Data Day: Ideate Leads Discussion on Future of BIM

Want to help set the direction for the future of Building Information Modeling (BIM)?

Join us on July 13, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona for the inaugural Data Day workshop, a one-day event within the Revit Technology Conference North America (RTCNA). This workshop, developed by Ideate, will launch a discussion on what data means to the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Owner (AECO) community.

The best part? Data Day is specially designed for you: principals, owners, visionaries, and others who want to explore new ways to use data to make better, conscious business decisions. As a result, you’ll bring your own unique experience and insight to help determine the next steps for the AECO industry.

We encourage companies to think of BIM as an ecosystem – building up their team’s knowledge base and making connections, and now, with Data Day, we’re ready take it even further. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge from dynamic presentations and interactive, round-table discussions, where they will share company perspectives, concerns, and visions regarding data. Questions that will be discussed include:

• What is data to the AECO industry, and what related challenges does the industry face?
• What data matters most to AECO businesses?
• What can be done to better seize the value of the data?
• How can a graphic ecosystem of data management tools be developed?
• How can data be leveraged at each stage of a built project lifecycle for collective stakeholder benefit?
• What skills are required to solve industry problems?
• What methods have other industries employed to solve similar issues?

Ideate has always been at the forefront of BIM. Today, the industry is at another turning point, and we are pleased to lead discussions that will once again set the direction for the next wave of innovation – and we hope you’ll be there.

For more information and registration visit the Data Day website.

4.20 | BIM 360 Docs Webinar

At Ideate, we know. You want to minimize your risk, keep the right information at the fingers tips of your whole construction team and deliver better projects, faster. We have the answer: BIM 360 Docs. It’s the one app that manages all your project documents – from any device, anywhere.

You take control of your construction projects with Autodesk BIM 360 Docs, which provides full view, redline and markup capability of 2D PDFs, drawings and 3D models, and is built on an Integrated Version Control platform. This platform automatically propagates redlines, markups and issues, ensuring that field personnel are always in-sync and working off the latest versions.
BIM 360 Docs is the foundation of the comprehensive BIM 360 Platform which spans from design handover, through preconstruction and coordination to field execution. 

Step in to the future with us on April 20, 2016 to learn how BIM 360 Docs can help you:

• Stay connected 
• Maintain a single source of project truth
• Manage documents with an integrated version control 
• Handle 2D and 3D documents with connected workflows and processes 
• Leverage a cloud platform that is built to grow with you and your business

You’ll walk away confident about success because you’re using BIM 360 Docs; keeping everyone on your team informed and up to date, from this point forward.

Register for the BIM 360 Docs Webinar today.

Avoiding Information Overload

In this age of BIG DATA and information overload, exactly how much information can we absorb? When we communicate with our customers/clients, what is the right amount of information to provide? The answer to these questions will always depend on:

• communication mode (face to face, email, web-meeting),

• customer sophistication (is this new technology, are you evangelizing, etc.,

• relationship with the customer (new or existing). 

However, there are some 'rules of thumb' worth keeping in mind. 

Physiologist George Miller developed a 'maximum packets of data' theory. I am calling it the… MAGICAL 7 +/- 2

What the theory describes is that in any one encounter (sales call, presentation, conversation) the human brain can absorb/understand 7 (plus or minus 2) packets of data at one time. 

Let us think about this for a second. Seems to make sense. If I try to push too much information, I lose my audience, they drown in the information. In my research of infographics, the same theory applies; too much graphics/data, and the audience is overloaded - and then disconnects. 

My experience has been I try to leave my conversations/presentations with one or two key points, with an informational backup of 3-5 relevant stats/data/info. This seems to follow in line with Mr. Miller's theory. 

What does this mean to you, who must present to customers, talk to customers, interact with customers? 

1. Avoid PowerPoint overload. Endless text violates the magical 7 +/- theory.
2. Plan ahead. What are the 5-9 key data points you want the listener to go away with? 
3. Try the "tell them what you will say, say it, and recap what you said". This will help define and clarify the 5-9 datapoints.
4. Please keep the data graphics simple. Too much information causes the brain to simply 'tune out'. 

Most of this seems common sense, however, it is amazing to see in many presentations how these common sense rules are violated and ignored. 

Better communication leads to better customer/client understanding, which leads to a better customer experience. 

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David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design–build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, data integration, and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and construction industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech 

Get it. Know it. Use it.

This post was originally published on David’s blog Connecting the [Data]… 

What I learned from Ayn Rand

In the business world, words such as collaboration, synergy, and crowdsourcing are used to describe the current business philosophy of 'the sum of the parts is greater than the whole'. This approach promotes a work environment where the team shares ideas and works for a more complete solution. So how could anyone be against that?

First, I learn new concepts, ideas, and strategies from my workmates, my clients, and from corporate management. I thank each of them for making me better, stronger, and more agile.

My concern is that the following team traits can happen:

• In some work environments there can be givers and takers. Givers grow with new information, stretch to be better, and share that new knowledge with others. Takers sit back and let others do the heavy lifting while learning to mimic what others have learned. 
• Also, some are doers and some are revisers. Doers risk the pioneering process (stretching for new ideas and strategies), while revisers can sit back and say "well the new solution is not quite good enough".
• Givers and Doers are 'all in'. See my blog about being 'all in'.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM AYN RAND
An interesting movie to watch is the final courtroom scene in "The Fountainhead". Ayn Rand (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand), author of the "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" believed that  success should be evaluated on what a person creates, not what is stolen from others. See Howard Roark's speech at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xtymi7_the-fountainhead-1949-gary-cooper-famous-courtroom-speech_shortfilms.

So, what is my point ?

1. If you learned something new, give credit where credit is due. 
2. If you have found value in a company, its products, and its people - demonstrate that value through loyalty to that company/product/team.
3. There is nothing free in this world. So if knowledge is passed to you, expect to pay for learning that new information.

It was suggested to me recently that in the new millennium, all information will be free to all without additional payment, in fact, intellectual property should be shared freely, so 'the whole' will benefit. I reject this notion. What is the motivation for new intellectual property, if there is no monetary gain?

Be a Doer and a Giver. Support with your pocketbook those companies who provide you with new information and new ideas.

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David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech 

Get it. Know it. Use it.

This post was originally published on David’s blog Connecting the [Data]… 

Where Do We Stand? (Competitive Analysis)

Has your company ever done a proactive, unbiased review of where you stand in comparison to your competition? Not the usual "we are better because of our people" review, but a more analytical, comparative review.

Why, might you ask? In order to know where a company wants to go in the future we need to understand where we are right now. Usually, companies focus on what they want to do, not what they may be best at, or what others are better at.

An effective tool for understanding where the company stands, and where it might want to go, is a SWOT analysis:
 
SWOT Analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or person. (Wikipedia).

When I was first introduced to SWOT, I asked myself "What benefit could my company receive - this is silly."  Over time and with a little practice, valuable information can be gained. Some feel SWOT is business school 101 stuff, but if thoughtfully done, SWOT brings insightful analysis.

The strongest benefit is that, done correctly, good business decisions (both strategic and tactical) can be achieved. These decisions and directions will be derived from a realistic view of your company's position in the marketplace.

First, the process:

1. Sit with a group of people, this can include customers, it is important to include many internal stakeholders (not just management people). Bring unbiased people to this discussion - you need a hard analytical look, not Pollyanna types.
2. Decide on SWOT topic (ex: your company, your competition, the key objective).
3. We use a white board divided into four quadrants.
4. Note the top half is about internal issues (strengths and weaknesses) and the bottom half is about external issues (opportunity and threats).
5. Be free form about putting things in each quadrant, just make sure the statement is really a strength, weakness, opportunity, or threat. Specific is better than general. Question if the statement is real, or what we wish it to be.

Examples:

1. Strength - great people   (way too general).
2. Weakness - not enough projects (that is more of a threat than a weakness).
3. Opportunity - there is a bond issue to create new infrastructure (great example)
4. Threat - competition (this can be a threat, it can also be an opportunity) - see below.

So here is an interesting thing you will find: There is a relationship, or correlation between the different quadrants.

Strengths can lead to opportunities, while weaknesses create threats (orange arrows).

Strengths reduce threats, while weaknesses, when corrected, can create new opportunities (yellow arrows).

Looking at the problem in a new way, brings new connections, new data to review, and maybe a new look at a familiar set of issues.

I have done SWOT analysis numerous times, and have found that it has been a valuable exercise, with new insights, new connections, and also the stakeholders are both engaged and educated.

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David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech

Get it. Know it. Use it.