BIM Pirates - A BIM Roles fairy tale
Once upon a time, the world was good and simple. Architects, engineers, specialist consultants worked together. This changed with the introduction of BIM. New roles wi emerged ...
Once upon a time, the world was good and simple. Architects, engineers, specialist consultants, and their respective draft men (and, of course, a few women as well) worked together to plan a building. This changed with the introduction of BIM. New roles with the three-letter acronym emerged.
BIM Modeler
When the tools became more sophisticated, or at least the marketing department needed to find a new differentiator between simple CAD for 2D and 3D, the term BIM software was born. With this introduction, the distinction between a "normal" draftsman and a "modern" one - the BIM modeler- was born.
BIM Coordinator
With the engineers, we had a rare breed called coordinators. They overlayed the plans on transparent paper or later plotted them with different colors and coordinated the trades by writing the height next to the various heights. This breed of engineers is almost extinct and replaced by BIM coordinators. Some of them bring the necessary technical know-how for coordination. Some others know which buttons to press. And just like magic, they create 10'000 clashes and 10'000 BCFs to keep the project team busy.
BIM Manager
A few companies understood that BIM was more than buying a new software called Revit. They understood that the new possibilities demanded new methods. The BIM Manager was born. The BIM Manager's responsibility lies on two levels: supporting the project (manager) in the setup and supporting the change process in the company.
BIM Consultant
This change in the companies was (is) often slow and frustrating. So, the BIM managers frequently change their jobs. In the new company, everything is shiny in the first year; management listens, and they can start initiatives and buy new software. In the second year, they can play around with the latest tools, learn, and show how great they are, and when in the third year, they should scale up the effort. That's when they quit the job and either repeat the game or turn into BIM Consultants - Explaining how not to do things and playing the "if" game.
Here, the commonly agreed-on roles end, and we enter the realm of fairy tales.
BIM Parrot
Mostly, the BIM Consultant gets hired by the BIM Parrot, who hears the marketing claim of 4D to 26D and wants to radically change how their company works. Often, they wake up when they realize that more effort than buying a new software tool and giving some training to their drafting technicians is necessary. Usually, this is the starting point for a new generation of the BIM crowd.
BIM Inquisitor
Some BIM Coordinators turn into "BIM-Quistors." They get so obsessed with model quality that they hunt down everybody who does not comply with their clear and simple 1000-line Excel requirement documents! Recently, they got a new tool in their belt: the IDS, an XML format-style language to clearly describe and even exchange the requirements. So, no escape; they will hunt you down!
BIM Bureaucrat
The BIM Inquisitors find support with the BIM Burocrat, who radicalized when seeing that people did not follow their guidelines. And now they force them with some contractual agreements. They write documents like EIRs and BEPs, laying the foundation for the BIM Inquisitors hunt.
BIM Philosopher
All these roles have a small BIMsopher in them. He (sometimes she) comes out when they meet in the evening over a glass of beer and discuss their lives, how good they are, how bad the world treats them, and how simple it could be. The depth of the conversation and of the BIMsopher's own skills are directly proportional to the amount of beer the BIMsopher consumes.
BIM Nerd
A few of the more technically inclined people turn into BIM Nerds. They realized that a few lines of code could save a hundred clicks. So they move from some grasshopper visual programming to Python, C#, and web development. Often, at some point, they spiral, and they discover that everybody can create their own BIM Software as open source and free for all. If this does not work out, they start teaching the next generation their coding skills.
The subsequent three roles are the last step in the evolution of the BIMler (so far), and very few stay long enough in the industry to reach the necessary mental strength.
BIM Daddy / Mommy
The BIM Daddy is the perfect coach, always finding the right balance between encouraging words and tough love. They break complex tasks down into small, manageable steps, always have an open ear, and help people do their work better.
BIM Pirate
Every organization needs one of these BIM Pirates or Rebels. They drive change and question the status quo. They keep the balance between law and order when it turns fascistic and gives birth to BIMquistors; they challenge organizations to not only buy new software but also consider its impact on their business model.
BIM Comedian
When they get tired, some BIM Pirates turn into BIM Comedians. They realize that it's not about BIM at all and that it's better to take life less seriously. Humor as a coping mechanism has worked for generations and is still great in our digital age!
To Summarize:
So, I hope you find your inner BIM role and transcend! Shout out in the comments and name the best BIM daddies, mommies, pirates, and comedians!