An Agile Process Modelling Approach for BIM Projects

UdoKANNENGIESSER–udo.kannengiesser@gmail.com
AnaROXIN–ana-maria.roxin@u-bourgogne.fr
An Agile Process Modelling Approach
for BIM Projects
Udo Kannengiesser – Metasonic GmbH (Germany)
Ana Roxin – University of Burgundy (France)
Thursday September 8th 2016
Limassol, Cyprus

Agenda
1
•Current process modelling
approaches in BIM
2
•The S-BPM Approach
3
•S-BPM Enabling Agility In BIM
3 ECPPM 2016 - An Agile Process Modelling Approach for BIM Projects

CURRENT PROCESS
MODELLING APPROACHES IN
BIM

buildingSMART BIM Ecosystem
Information Delivery Manuals
(IDMs)
•Modelling of BIM-related processes
•Standard since 2008 (ISO 29481-1)
•Defined through text-based templates
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)
•Standard model for data exchange
(Liebich 2013)
•Concepts as used in real-world building
projects, for all building licecycle phases
Model View Definition (MVD)
•To enable IFC implementations that
satisfy a given set of data exchange
requirements
•Defined through diagrams, based on XML

Information Delivery Manuals (IDMs)
Functional Parts
Exchange Requirements
Process Models (maps)
Document IDM
PM1
ER11
FP111 FP112
ER12
FP112
PM2
ER12 ER21
FP111 FP213
Functional Parts (FPs)
• Describe information in terms of
required capabilities (concepts
from the IFC standard)
• A complete information
exchange specification
• Mapping IDMs to concepts in
MVDs
Exchange Requirements (ERs)
• "Information that needs to be
exchanged to support a
particular business requirement
at a particular stage of a project"
• Information described in non
technical terms
Process Models (PMs)
• The industry process to be
supported
• Contains a set of activities, roles,
and the required data inputs and
outputs
• Defined with BPMN (Business
Process Model and Notation)

Process modelling today: BPMN
• OMG standard since 2006
• ISO/IEC standard since 2013
• Most widely used approach in BPM (BPTrends Survey 2015)
• Recommended approach for BIM (IDM 2010)
BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation)
• Involve only few participants/companies
• Are centrally orchestrated
• Represent linear, routine work
BPMN suitable choice for business processes that

BPMN: A simple example

BPMN: A more complex example
(Source: Wix 2007)

BPMN: A real-world example
(Source: Kreimeyer et al. 2007)

THE S-BPM APPROACH

Main issues related to BPMN
Issue #1
• BPMN a notation for trained
specialists – not simple !
Issue #2
• BPMN models are
documented… then forgotten
– poor formal basis !
Issue #3
• BPMN models are monolithic
– not modular!

Issue #1: BPMN is for trained specialists
What was defined
in the IDM
What was implemented
in BIM software
What the domain experts
really wanted
Cost of a 3-day corporate training at Queensland Univ. of Technology (Australia):
AU$ 2300 (≈ € 1500) per person Unfortunately, 3 days are not enough!
Jim Sinur (Gartner)
BPMN stands for
“Business People May Not …… understand”!

Design Principle 1: involve your end-users
Provide simple notations and tools
Support natural ways of interaction
(Source: IDEO)

S-BPM: Simple building blocks
What inputs do I get and
from whom?
What outputs do I
produce and who is
waiting for them?
How do I transform my
inputs into my outputs
and how do I do it most
efficiently?

S-BPM: simple, interactive tools

Issue #2: BPMN models are documented… then forgotten!
◼ Typical IDM project
◼ Today:
◼ Tomorrow… ?
Planning
• 6-12 months
• Process models
• ERs
Design
• 9-18 months
• MVDs
Construct
• 9-15 months
• Implementation
Deploy
• Field tests
(numbers taken from Eastman (2014))
process models
process models
+ data structures
process models
+ data structures
+ execution logic
process models
+ data structures
+ execution logic
+ external systemsprocess models
BPMN has severe ambiguities, under-specifications and
missing concepts! (Börger 2012)

Design Principle 2: Produce models

S-BPM: models are directly executable
◼ Underlying formalism: (abstract) state machines
also used in IEC 61131-3 Sequential Function Charts (SFC) for
production and building automation
◼ Instant validation & execution of process models by the
end-users

Issue #3: BPMN models are rigid
Would a change here affect other parts of the model?

Design Principle 3: build Modular systems
Building blocks with well-defined interfaces

S-BPM: loose coupling via messages

S-BPM FOR ENABLING AGILITY
IN BIM

S-BPM Support for Agility in BIM projects
Domain Expert Involvement
• All domain experts (e.g. architects,
engineers, constructors and facility
managers) can be engaged, leading to more
accurate process models with fewer errors.
Multidisciplinary Collaboration
• S-BPM concepts appear intuitive as they
closely match the individual’s perception of
organizational reality
Integrated Data Perspective
• S-BPM facilitates a clear definition of
information exchanges between the
stakeholders in a process (processes
generating "deliverables")
Model-driven Process Development
• The integrated process-and-data perspective
of S-BPM, combined with the ASM-based
execution formalism, enables model-driven
process development for BIM applications.
Flexibility
• Clear separation of process logic from agent
structures

S-BPM main benefits for Agile BIM
◼ Simple tools, simple notation
Satisfy the needs of the business
◼ Closes gap between modelling and execution
(round-trip engineering)
Use process models throughout the project
lifecycle
Integrate data models with the process
◼ Loose coupling via messages
Respond to process changes even in the late
stages of a BIM project
Modularity
Executability
Simplicity

S-BPM: A growing community
◼ S-BPM users include:
◼ Institute of Innovative Process Management (www.i2pm.net)
◼ Annual conference series: S-BPM ONE (www.s-bpm-one.org)
◼ Free online books:
◼ Tools:
Open-source: UeberFlow (JKU Linz), InFlowBPM (FH Graz),
Visio Stencil (KIT Karlsruhe)
Commercial: Metasonic Suite (more providers currently emerging)

Last but not least…
◼ You may contribute to our work with:
Specific use cases to be adapted with S-BPM
Existing Process Maps defined with BPMN
◼ More information, videos, demos etc.?
Just talk to us at ECPPM !
◼ Contact email:
udo.kannengiesser@gmail.com
ana-maria.roxin@u-bourgogne.fr
Thank you for your attention !

Example: A purchasing process

Behaviour of purchaser
Purchaser

Behaviour of approver
Approver

Behaviour of supplier
Supplier

An Agile Process Modelling Approach for BIM Projects

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