al., 2011). When people
collaborate on a project, communicating specific characteristics
of the project amongst the different parties involved requires
documentation of these characteristics (Lee, 2008). Traditionally,
this documentation was done on a paper or document basis (BSI,
2010). BIM takes the traditional paper-based tools of construction projects, puts them on a virtual environment and allows
a level of efficiency, communication and collaboration that
exceeds those of traditional construction processes (Lee, 2008).
Hence the coordination of complex project systems is perhaps
the most popular application of BIM at this time. It is an ideal
process to develop collaboration techniques and a commitment protocol among the team members (Grilo and JardimGoncalves, 2010: 524). BIM has also been linked to the development of lean approaches to the management of projects, as the
enhanced collaboration and information sharing can contribute to
the lean management's goal of reducing non-value-adding waste
(Olatunji, 2011).
BIM has a potential use at all stages of the project life-cycle:
it can be used by the owner to understand project needs, by the
design team to analyze, design and develop the project, by
the contractor to manage the construction of the project and
by the facility manager during operation and decommissioning
phases (Grilo and Jardim-Goncalves, 2010). Looking to the
future leads to speculation that BIM will eventually lead to a
virtual project design and construction approach, with a project
being completely simulated before being undertaken for real
(Froese, 2010). As such BIM will provide potential beneficial

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

973

Table 1
Potential benefit of using BIM for project managers (after Allison, 2010).
Potential benefit for PMs

Why?

Organize the project schedule and budget

Work well with the Design Team

An integrated 5D BIM model immediately updates both the schedule and budget when any design change occurs
By using the integrated 5D BIM model to visualize and explore the impact of changes, s/he can keep project
scope in check and become a trustworthy liaison between the designers and Owner
Having a handle on clash detection and coordination plays a key role in keeping Sub-contractors work predictable
Utilizing Coordination Resolution in preconstruction, these numbers can be brought to near zero.

Hiring and controlling the Subcontractors

Requests For Information (RFIs) and
Change Orders
Optimize the Owner's experience and
satisfaction
Project closeout
Profit margin
Progressive Owners are mandating BIM
on their projects:
PM Firm Growth

Owner received a big injection of confidence in the GC when the PM showed him/her how design decisions
impacted cost and schedule
PM to present a 6D BIM a facilities resource with information on warranties, specifications, maintenance
schedules, and other valuable information
By thoroughly understanding the project in 5D, the PM has more tools at his disposal to keep tight reins, and
more reports to monitor progress
Becoming the BIM expert, in both preconstruction and out in the field, makes the PM invaluable and
a key player.
Project's success with 5D BIM means the opportunity to grow the firm's reputation and helps the corporate
team win new business.

project outcomes by enabling the rapid analysis of different

scenarios related to the performance of a building through its life
cycle (Schade et al., 2011). Steps towards this are already taking
place, with construction projects that utilise BIM typically being
built virtually 3040 times (BuildOffsite, 2011).
BIM has the potential to be the catalyst for Project Managers
to reengineer their processes to better integrate the different
stakeholders involved in modern construction projects. This
re-engineering has been likened to the move towards applying
lean principles. Arayici et al. (2011) elaborate on this by forming
seven pillars of a BIM implementation strategy: eliminate waste,
increase feedback, delay decisions to achieve consensus, deliver
fast, build-in integrity, empower the team and see the whole. By
doing this PMs will achieve better project outputs and outcomes.
Furthermore, PMs are well placed to promote the use of BIM as
they have an influence on the resourcing of project teams (Gu and
London, 2010). As such they can act as a catalyst and promoter of
BIM, as well as a recipient.
Countering the potential benefits of BIM to project is the
challenges that need to be overcome if effective multi-disciplinary
collaborative team working, supported by the optimal use of BIM,
is to be achieved. Not least the changing roles of key parties, such
as clients, architects, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers, the
new contractual relationships and the re-engineered collaborative
processes (Sebastian, 2011). One key role likely to be affected by
the introduction of BIM is that of the project manager. The impact
of an enhanced use of technology on the day-to-day activities of
the project manager and the ultimate impact this has on the outputs
and outcome of the project are still not clear (Aranda-Mena et al.,
2009). There is also the fragmented nature of the construction
industry to consider, which means that knowledge gained by a
team during the undertaking of a project is often not retained and
used on future projects. It is not clear whether BIM is able to
overcome this structural problem (Lindner and Wald, 2011).
3. Method
To explore whether the use of BIM has resulted in benefits
to construction projects, secondary data documenting completed

construction projects that implemented BIM were gathered.

Empirical studies in aspects of project management practices
often use self-reported data. Yet alternative approaches utilising
secondary data have their advantages, including a reduction in
distortions due to self-reporting and access to information about
events (Harris, 2001). The sources of the data were case studies in
academic journals or which had been placed in the public domain
via the world-wide-web. Those 35 case studies found where
positive or negative effects of using BIM were mentioned were
sourced as suitable for further analysis as a convenience sample.
The data were analyzed to establish in which specific ways the
projects benefited (or did not benefit, as the case may be) from the
use of BIM. This analysis was done by deriving a list of success
criteria related to the output of the project, in terms of meeting
time, cost and quality objectives and also related to the
management of the process, such as effective scope management
and communications. As such they encompassed both project and
project management success and reflect the notion of project
success being a multi-dimensional concept (Shenhar et al., 2001).
It is noted that terminology is fluid in this area, with the terms
success criteria, critical success factors and key results areas
often used to mean the same thing. Here we use the term success
criteria to mean how success is defined. Linked to each success
criterion will be quantitative measures by which success, against
the criterion, is measured the Key Performance Indicators.
To provide a structure to aid data analysis and presentation
of the results, the success criteria were grouped based on the
Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Knowledge Areas (PMI, 2008).
These Knowledge Areas were chosen as they provide a
comprehensive high-level framework encompassing all the
dimensions of success. The role and influence of BIM on the
completed construction projects was compared with the role
and influence expected from a Project Manager, using the
success criteria that were derived (see Table 2).
As shown in Table 2 the Coordination Success Criterion was
created from the Integration Management PMBOK Knowledge
Area. The change in nomenclature was done after analysing the
case studies and finding that the word coordination was often

974

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

Table 2
Success criteria based on PMBOK knowledge areas.
PMBOK knowledge area

Definition (after PMI, 2008)

Criterion

Positive consideration

Integration Management
Scope Management
Time Management
Cost Management
Quality Management
Human resource Management
Communications Management

Unification, consolidation, articulation, and integrative actions

Defining and controlling what is and is not included in the project
Accomplish timely completion of the project
Planning, estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs
Quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control
Organize and manage the project team
Timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage,
retrieval, and disposition of project information
Increase the probability and impact of positive events, and decrease
the probability and impact of adverse events
Purchase or acquire the products, services, or results needed from outside
the project team to perform the work

Coordination*
Scope
Time
Cost
Quality
Organization
Communication

Improvement
Clarification
Reduction or Control
Reduction or Control
Increase or Control
Improvement
Improvement

Risk

Negative risk reduction

Procurement

Help

Risk (uncertainty) Management

Procurement Management

*Integration was changed to Coordination as the term was more usually found in case studies and it was deemed to have a very similar meaning.

mentioned but not integration. However, in the Integration

Management chapter of the PMBOK, coordination embraces
most of its meaning i.e. identifying that a change needs to
occur or has occurred or reviewing and approving requested
changes (PMI, 2008: 93).
Details of the cases including project name, city and country
in which the project was located, timescales for the design and
construction phases (where stated), budget in millions of
Euros (again where stated), size in square metres and type of
building are provided in Table 3.
It is worth noting that half of the case studies shown in
Table 3 are projects from the United States of America (USA).
This is probably due to the higher penetration rates of BIM in the
USA compared to other regions and hence there are currently a
relatively higher number of scholars and professional bodies
publishing articles about the subject emanating from the USA.
Each documented case was considered, using content
analysis to identify the benefits (positive and negative) of
BIM. The content analysis process developed by Harris (2001)
was followed. The unit of analysis adopted was the phrase,
which may vary from a single word to a whole sentence (Harris,
2001: 198). In this case the phrase represented project benefit.
A mark was made for each phrase identified in a case. These
marks were then translated to one of the success criteria described
in Table 2. When undertaking the translation none were found
to fit into the last category Procurement, so this category was
removed and replaced with Software Issues (as the content
analysis showed this to be an important emergent theme albeit
in respect of negative benefits, across a number of cases). The
output of the translation activity is presented in Table 4.
The projects were then organized using the added score for
each of them (positive benefits minus negative benefits). This
is not an attempt to find which case demonstrates the most
beneficial use of BIM but to organize the data in a way that
highlights were there are more positive than negative benefits.
Hence the numbers on the score column should not be seen as
an indicator of how successful or unsuccessful those case study
projects were, but simply how many success criteria were
mentioned positively or negatively. For example, the case study
of the Cascadia Center (McGraw-Hill, 2010b) in Table 4 shows
a score of 3. This means that 3 aspects of the use of BIM

related to the Coordination, Organization and Software success

criteria were mentioned as challenging or causing difficulties
(negative benefit) and no specific positive benefits mentioned,
but it does not mean that the use of BIM overall was negative.
Positive and negative benefits in each case were separated
into two different columns. For each success criterion positive
and negative benefits were counted separately, rather than
giving a total score for each (positive minus negative count).
With this approach, it is possible to see which success criterion
appears more times as a positive factor and which ones appear
as challenges or problems. Next the different success criteria
were organised according to the frequency of occurrence each
was mentioned as a positive factor (see Table 5). Table 5 also
shows the times and number of projects to which the success
criteria were mentioned as a negative benefit and the number
(and %) of projects that were incorporated in the figures.
The approach taken to quantify the number of projects in
which a success criterion had a positive effect was conservative
in nature. In some cases, a success criterion was mentioned
once in a positive manner and once in a negative manner. In
those situations, the project was not counted as one where the
success criterion had positive effects (or negative) regardless of
which effect seemed more influential on the project outcome.
For example, on the CMG Medical Office Building, described
by Khanzode et al. (2008) the Coordination success criterion
was counted once as positive for the improved workflow due to
the use of 3D/4D models and once as negative for the uncertainty
of how should the coordination process be structured and
managed? Although it seems from these two quotes that the
positive effects of using BIM in terms of Coordination were more
important than the challenges created, the project was not counted
as one where Coordination had positive effects.
4. Results
The 35 cases were reported in the literature over a 2 year
period: 20082010, although as shown in Table 3, design and
construction periods ranged more widely, with some design
activities starting in the early-mid 1990's. However an analysis
of the mean number of benefits based on reporting dates show
no marked differences: i.e. mean = 2 for the 15 cases published

Table 3
Details of the selected cases.
City

Country

Design

Construction

Budget

Size

Type

Reference from literature

Shanghai Tower
Aylesbury Crown Court
ESEAN Children's Hospital
CMG Medical Office Building
La Bongarde
Palomar Medical Centre West
Research 2
Springfield Literacy Centre
St Helens and Knowsley PFI
Endeavour House
Palace Exchange
General Motors plant, Flint
Eagle Ridge
Dickinson School of Law
Blackfoot Crossing
Modi'in
Walt Disney Concert Hall

Shanghai
Aylesbury
Nantes
Mountain View, CA
Paris
Escondido, CA
Aurora, CO
Springfield, PA
Merseyside
Stansted
Enfield
Flint, MI

China
UK
France
USA
France
USA
USA
USA
UK
UK
UK
USA
Canada
USA
Canada
Israel
USA

20072008
2011
20042007
2007
20032010
2004
20022006
20062007
2006

20082014
2011
20072009
20052007
Not started
2012
20062007
20072008
20062010

1,716 M
43 M
13 M
76 M
uk
377 M
157 M
12 M
434 M

380,000 m
5,200 m
7,000 m
23,000 m
86,000 m
69,000 m
50,000 m
4,600 m
120,000 m

37 M

18,000 m
44,200 m

47 M

10,500 m

Office Skyscraper
Government
Healthcare
Healthcare
Retail
Healthcare
Laboratories
Education
Healthcare
Office
Retail
Industrial
Residential
Education
Museum
Retail
Concert Hall

McGraw-Hill (2010b)
McGraw-Hill (2010a)
McGraw-Hill (2010a)
Khanzode et al. (2008)
McGraw-Hill (2010a)
McGraw-Hill (2010b)
McGraw-Hill (2009)
McGraw-Hill (2008)
BSI (2010)
BSI (2010)
BSI (2010)
BSI (2010)
Kaner et al. (2008)
Leicht and Messner (2008)
Kaner et al. (2008)
Kaner et al. (2008)
(Haymaker and Fischer, 2001)

Audubon Centre
School of Cinematic Art
Expeditionary Hospital
Maximilianeum Expansion
Precast Shelter
Heathrow Express recovery
Terminal 5, Heathrow
UCSF Cardiovascular
Texas A&M Health Science Centre
St Joseph Mission Hospital
Department of Energy
SF Public Utilities Commission
ShoWare Centre
US Food and Drug Admin HQ
Festival Place
Sutter Health Medical Centre
University Campus Suffolk
Cascadia Centre

Audubon, OH
Los Angeles, CA

Civic Centre
Education
Healthcare
Residential
Shelter
Railway
Airport Terminal
Laboratory
Education
Healthcare
Industrial
Government
Sports Arena
Lab + Office
Retail
Healthcare
Education
Education

McGraw-Hill (2010b)
McGraw-Hill (2010b)
Manning & Messner (2008)
McGraw-Hill (2010a)
Kaner et al. (2008)
BSI (2010)
BSI (2010)
McGraw-Hill (2008)
McGraw-Hill (2009)
McGraw-Hill (2009)
McGraw-Hill (2009)
McGraw-Hill (2010b)
McGraw-Hill (2010b)
McGraw-Hill (2010b)
BSI (2010)
McGraw-Hill (2009)
McGraw-Hill (2010a)
McGraw-Hill (2010b)

Old Main
Calgary
Los Angeles, CA

Munich

London
San Francisco, CA
Bryan, TX
Orange, CA
Amarillo, TC
San Francisco, CA
Kent, WA
Silver Spring, MD
Basingstoke
Castro Valley, CA
Ipswich
Bothell, WA

USA
USA
Middle East
Germany
Israel
UK
UK
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
UK
USA
UK
USA

2006

19871991
20042008
20052006
2006
20092010
1995
19921999
20052007
2008

2001
1996
20072009
20062007

2006
2006
20072009
before 2007
before 2007
19921996
2002003
20082009
20062009
20062007
20102012
before 2007
20022008
20082010
20082010
20082009
2012
2009
20102013
2002
20092013
20072008
20112012

214 M

14 M

1,700 m
12,700 m
8,920 m
4,500 m

5,208 M
198 M
81 M

371,000 m
22,000 m
24,000 m

78 M

4,200 m
2,600 m
14,000 m
113,000 m

129 M

43 M
136 M
250 M
25 M

10,500 m
5,000 m

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

Project name

975

976

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

Table 4
Positive and negative benefits of using BIM on selected cases.
Project name

Coor.
+

Shanghai Tower
Aylesbury Crown Court
ESEAN Children's Hospital
CMG Medical Office Building
La Bongarde
Palomar Medical Centre West
Research 2
Springfield Literacy Centre
St Helens and Knowsley PFI
Endeavour House
Palace Exchange
General Motors plant, Flint
Eagle Ridge
Dickinson School of Law
Blackfoot Crossing
Modi'in
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Audubon Centre
School of Cinematic Art
Expeditionary Hospital
Maximilianeum Expansion
Precast Shelter
Heathrow Express recovery
Terminal 5, Heathrow
UCSF Cardiovascular
Texas A&M Health Science Centre
St Joseph Mission Hospital
Department of Energy
SF Public Utilities Commission
ShoWare Centre
US Food and Drug Admin HQ
Festival Place
Sutter Health Medical Centre
University Campus Suffolk
Cascadia Centre

1
1
1
1

Scope

1
1

Time
+
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
1

Cost

1
1

1
2
1
1
1
2

+
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
3
2
1
1
1
1
1

Qual.

Org.

Com.

1
1
1

1
1

Risk

Soft.

Score

1
1
1
2

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1
1

1
1

1
1
1

2
1
2
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1
Coor.
14
7

Scope
3
0

Time
17
4

Cost
30
6

in 2008/9 and mean = 2.1 for the 20 cases published in 2010.

The list of cases in Table 3 is ordered based on the score of net
benefits for the project. Hence, as shown in Table 3, the first
two on the list, Shanghai Tower and Aylesbury Crown Court,
had the most net benefits, 6 each. Whilst the bottom two,

1
1

1
1
Qual.
13
0

Org.
2
2

Com.
15
0

Risk
8
2

Soft.
0
9

6
6
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
3
Average
2.057

University Campus Suffolk and Cascadia Centre, had the least,

1 and 3 respectively.
Table 3 shows that in terms of location, the 5 projects in
which the most benefits were reported were spread across 4
countries: china, UK, France and the USA. At the other end of

Table 5
The success criteria ranking of BIM use.
Positive benefit

Negative benefit

Success criterion

Total instances

Total number of projects

% of total projects

Total instances

Total number of projects

% of total projects

Cost reduction or control

Time reduction or control
Communication improvement
Coordination improvement
Quality increase or control
Negative risk reduction
Scope clarification
Organization improvement
Software issues

29
17
15
14
13
8
3
2
0

21
12
13
12
12
6
3
2
0

60.00%
34.29%
37.14%
34.29%
34.29%
17.14%
8.57%
5.71%
0.00%

3
4
0
7
0
2
0
2
9

2
3
0
3
0
1
0
2
7

5.71%
8.57%
0.00%
8.57%
0.00%
2.86%
0.00%
5.71%
20.00%

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

the spectrum 2 of the projects with the least number of reported

benefits were in the UK and 2 in the USA. Given that BIM
traction is greatest in the USA, there is no evidence from the
cases that this traction is reflected by a greater instance of
reported benefits for their projects. It is noteworthy that the
bottom 2 projects, one in the UK and one in the USA, were both
in education and of relatively small size (University Campus, UK
[10,500 m 2] and Cascadia Centre, USA [5,000 m 2]), giving
some indication that utilising BIM on such small scale projects
could be less likely to yield the level of benefit compared to
projects of a larger scale (compare these projects to the one top
of the list Shanghai Tower, China [380,000 m 2]). However
further analysis reveals no strong pattern emerges in respect of the
type or size of building which BIM is more or less beneficial. An
education facility in the USA was in the top 10 of net number of
benefits (Springfield Literacy Centre). Also 2 of the top 5 were
healthcare projects (ESEAN Children's Hospital France and
CMG Medical Office Building Mountain View, USA) yet
another USA healthcare project (Sutter Health Medical Centre)
was one of the bottom 3 for new benefits realised. Furthermore,
2 relatively small scale projects were in the top 3 for benefits
(Aylesbury Crown Court, UK [5,200 m 2] and ESEAN Children's
Hospital, France [7,000 m 2]). This lack of any strong pattern also
holds true for budget.
As summarised in Table 5, with the specific details in
Table 4, the Cost success criterion was most often seen as
receiving a positive effect from the use of BIM. Cost reduction
or control benefits were mentioned on 29 occasions, covering
21 (60%) of the case studies. Some instances articulated cost
savings or increases in terms of the total construction costs,
whilst some focused on one particular phase, such as the
construction or design phase. The cost reduction or control
benefits were of significant value, with some of the most
striking statements being: cost savings of 9.8% of project
costs (Endeavour House BSI, 2010); savings of around 9%
(estimated) realized in the construction phase (Festival Place
BSI, 2010); no change orders originating from field conflicts
(Dickinson School of law Leicht and Messner, 2008) and
minimize staffing of the project (Esean Children's Hospital
McGraw-Hill, 2010a). On the other hand, the same success
criterion was mentioned with negative connotations 6 times in
the case studies. In 2 (5.71%) of the projects, negative effects
on cost were mentioned more times than positive effects. The
nature of these negative outcomes on costs was generally less
significant than the positive ones. Some examples include
CAD rework cost 2030k (St Helens and Knowsley PFI
BSI, 2010) and invest in computer upgrades, training of its
staff and technical support (University Campus Suffolk
McGraw-Hill, 2010a).
The success criterion with the 2nd highest positive benefits
of using BIM was Time. The effect of using BIM showed a
positive effect on 12 (34%) of the projects. This success
criterion was mentioned with positive connotations 17 times,
mainly in respect of the schedule for the design stage of the
project. There were relatively fewer references to time savings
that could arise through the construction period, such as a more
efficient process resulting from a BIM-generated simulation of

977

construction works. The following are some examples of the

comments related to time savings: [the] project was two
months ahead of schedule, significant time savings once the
construction model took shape (Research 2 McGraw-Hill,
2009) and without [BIM], it would have taken two months
to design this scheme, and we were able to do it in a couple
of weeks (Aylesbury Crown Court McGraw-Hill, 2010a).
Negative effects were only mentioned 4 times and only 3
projects mentioned more negative effects on time than positive
ones. These negative effects were generally related to extra time
needed for creating the initial model (Festival Place - BSI,
2010) or restructuring the drawings (Palace Exchange BSI,
2010). All 4 instances were related to extra time needed to
model the project or rework that needed to be done due to
converting the project from traditional CAD standards to a BIM
platform.
The effects of BIM on the Communication success criterion
were all positive. Communication improvements were mentioned 15 times in 13 (37.14%) of the 35 case studies. Some
of benefits on communication were: information exchange
saving up to 50% of effort (Palace Exchange BSI, 2010);
information is a lot easier to find compared to traditional 2D
drawings (CMG Medical Office Building Khanzode et al.,
2008) ; and better communicate changes with the owner
(Esean Children's Hospital McGraw-Hill, 2010a).
Effects relating to the Coordination success criterion were
mentioned 14 times. Twelve (34.29%) of the projects had
more positive than negative instances related to the Success
criteria. These positive instances were typically due to the use
of clash detection only possible by using BIM or due to the
elimination of coordination sessions due to the automatic
coordination and improved workflow modelling that BIM
allows. Overall BIM facilitated integrated design strategies
and Integrated Project Delivery [IPD], with a typical comment
being from Palomar Medical Center (McGraw-Hill, 2010b):
BIM facilitated the integrated design approach. Negative
effects were mentioned 7 times, although only on 3 (8.57%)
of the projects were there more negative than positive benefits. Sometimes a lack of understanding of interoperability
[of BIM systems] limitations and abilities (Expeditionary
Hospital Manning and Messner, 2008) posed problems.
When the project was too big, software issues caused by the
BIM program not being able to handle so much information
could force the creation of multiple models to be able to work on
the project (US Food and Drug Administration Headquarters
McGraw-Hill, 2010b). This last point is a software issue, but
because of the problems of coordination that it causes it is also
considered as a negative effect related to the Coordination
success criterion.
In addition to the Communication success criterion Quality
was another criterion in which only positive benefits were perceived. On 12 projects (34.29%) there were 13 instances of
quality-related benefits from BIM. Benefits came from design and
documentation quality aspects, such as more accurate design
(Audubon Center McGraw-Hill, 2010b) and higher-quality
[] deliverables (Sutter Health Medical Center McGraw-Hill,
2009). BIM implementation also facilitated sustainable design

978

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

and construction i.e. improved Daylighting analysis of the

SF Public Utilities Commission (McGraw-Hill, 2010b); the
greener building and cost savings in many of the green
elements of the Shanghai Tower (McGraw-Hill, 2010b) and the
more sustainable construction process at the Palomar Medical
Center (McGraw-Hill, 2010b). These comments show that
savings against one criterion, such as Quality, which in the two
examples above can be defined in terms of the sustainability of
the construction and operation of a building, can have a knock
on effect on another criterion. In the two examples there were
identified cost savings in the construction phase but more significantly, from a whole life cycle perspective, the reduced
operational and maintenance costs of a green building.
There were 8 instances of BIM having a positive impact
on the Risk success criterion, with 6 (17.14%) of the projects
having more positive instances than negative ones. Some cases
saw BIM as a way to drive the risk out of its bid (Texas A&M
Health Science Center McGraw-Hill, 2009) and as a way of
reduced risk by allowing better informed decisions (US Food
and Drug Administration Headquarters McGraw-Hill, 2010b).
A negative impact relating to risk came from the need of upfront
investment for the modelling of the project to win the bid (Texas
A&M Health Science Center McGraw-Hill, 2009) that could
have not been recovered should the company have lost the bid, or
the need to clarify certain model ownership issues for liability
reasons (Research 2 McGraw-Hill, 2009).
The use of BIM had a positive benefit to the Scope success
criterion in 3 (8.57%) of the projects. The main benefit related
to the 3D visualization capacity of implementing BIM. This is
probably one of the reasons it is not mentioned more often in
the cases, since traditional 3D modelling tools not using BIM
processes already help scope clarification. It is relevant though
to note that no negative effects in respect of scope management
were mentioned in any of the projects.
The Organization criterion is the only one that showed an
equal number of positive and negative instances across an equal
number of projects. Positive benefits included improved team
building at the Walt Disney Concert Hall project (Haymaker
and Fischer, 2001) and added capabilities that architects at the
firm did not previously have at the Maximilianeum Expansion
(McGraw-Hill, 2010a). The negative effects were based on the
project team not knowing how to better organize the team to
take advantage of BIM (CMG Medical Office Building
Khanzode et al., 2008) or the frustrations from not all the
stakeholders embracing fully the integrated BIM approach
(Cascadia Center McGraw-Hill, 2010b).
Seven (20%) of the projects reported negative instances in
relation to the Software criterion. In particular interoperability
issues between BIM packages were highlighted as a major
negative effect which can work against the promise of enhanced
collaboration between the different organisations involved in a
project. Specific issues included: software unable to handle large
amounts of data (US Food and Drug Admin HQ McGraw-Hill,
2010b); inability of packages to exchange data (Cascadia Centre
McGraw-Hill, 2010b); and a lack of knowledge and experience
of software programming (Expeditionary Hospital Manning
and Messner, 2008).

5. Discussion and areas for further research

The data obtained from the case studies suggest that BIM
is an effective tool in improving certain key aspects of the
delivery of construction projects. Of the success criteria created
for the analysis of the case studies, Cost was the one most
positively influenced by the implementation of BIM followed
by Time, Communication, Coordination Improvement and
Quality. The negative benefits or challenges of implementing
BIM implementation are relatively fewer, and most of them are
focused on software or hardware issues. These challenges seem
to relate to the management of change associated with the
adoption of BIM and could be addressed with such initiatives
as better training for all employees involved and stakeholder
engagement activities to allow key actors to get used to a new
way of working. The data shows that most of the a priori
benefits of using BIM for Project Managers (Allison, 2010)
shown in Table 1 are actually being reported in real-life case
studies. The exception to this general finding relates to benefits
in project closeout, for which there were no reports of BIM
being useful to this activity. Hence, the findings provide some
evidence to support the prediction that BIM can lead to a virtual
project design approach (Froese, 2010), certainly in respect of
the early stages of the project life cycle.
The general finding indicates that BIM is an appropriate tool
for project managers and should be considered by the PM
profession as a way to help manage construction projects.
Overall, data from case studies show that the negative effects
from using BIM on managing costs are much less and generally
less relevant than the positive effects of implementing BIM
tools and processes. Some of this extra costs, such as CAD
rework, training or computer upgrades, are costs that can
be reduced or eliminated by implementing BIM from the
beginning of projects or simply by the fact that once people
are trained and computers upgraded those costs will not be so
prominent. While the time savings influenced the overall
project duration and had positive effects on the schedule's
critical path, time increases were often related to extra
modelling time or converting drawings into a model. This is a
clear sign that the positive effects on time are much more
important than the negative ones in terms of criticality. It also
provides evidence that adopting BIM tools from the beginning
of projects and by all stakeholders has the potential to minimize the negative effects on time. Quality benefits relate to both
the quality of conformance, i.e. a more accurate process and
improved documentation and enhanced designs i.e. the incorporation of sustainability-related features. Clearly there are
technical issues related to the capacity and capability of current software, though one would anticipate such issues being
resolved as the IT industry matures in its response to the
BIM-related needs of the market.
The Knowledge Areas of the PMI's PMBOK extend beyond
the Iron Triangle of cost, time and quality, reflecting the
importance of success criteria related to such factors as the
organization, stakeholders and the management of information.
The findings that BIM is a tool that contributes beyond the
Iron Triangle, by allowing better integration, cooperation and

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

coordination aligns with the PM literature, with some of the key

aspects required for the correct delivery of complex construction projects being better integration, cooperation, and coordination of construction project teams (Cicmil and Marshall,
2005, cited in Maunula, 2008). Moreover, as Morris and Hough
(1987, cited in Williams, 2002) state that the application
of conventional systems developed for ordinary projects have
been found to be inappropriate for complex projects, the
evidence from the analysis of the documented cases is that the
use of BIM, which can be classed as an unconventional
system, has potential benefits to the management of construction projects.
In terms of further research, this paper reports an analysis of
documented cases in which BIM has been used on projects. In
analysing the extent to which the use of BIM has resulted in
benefits to construction projects the research has taken a
cross-project perspective. The next logical step would be to
undertake a more finely grained analysis of the use of BIM on
the individual projects to discover the extent to which benefits
are contingent upon specific project characteristics, such as
project size, value and complexity. In addition such fine-grained
analysis could focus on aspects of project management that are
specific to construction projects. This could be done through
extending the success criteria to include some of those specified
by the PMI in their construction extension to the PMBOK, for
example: safety management the processes required to ensure
accident prevention and personal injury/property damage avoidance; environmental management the practices to ensure that
the project follows laws/regulations relating to the environment;
financial management the steps to acquire/manage the financial
resources for the project; and claim management the processes
to prevent/eliminate construction claims from arising (PMI,
2007). Also, the collection of primary data using questionnaires
or interviews would provide the opportunity to validate the
results obtained through another research method.
6. Conclusions
Given the benefits to projects documented in the case studies
it is a moot point why there has not been a greater take up of
BIM on construction projects. Clearly there are still some
challenges ahead and practitioners need to be aware of these
challenges in order to ensure the benefits of BIM are realised.
There needs to be a marketing and selling of BIM, supported
by a rigorous cost/benefit analysis, in order to convince practitioners as to the benefits of its use and to justify the upfront
investment. Although the price of the most popular BIM
software packages is similar to that of the common CAD software and given that some vendors are selling packages that
include both BIM and CAD platforms for the price of what used
to be a CAD-only package, the initial costs are still substantial,
especially for smaller firms. Yet in the long run, the increased
productivity potentially achieved with BIM and in some cases
the access to project work where BIM is mandated should be
enough for organisations to get a good Return on Investment
(ROI) on adopting BIM. Perhaps more difficult to address are the
challenges related to people. Whilst there are interoperability

979

issues between different BIM software packages, such technical

issues are likely to be resolved over time by the IT companies
supplying the packages.
Less easy to resolve are related issues in terms of people
agreeing common IT platforms, cooperating with each other to
readily share their BIM data models and not restricting the flow
of information to and from other parties by looking to protect
ownership and intellectual property rights of BIM-generated
output. Alongside cost/benefit analysis, there also needs to
be more awareness raising and a general up-skilling within the
sector. Hence senior managers in construction companies
will need to invest in BIM education and training of staff.
Practitioners also need to see the potential of BIM in the wider
context. For example a likely driver for BIM is linked to the
sustainability and green agenda, with BIM providing benefits
as clients and other key stakeholders demand sustainable
buildings constructed using sustainable methods. These demands
require greater interdependency and earlier involvement and
cooperation between the different project participants i.e. those
involved in planning and design, construction and facilities
management. Key to this is an integrated design approach and an
effective stakeholder engagement process, which also considers
the users needs throughout the design phase which BIM can
facilitate. But as was stated earlier in this section, using BIM to its
full potential to deliver on the sustainability agenda will only
be achievable if the people using it adapt and adopt working
practices to suit.

References
Ajam, M., Alshawi, M., Mezher, T., 2010. Augmented process model for etendering: towards integrating object models with document management
systems. Automation in Construction 19 (6), 762778.
Allison, H., 2010. 10 Reasons Why Project Managers should Champion 5D
BIM software. VICO Software. [online] Available at: http://www.vicosoftware.
com/vico-blogs/guest-blogger/tabid/88454/bid/27701/10-Reasons-Why-ProjectManagers-Should-Champion-5D-BIM-Software.aspx (Accessed 26th November 2010).
Alshawi, B., Ingirige, B., 2003. Web-enabled project management an emerging
paradigm in construction. Automation in Construction 12 (4), 349364.
Anumba, C.J., Issa, R.R.A., Pan, J., Mutis, I., 2008. Ontology-based information
and knowledge management in construction. Construction Innovation:
Information, Process, Management 8 (3), 218239.
Aouad, G., Lee, A., Wu, S., 2006. Constructing the Future: nD Modeling.
Taylor and Francis, London.
Aranda-Mena, G., Crawford, J., Chevez, A., Froese, T., 2009. Building
information modelling demystified: does it make business sense to adopt
BIM? International Journal of Management Projects in Business 2 (3),
419434.
Arayici, Y., Coates, P., Koskela, L., Kagioglou, M., Usher, C., O'Reilly, K.,
2011. BIM adoption and implementation for architectural practices.
Structural Survey 29 (1), 725.
Autodesk, 2007. BIM and cost estimating. [online] Available at: http://images.
autodesk.com/adsk/files/bim_cost_estimating_jan07_1_.pdf (accessed 18th
November 2010).
Bentley, 2003. Does the Building Industry Really Need to Start Over?. [online]
Available at: http://www.laiserin.com/features/bim/bentley_bim_whitepaper.
pdf (Accessed 18th November 2010).
BSI, 2010. Constructing the Business Case: Building Information Modelling.
British Standards Institution and BuildingSMART UK, London and Surrey,
UK.

980

D. Bryde et al. / International Journal of Project Management 31 (2013) 971980

Buildoffsite, 2011. Building Information Modelling (BIM) Seminar. Buildoffsite,

London . (22nd September 2011).
CabinetOffice, 2011. Government Construction Strategy. HMSO, London, UK.
Chan, A.P.C., Scott, D., Chan, A.P.L., 2004. Factors affecting the success of a
construction project. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
130, 153155.
Cicmil, S., Marshall, D., 2005. Insights into collaboration at the project level:
complexity, social interaction and procurement mechanisms. Building
Research & Information 33 (6), 523535.
Clough, R.H., Sears, G.A., Sears, S.K., 2008. Construction Project Management:
A Practical Guide to Field Construction Management. Wiley, New Jersey.
Eastman, C., Teicholz, P., Sacks, R., Liston, K., 2011. BIM Handbook: A Guide to
Building Information Modelling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers
and Contractors. Wiley, New Jersey.
Forcada, N., Casals, M., Roca, X., Gangolells, M., 2007. Adoption of web
databases for document management in SMEs of the construction sector in
Spain. Automation in Construction 16 (4), 411424.
Froese, M., 2010. The impact of emerging information technology on project
management for construction. Automation in Construction 19 (5), 531538.
Grilo, A., Jardim-Goncalves, R., 2010. Value proposition on interoperability of
BIM and collaborative working environments. Automation in Construction
19 (5), 522530.
Gu, N., London, K., 2010. Understanding and facilitating BIM adoption in the
AEC industry. Automation in Construction 19 (5), 531538.
Harris, H., 2001. Content analysis of secondary data: a study of courage in
managerial decision making. Journal of Business Ethics 34 (3/4), 191208.
Haymaker, J., Fischer, M., 2001. Challenges and Benefits of 4D Modeling of
the Walt Disney Concert Hall Project. CIFE Working Paper #64. Stanford
University ([online] Available from: http://cife.stanford.edu/online.publications/
WP064.pdf [accessed January 5th 2011]).
Jung, Y., Joo, M., 2010. Building information modelling (BIM) framework for
practical implementation. Automation in Construction 20 (2), 126133.
Kadefors, A., 2004. Trust in project relationshipsinside the black box.
International Journal of Project Management 22 (3), 175182.
Kaner, I., Sacks, R., Kassian, W., Quitt, T., 2008. Case Studies of BIM
Adoption for Precast Concrete Design by Mid-Sized Structural Engineering
Firms. Information Technology in Construction 13 (3), 303323 (Special
Issue - Case studies of BIM use).
Khanzode, A., Fischer, M., Reed, D., 2008. Benefits and lessons learned of
implementing building virtual design and construction (VDC) technologies.
ITCon 13, 324342.
Lee, C., 2008. BIM: Changing the AEC Industry. PMI Global Congress 2008.
Project Management Institute, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Leicht, R., Messner, J., 2008. Moving Toward an "Intelligent" Shop Modelling
Process. Information Technology in Construction 13, 286302 (Special
Issue - Case studies of BIM use).
Lindner, F., Wald, A., 2011. Success factors of knowledge management in
temporary organizations. International Journal of Project Management 29
(7), 877888.
Manning, R., Messner, J., 2008. Case studies in BIM implementation for
programming of healthcare facilities. Information Technology in Construction 13, 446457 (Special Issue - Case studies of BIM use).
Maunula, 2008. The Implementation of Building Information Modeling A
Process Perspective. Report 23, SimLab Publications, Helsinki University
of Technology, Finland.

Maurer, I., 2010. How to build trust in inter-organizational projects: the impact
of project staffing and project rewards on the formation of trust, knowledge
acquisition and product innovation. International Journal of Project
Management 28 (7), 629637.
McGraw-Hill, 2008. Building Information Modelling (BIM). Transforming
Design and Construction to Achieve Greater Industry Productivity. ([online]
Available at: http://construction.ecnext.com/mcgraw_hill/includes/BIM2008.
pdf [Accessed on 18th November 2010]).
McGraw-Hill, 2009. The Business Value Of BIM. Getting Building Information
Modeling to the Bottom Line. [online] Available at: http://fiatech.org/images/
stories/research/2009_BIM_SmartMarket_Report.pdf (Accessed 26th November 2010).
McGraw-Hill, 2010a. The Business Value of BIM in Europe. Getting Building
Information Modelling to the Bottom Line in the United Kingdom, France
and Germany. [online] Available at: http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/
files/business_value_of_bim_in_europe_smr_final.pdf (Accessed on 18th
November 2010).
McGraw-Hill, 2010b. Green BIM. How Building Information modeling is
contributing to green design and construction. [online] Available at: Green
BIM. How Building Information modeling is contributing to green design
and construction [accessed on 26th November 2010] .
Morris, P.W.G., Hough, G.H., 1987. The Anatomy of Major Projects. Wiley,
London, UK.
Nitithamyong, P., Skibniewski, M.J., 2004. Web-based construction project
management systems: how to make them successful? Automation in
Construction 13 (4), 491506.
Olatunji, O.A., 2011. Modelling the costs of corporate implementation of building
information modelling. Journal of Financial Management of Property and
Construction 16 (3), 211231.
PMI, 2007. Construction Extension to the PMBOK Guide, 3rd edition. Project
Management Institute, Newton Square, Pennsylvania, USA.
PMI, 2008. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK Guide), 4th edition. Project Management Institute, Newton
Square, Pennsylvania, USA.
Schade, J., Olofsson, T., Schreyer, M., 2011. Decision-making in a modelbased design process. Construction Management and Economics 29 (4),
371382.
Sebastian, R., 2011. Changing roles of the clients, architects and contractors
through BIM. Engineering Construction and Architectural Management 18
(2), 176187.
Shenhar, A.J., Dvir, D., Levy, O., Maltz, A.C., 2001. Project success: a
multidimensional strategic concept. Long Range Planning 34 (6), 699725.
Succar, B., 2009. Building information modelling framework: a research and
delivery foundation for industry stakeholders. Automation in Construction
18 (3), 357375.
Taxn, L., Lillieskld, J., 2008. Images as action instruments in complex
projects. International Journal of Project Management 26 (5), 527536.
Underwood, J., Isikdag, U., 2011. Emerging technologies for BIM 2.0.
Construction Innovation: Information, Process, Management 11 (3),
252258.
Williams, T., 2002. Modelling Complex Projects. Wiley, London, UK.