Intro to CIM: Getting Started Follow

In the present situation, the information in Construction is siloed and the major focus is to get alignment in at least 2 areas – cost & schedule. However, in order to properly facilitate the decision making and quality and risk assessment of your project deliverables we need to apply an all-inclusive integrated approach to the life cycle which includes Cost, Schedule, and Scope of the construction project.

Applying such an integrated approach provides an opportunity to make more well-rounded and informed and sound decisions to improve performance. And the Scope is extremely important because decomposing and breaking down project scope ensures that all deliverables that are necessary to complete work are captured. This helps you manage Resources, Risk, and quality in your project.

In Alice we are integrating the above aspects by defining the following:

Cost breakdown Structure - Unit costs for each Resource

Work breakdown Structure – Task series & logic in Recipes

Project breakdown Structure - Grouping and defining Support sequence for WBS units

The term ‘Work Package’ as its commonly called in the industry currently only captures Work i.e WBS. In ALICE - because it provides a system-based approach and a structured framework to integrate everything - we call it Work Element that targets all 3 dimensions i.e. PBS, CBS & WBS.

The current series of articles is focused on CIM development details that helps in preparing WBS for a Project. To bring in WBS units into scheduling, ALICE works on top of BIM models from which it detects geometries of building elements. These granular WBS units of Scope can be shuffled to test multiple iterations for an optimized sequence. BIM is presently one of the most important and powerful techs available for designers and engineers out there. It is surely transforming the way construction and design projects are done. ALICE leverages this tech to help schedulers and construction engineers to easily create and iterate alternate possible construction sequences to find and optimize.

Alice brings BIM into your planning, which provides accurate scope, location reference for any activity, and estimates for a Project.