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As a firm grows its BIM work, someone has to decide who does what. Common titles (BIM manager, BIM coordinator, information manager, BIM modeller) mean different things in different firms, so start from the work, then give it names.
- BIM or digital lead (firm level): strategy, standards, budget, reporting to directors.
- Central support: templates, libraries, training, help desk for projects.
- Project BIM coordinator: sets up and checks models on a project, runs coordination.
- Information manager (project): runs the information process: requirements, CDE, deliveries (often a function more than a job title).
- Designers and modellers: produce and check their own models.
For five years, one person in the firm sets up every model, writes every BEP and answers every client question about BIM. Nothing is written down; it's quicker for her to do it. She takes a job elsewhere. Two projects miss their next delivery while the team works out how her templates work.
The BIM lead writes the setup, export and BEP steps into short procedures, and trains one coordinator in each studio. The expert reviews their work for six months. When she later moves on, projects carry on; the central team is two people, and every studio has someone who can do the job.
Sizing the roles
| Driver | Effect on staffing |
|---|---|
| Number of live projects | More coordinators, or coordinators on several projects each |
| Project size and complexity | Large or complex projects need a dedicated coordinator |
| Client requirements | ISO 19650 clients need an information management function |
| Standards maturity | Good templates reduce setup and support time |
Give each task to the role that should own it in a mid-sized firm.
Who does what?
Give each task to the role that should own it in a mid-sized firm.
- BIM strategy and reporting to the directors
- Company templates and libraries
- Federated model and clash tests on a project
- Checking a model before it is shared
- The CDE process on a client’s ISO 19650 project
Key takeaways
- Describe roles by tasks and responsibilities, not titles; titles vary between firms.
- Most firms need a small central team (standards, support, training) and BIM skills inside every project team.
- Size the roles from the work: number of projects, their size, what clients require.
- Avoid the single BIM expert everyone depends on: spread the skills and write things down.