Benefits of Using BIM in Construction Projects

This literature review explores the benefits of using Building Information Modelling (BIM) in construction projects. It discusses the impact of BIM on the efficiency and communication in the construction industry. The study aims to understand the capabilities of BIM and evaluate its practical implementation through case studies. It also compares BIM with traditional computer aided design tools.

Assessment 2
Literature Review
BENEFITS OF USING
BIM IN CONSTRUCTION
PROJETS
PM Research Methods (EPM5640)
Prepared by
NINAD DEOLE (4616454)
SUPERVISOR DR AMIR GHAPANCHI
Victoria University, Semester 1-2019

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction:........................................................................................................................................5
1.1 Purpose of the Study.........................................................................................................................5
1.2 Research Background and Importance..............................................................................................5
1.3 Research background and Importance..............................................................................................6
1.4 Aim of the Research...........................................................................................................................6
2.0 Literature Review:...............................................................................................................................6
2.1 Research Concepts and Context........................................................................................................6
2.2 Review of Works by Other Researchers.............................................................................................7
2.3 Research Gap.....................................................................................................................................9
2.4 Significance of Addressing the Research Question............................................................................9
3.0 Methodology.......................................................................................................................................10
3.1 Research paradigm..........................................................................................................................10
3.2 Research Approach..........................................................................................................................10
3.3 Research Method............................................................................................................................11
3.4 Data collection.................................................................................................................................11
3.5 Data Analysis...................................................................................................................................12
References:...............................................................................................................................................13

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1.0 Introduction:
1.1 Purpose of the Study
Construction industry has been observing fundamental change in the way drawings and
documents are produced for a project over the years. From paper-based drawings, industry
upgraded to computer aided design tools. Though Computer aided design tools have
significantly reduced the time for production of construction drawings, it has not been able to
streamline the process of managing a construction project. Hence, BIM was developed to meet
the demand for a dedicated construction drawings and project management software. The
purpose of the study is to understand the impact of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in
Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry, and examine how instrumental it has been
in increasing the efficiency of construction projects (Aranda-Mena at al., 2009).
BIM is a process involving all major parties in a construction project to work collaboratively. The
research problem is to identify how it helps in eliminating communication gaps, delays and other
problems observed throughout the project life cycle. Also, it is essential to identify the extent to
which BIM is crucial in optimizing efficiency in a construction project. In the coming years, with
advancements in technology, capability of BIM is set to increase. Hence, this study attempts to
identify whether BIM could be a one stop solution for all problems in a construction projects.
BIM – “BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an intelligent 3D model-based process that gives
architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more
efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure.” (BIM)
1.2 Research Background and Importance
Construction is one of the biggest industries in the world. However, it is not without difficulties
and is in an immense need of change to capitalize on opportunities.
Many problems arise in a construction project such as lack of skilled labor, safety of
construction workers, unanticipated delays, communication gaps etc which is a major cause of
concern (Arayici et al., 2011). Keeping track of all the information and documents generated by
different professionals involved in a construction project becomes difficult as project complexity
increases.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been introduced to solve the problems plaguing the
architecture, engineering and construction industry. It collaborates all the software being used in
a project by creating and managing all the project information throughout the construction
process. It combines all parts of a project. (BIM and Digital Disruption)
From the beginning, the construction industry has been dependent on paper-based drawings
and documents for communication and execution of construction projects. A construction project
involves parties with different professional background to work together to successfully
complete a project. In this process, a lot of data, documents and paperwork is generated as a
result. As it increases, its management becomes difficult. Various problems arise due to lack of
coordination and mismanagement of data such as outdated drawings, delays, cost overrun,
poor quality and repetition of work and design clashes (Liu, van Nederveen and Hertogh 2017).
To address this problem, Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools were developed. They have
eliminated the need for hand-drafting construction drawings which consumes a lot of time and
effort. Being a virtual document, it is easy for professionals to access it from anywhere and
make changes if required. However, its use has not been that significant in bringing down the
errors, miscommunication and delays in a project (Hergunsel 2011).

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1.3 Research background and Importance
BIM has become a promising tool for the AEC industry. With BIM technology, it is possible to simulate
virtual models of buildings that are digitally constructed to inform the geometry and data needed to
construct, fabricate, and procure the materials and activities needed to make the design a reality. In
essence, BIM is more of a coordination tool than a design tool. BIM carries all the information that
pertains to the building including the functional and physical characteristics in a series of smart objects.
It is important to consider the importance of BIM that are characterized by spatial relationship,
geographic information, geometry, properties of building elements, project schedule, material
inventories and cost estimates. With BIM, it is easier to interrelate the construction documents such as
the drawing details, procurement details and other processes and specifications. The general purpose of
a BIM is to visualize 3D renders, shop/fabricate drawings, code reviews, forensic analysis, facilities
management, cost estimation, construction sequencing, and conflict and collision detection. The main
benefits of BIM is the representation of accurate geometrical parts of a building in an integrated data
platform. Other benefits include automated assembly; faster and effective processes; controlled whole
life cost; better customer service; better design and life cycle data.
BIM was thus introduced to address the issues tormenting the construction industry. It acts as a
platform for all parties involved in the construction project to work collaboratively ensuring that
the project is delivered on time, within budget and is of top most quality. BIM is the latest
development which has disrupted the construction industry. It has become indispensable part of
design and building process. It is not a natural progressive shift from computer aided design but
is a transformation from drawing to modelling aided by a collaborative approach to design and
construction (Froese, 2010).
A construction project usually has 3 phases; pre-construction, construction and completion
phase. BIM is used the most in the pre-construction phase. BIM helps the architects to create it
virtually and help them conduct simulations to assess its feasibility. For the client, a 3D model of
the building helps them to visualize how a building would look upon completion. This makes the
design development of a construction project fast and smooth. For vendors, a 3d model helps
them to prepare accurate shop drawings and suggest options and alternatives for materials to
be used in the building. BIM software is able to give exact project cost and time schedule to
complete the project. (Ham et al. 2002) Since every professional involved in the project have
access to the information and drawings of the projects, there is a better scope of communication
and coordination among them ensuring the project is on track. (Ham et al. 2002)
1.4 Aim of the Research
BIM has disrupted the way construction projects are planned, managed and executed. It is the
biggest change since computer aided design came along. Builders, developers and project
managers have been looking for a solution to aid them in managing a construction project,
prevent cost overrun, and ensure the project is completed on time and is of the highest quality
possible. With BIM, these objectives have been realized. Projects completed using BIM have
been able to meet project goals. The architecture, engineering and construction industry has
now began switching to BIM. (Ham et al. 2002) This study aims is to understand the capabilities
of BIM and examine its benefits in construction projects.
This paper attempts to understand what BIM is, its use and its impact on construction projects. It
also examines the difference between using computer aided design tools and BIM. This would
help in understanding its potential. Case studies on BIM would be studied to evaluate its

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practical implementation. With advancements in technology, BIM is bound to get better.
Exploring its future potential is hence essential.
However, it is a common knowledge that projects today have become complex and thus making
it difficult to manage. In response to this menace, the development of BIM has made all the
stakeholders involved in construction industry talking about its benefits and how companies
should use this technology and convince their clients on its importance in construction projects.
This research therefore intends to inform clients and construction companies that are yet to
adopt this new technology on its benefits when applied on construction. Nevertheless, other BIM
literatures have documented on the use of BIM as a tool for construction but most of them lack
the cross case analysis to ascertain the degree to which BIM use leads to more enhanced
benefits on construction projects beyond the normal rhetoric. In order to address this gap, case
studies will be analyzed from the secondary data relating to the essential benefits of BIM that
has been published in literatures or that has been made visible on the public domain with the
intention of answering the research question.
RQ. What are the benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in construction projects?
2.0 Literature Review:
2.1 Research Concepts and Context
US National Building Information Model Standard Project Committee defines Building
Information Modeling (BIM) as a “digital representation of physical and functional characteristics
of a facility. A BIM is a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a
reliable basis for decisions during its life-cycle; defined as existing from earliest conception to
demolition.” (Bryde 2013).The information put in to form a design of a building is represented as
a 3D model which is made of objects. Objects in BIM are small elements which have their own
shape, size, definition and information (Goubau 2013). These objects come together to form a
seamless design of a building. They could be a joinery detail, floor, slab, etc. which form a part
of the design. Any changes made to these objects is automatically reflected in plans, elevations,
views or cost schedule (Ghaffarianhoseini 2017)
BIM has many subsets which can be contemplated in terms of dimension. Infinite number of
dimensions could be added to BIM. However, currently, there are 6 dimensions to it. First is the
3d (object model). In this, various models such as existing conditions models, safety and
logistics model, animations, renderings, walkthroughs, prefabrication etc. could be made with
utmost accuracy. A level up from this is the 4d (time) dimension which allows the user to run
project phasing simulations, prepare detailed schedules and give a visual overview of the
construction process for payment approval. The 5d (cost) dimension has functions such as real
time conceptual modeling and cost planning, quantity extraction to support detailed cost
estimates, trade verifications from fabrication models, value engineering and prefabrication
engineering (Hardi & Pittard 2015). The next dimension called 6d focuses on sustainability. In
this, many sustainability aspects of a construction project could be analyzed. Conceptual energy
analysis, detailed energy analysis, sustainable element tracking, LEED tracking are some of the
capabilities of this dimension. The last but not the least is the 7d (facility management). Its
functions enable the user to form life cycle strategies, design operations and maintenance
manuals, make maintenance plans and organize technical support and build any other facility
management application as per requirement Barlish & Sullivan (2012). Though the capability of
BIM is limited to these dimensions for now, experts believe that with advancement in technology
and passage of time, many other dimensions would be added to BIM which would give a better
control over existing capabilities and incorporate more aspects of a construction project over
time (Goubau 2013).

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The essential contrast among BIM and traditional 3D CAD is the latter’s portrayal of a structure
by 3 dimensional perspectives which are in the form of plans, sections and elevations (Mesároš
and Mandičák 2017). Altering one of these perspectives necessitates that every single other
view must be checked and refreshed, a definite error prone procedure that is one of the real
reasons for poor documentation (Salman, Khalfan & Tayyab 2012). Moreover, information in
these 3D illustrations are graphical elements just, for example, lines, curves and circles, as
opposed to the keen logical semantic of BIM models, where objects are characterized by
structure components and frameworks like floor slabs, columns, and beams. A BIM model
conveys all data identified with the structure, and undertaking life cycle data, in a progression of
"smart objects". For instance, a cooling unit inside a BIM would likewise contain information
about its provider, operation and upkeep methodology, rate of flows and height requirements.
(Azhar 2011)
Our research context for this study is derived from our main research objective. The benefits of
using BIM technology in construction projects by companies in AEC both in the UK, Australia
and the USA. This will help in giving meaning to the research and shaping the work since a
number of case studies are to be explored from different countries in the bid to answer the
research aims and objectives.
2.2 Review of Works by Other Researchers
BIM has been continuously evolving since its introduction back in 1985.BIM has been
instrumental in keeping everyone involved in the project on the same page though its excellent
data management capability. Major beneficiaries of this BIM revolution have been the
stakeholders as their needs and demand have been fulfilled to an acceptable extent due to BIM
implementation. Experts believe that BIM when developed to its full potential will be beyond
anyone’s imagination changing the way construction industry operates and making construction
projects socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. However, there is a long road
ahead to realize this vision. For this, immense research and development needs to be carried
out on BIM to explore its potential and make it what it is meant to be. BIM experts around the
world have been recording, observing and analyzing the impact of BIM on AEC and Facility
Management Industry. The table below lists the key findings from different sources about BIM in
construction projects.
Table 1. Overview of the research publications
Row Author (Name, Year) Key Findings
1 (Salman Azhar 2008) $200,000 saved and potential delays averted due to use of BIM
2 (Ham et al. 2002) How BIM helps in getting the best possible design through
simulations and optimizing functionality of a building.
3 (Hardi & Pittard 2015) 1. BIM calls for a collaborative working approach.
2. Since BIM is relatively new, knowledge and experience within
construction industry is limited.
4 (Hergunsel 2011) Construction projects become more efficient when BIM utilizations
such as coordination, construction planning, and prefabrication are
used.
5 (Azhar 2011) 1. Case studies showed average ROI on projects using BIM
was about 636%.
2. Data ownership, proprietary issues and risk sharing should
be addresses in contract document when using BIM.
6 (Mesároš & Mandičák
2017)
The most important benefit of BIM was found out to be cost reduction
in construction projects.
7 (Bryde 2013) 1. Cost reduction, time reduction, communication and
coordination improvement are the biggest benefits of using
BIM.

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2. High initial cost of implementing BIM.
8 (Barlish & Sullivan 2012) The study analyses BIM and Non-BIM projects of a company to
analyse the performance of a project based on various success
parameters. It was found that BIM projects performed better than
Non-BIM projects.
9 (Liu, van Nederveen &
Hertogh 2017)
BIM face organizational challenges limiting collaboration. Also, BIM
has not yet penetrated all segments of construction sector.
10 (Ghaffarianhoseini et al.
2017)
1. Major reasons for not adopting BIM is high initial cost and
lack of skills and experience especially in small companies.
2. BIM enables comparison of different building alternatives and
suggests the best possible option which meets project
objective.
11 (Salman, Khalfan &
Tayyab 2012)
General Contractors have been able to minimize design errors
through clash detection resulting in substantial cost and time saving.
12 (Azhar & Brown 2009) 1. “The majority of practitioners who are employing BIM-based
sustainability analyses are primarily architects and
contractors.”
2. “Practitioners implementing BIM-based sustainability
analyses are realizing some-to-significant time and cost
savings compared with the traditional methods.”
The research findings in the above publications indicated significant cost savings and
elimination of delays as a result of BIM implementation on projects. In addition, best designs
were produced through simulations and optimization of space functionality. However, some
negative indicators also came to play form the literature, despite the collaborative importance of
BIM, a number of stakeholders in the AEC industry still lack the necessary knowledge and skills
of handling BIM. However, for companies that implemented BIM in their projects, they registered
great improvement in terms of project packaging, coordination and planning. Since BIM is an
expensive venture, small companies lacked the knowledge of using BIM thus leading to high
cost overruns that made them opt for other building alternatives. The most interesting thing to
note about Azhar and Brown (2009) analysis was the fact that architects and contractors were
the majority of practitioners exploring the use of BIM in sustainable design strategies. Despite
the high capital for installing BIM, in the long run it proved to be beneficial for the industry.
Overall, BIM benefits snapped across almost all the literatures included cost reduction, time
reduction, and improved communication which were considered to be the biggest winners in the
implementation of BIM in construction projects.
According to a Mckinsey report, a study found out that 75 percent of the companies who had
implemented BIM received considerable return on investment with shorter project life-cycle and
immense savings in time and cost (Rajat and Mukund 2016). Many countries have realized the
potential of BIM and have mandated the use of BIM in state sponsored projects. Countries such
as USA, UK and Australia have formulated strategies to adopt BIM over a period of time.
A study conducted by Azhar (2011) listed the capabilities of BIM and its use in construction
projects. A case study was analyzed to understand the difference between traditional CAD
approach and BIM based approach. While the 2D CAD approach could only produce computer-
based construction drawings, BIM produced not only produced construction drawings but ran
simulations to give an idea about the practicality of the design, suggested design alternatives,
detected potential clashes, and made detailed cost and time schedule for undertaking the
project.

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The clash detection helped the designers to correct design flaws at pre-construction phase
averting potential risk and saving valuable man hours. BIM helps in reducing the project life
cycle considerably.
In a construction project, each phase has a list of jobs which needs to be completed during a
specific time frame. If not completed on time, the project may face inevitable cost overrun and
inefficiency. A study on application of BIM (Ham et al. 2002) found out how architects benefited
by the use of BIM at design stage. Multiple design alternatives were added to BIM software, with
time and cost constraints, and it suggested the best option of all to meet the project
requirement. Not only did it suggest the option, it also suggested ways to enhance the design
and functional requirement to meet client’s requirement. Furthermore, simulations were carried
out to understand how the building would perform in a real-life scenario and suggested ways to
make the building weather proof and environmentally sustainable. This gave the architect to
work collaboratively with construction material vendors to come up with the best possible
materials meeting the aesthetic and functional requirement of the building. The 3d model
created in BIM software helped the client to visualize the building upon completion. These
functions of the BIM helped fast-track the whole design process and reach the execution stage
much quicker than anticipated. The study concluded that with BIM implementation, best
practical design option is obtained which meets the project requirement.
In another study conducted by Azhar (2011), it was found out that projects implementing BIM
got an astounding 636% return on investment. Not only does it make economic sense, but could
act as a motivator for stakeholders and construction professionals to adopt BIM in their future
projects. However, the study also highlights potential risks and challenges to its implementation.
Challenges are both technical and managerial. Technical challenges include data
interoperability issues, requirement of the digital data to be computable and strategies to
incorporate data into building information model components. On the other hand, are the
managerial challenges are about the use and implementation of BIM. There is no clear method
of implementing BIM (Underwood and Isikdag 2011). A standard need to be formed so as to
ensure that everyone involved in the project is able to effectively contribute to the project
meeting necessary design and build criteria.
2.3 Research Gap
BIM has been termed as the next big thing since Computer Aided Design revolutionized the
construction industry. Immense research has been done on BIM to understand its use and
explore its capabilities. Most of the research have found that though BIM implementation comes
at a cost, in the long run, its high return on investment justifies its initial cost. On the flip side,
BIM has its own challenges which must be addressed.
Studies have been carried out, both quantitative and qualitative to measure BIM’s benefits.
However, none have explained the differences of using BIM and CAD for the same project. This
research will study the differences by simulating a construction project done using BIM and CAD
to record the difference between the two and recommend the benefits of using one over the
other.
2.4 Significance of Addressing the Research Question
This research intends to bring awareness and instill confidence in stakeholders and construction
professionals by showcasing the benefits of using BIM in construction projects. This study also
addresses the challenges of implementing BIM and recommends strategies to overcome them.
This research will benefit anyone looking to enhance construction project delivery. Early
adopters of BIM will benefit the most as they would have adequate experience in using BIM

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when it becomes a standard. The collaborative approach of BIM would open avenues for
stakeholders never imagined before.
3.0 Methodology
3.1 Research paradigm
Research paradigm is a model used to conduct research that have been in existence for quite
some time within the community and has been practiced for years. This model emerge from two
different approaches in carrying out a research i.e. positivists and interpretivism approach (Jung
and Joo 2010). Every research explores one of these approaches as a guideline that informs
the research methodology. Research paradigm which would be used for this research would be
interpretivism. This approach informs the researcher on the actual strategies to be used to
obtain the particular knowledge that is intended to shape the basic philosophy of the research
question. This approach will definitely help in identifying the benefits of BIM in construction as
published in different literatures. Benefits of BIM are many as has been understood from
background study and literature review. However, they need to be analyzed in such a way that
would convince the stakeholders that BIM is the way forward for construction industry by giving
insights from completed BIM based projects. Every researcher would be interpreting the
projects differently based on their own knowledge and understanding of the research topic in
question (Olatunji 2011). Hence, the information gathered and the information interpreted would
result in new findings which has not been known before. Interpretivism is this way of gaining
knowledge through studying projects in a subjective manner.
3.1.1 Interpretivism
This approach is mainly used where qualitative research approach is applied, this is because
interpretivists is a phenomena that mainly depends on generalization of laws by effectively
applying different interpretations. In such a situation, the application of this kind of
expressiveness where the concept of interpretivism is required to understand the research
philosophy is used. In most cases, this approach is referred to as social constructionism
(Salman Azhar at al. 2008). The theoretical meaning of the research is analyzed so that the
resultant effect can be understood. However, these interpretations vary among different people
since they are exposed to different situations that inform their understanding of the knowledge
dispensed on them regarding the topic in question. In other words, we can conclude that
interpretivists regards the subjective factor that intrinsically exist within a particular research
study.
3.2 Research Approach
This research attempts to understand the benefits of BIM through qualitative analysis of the data
collected. In this approach, there are no existing theories or even if there are, the researcher
may not be restricted by them. It would give the researcher the ability to conduct investigation in
order to construct a new theory or explain the phenomena or to describe different patterns
which emerge in the data. Qualitative approach to a research could also be done by first

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developing hypotheses at the beginning of the research which could then be tested at different
stages of research as it progresses.
3.2.1 Qualitative Approach
Conducting a particular research through the qualitative approach seems to be more effective
and suitable. Considering the factors or data obtained can help have a qualitative interpretation
of the final analysis of the results, thus qualitative data will be more effective for this type of
study. The advantage of this approach can be described by giving different judgment to the final
results. His result may involve the benefits of using BIM in construction projects. Therefore, it is
suitable to use this approach since it helps in addressing the objective of the research and the
nature of the research study.
3.3 Research Method
The research method to be adopted for this study would be case studies. It would involve
extensive examination of role of BIM in a construction project from its inception to completion.
The use of a case study in such a research study is important since it provides a holistic
approach of tackling the research at a go instead of a standalone techniques such as the survey
that only gives one angle of the study with less regard to many other factors that need to be
looked into the research to gain in-depth analysis (Chuck Eastman 2011). Case study is like a
one stop data collection method that use a range of tools in obtaining knowledge on one
subject.
Another important factor with the case study is that we get to understand the real life
phenomenon of a particular subject area unlike experiments that are more of investigation. For
this case, we have to analyze the data that already exist on the field from our non-random
sampling. This is because the evidence that support the case study have already been identified
in the literature review, as such the choice of the case to be studied in this work cannot appear
random.
3.4 Data collection
Data collection for this research project is of immense importance. There are two types of data
collection, i.e. primary data and secondary data. Primary data collection method is the method
that involves the collection of raw data from the particular subject of study while secondary data
collection is the method that obtain already prearranged data from other sources with similar
work (Lindner and Wald 2011). The primary data method will not be used in this particular study
because it is time consuming and expensive to carry out. Secondary data would be collected for
this research for identifying the issues discovered and for elucidating the results in a more
suitable manner. The advantage of using secondary data is that it is more convenient and time
saving. This research deals specifically with BIM based construction projects. Secondary data is
used to increase the sampling size of research studies and is also chosen for the efficiency and
speed that comes with using an already existing resource (Schade, Olofsson, and Schreyer
2011). Secondary data facilitates large research projects, in which many research groups
working in tandem collect secondary data. The main researcher is then allowed to focus on
primary research or particular areas of interest. This division of labor helps researchers learn
more in less time. The benefit of using secondary data is that much of the preliminary work is
done. The data may have already been sorted in an electronic format, published and reviewed
with case studies already conducted. Secondary data can quickly become more or less public

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knowledge through use in the media. Due to its exposure and public examination, secondary
data can carry more legitimacy than primary research data and is often used as verification of
primary data.
Data would be collected from case study reports of construction projects published by
construction companies and government authorities responsible for building and infrastructure
development and planning. Government websites, project reports, etc. would be the sources for
collection data.
3.5 Data Analysis
Thematic analysis technique would be used for this research. Thematic analysis (TA) is a
widely-used qualitative data analysis method. It is one of a cluster of methods that focus on
identifying patterned meaning across a dataset. Thematic analysis method is one of the first
qualitative approaches that provide core knowledge that will be essential in conducting a
number of analysis in this study. Another advantage of this technique is that it is more of a
method of conducting research rather than a methodology in itself (Sebastian 2011). This
means that, it is a different kind of qualitative methodology that does not only depend on the
theoretical or the epistemological perspective. Thus, making it a more flexible method for this
type of research study considering its advantage on the diversity of this work.
According to Aranda-Mena et al. (2009), there are different ways of approaching thematic
analysis. This definitely means that there are a number of confusion that arises in identifying the
nature of thematic analysis, including how it can be separeated from the qualitative content
analysis. Using the thematic analysis will help the researcher determine the main theme in the
data provided and using these themes to address the research study. A good thematic analysis
will interpret the information collected in order to find sense of it rather than just summarising the
data (Succar 2009). As a result, the researcher gains more insight from the data collected thus
developing broader patterns that will inform the research analysis.
The thematic approach for this analysis will be reflexive TA approach. This is because it is
theoriticallly flexible, thus making it able ro answer different frameworks of research
questions.there are 6 steps process of carrying out reflexive thematic analysis;
Step 1: familiarizing yourself with the data
This step will involve getting the entire data about the tpoic to be discussed, in our case, we will
have to jot down all relevant information on the about BIM and its benefits on construction
projects to have the background information of what we are about to discuss without going deep
into the importance of BIM at this stage. We will definitely just have a rough extract explaining
what is BIM in general terms, how is it applied in construction and what impacts does it bring on
board when applied to construction industry.
Step 2: generating the initial code
At this stage, we have huge chunk of data that we need to generate into succinct codes that are
well organized and relevant for our research. Coding our data in this phase simply means
reducing our dataset into small chunks and collating all codes for later analysis in the
subsequent stages. In our case, the ideas of coding our research is by getting information
through interviews and generating codes like using BIM is important for construction projects,
BIM is mainly used by project managers, BIM technology is prone to technical hitches, BIM is
only used by skilled and proficeint personel, BIM venture is expensive etc.The list is endless
because there is no limit when it comes to coding.

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Step 3: searching for themes
At this stage, the codes are examined to get a theme that captures the significant features of a
research question. The collated data cn be used to draw several themes such as the
importance of using BIM, the reason of using BIM in construction, how BIM is used, the
positives and negatives of emplotying BIM in a construction project, the stakeholders involved in
BIM implementation of projects, is it mandatory to use BIM in project, is the use of BIM
expensive or cheap.
Step 4: Reviewing the themes
In this stage, preliminary themes identified in stage 3 are reviewed and developed by identifying
the thees and comapring them with the dataset to determine whether they support the research
context. Is the themes really making any sense. This process can lead to splitting, combining or
discarding the themes. in our preliminary theme, reasons for using BIM in construction can be
discarded because it lacks supporting data and overlaps with the importance of using BIM
considerably. Some of the code identified in this themes is that BIM is important in projects.
Looking at the two themes, is it mandatory to use BIM in project, and is the use of BIM
expensive or cheap does not seem to be distinct enough to be regarded as separate themes.
Rather, we can combine this into a new theme, what are the risk factors of using BIM in
construction projects? When reviewing this theme, the stakeholders involved in BIM
implementation of projects, we identified atleast one sub-theme within it. The code relating to
skilled personel when using BIM is an important data that helped us identify a subtheme within a
broader theme, the sub theme created is the skills required to use BIM in constrcution projects.
In summary, a number of changes were made at this stage:
 We eliminated the reason for using BIM in construction
 We collapsed these two theme, is it mandatory to use BIM in project, and is the use of
BIM expensive or cheap into a new theme, what are the risk factors of using BIM in
construction projects?
 We created a new sub theme, the skills required to use BIM in constrcution projects
from a broader theme, the stakeholders involved in BIM implementation of projects
Step 5: Defining the themes
This is regarded as the final stage used to refine the themes to identify their essence and what
each theme talks about. In case of a sub theme, how does it relate or interact with the main
theme.
Step 6: write up
Considered as the end point of research that involves weaving the data extract and the analytic
narrative and contexualizing the analysis in relation to the existing data on the research
question.

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