Changing the way people think and work is no small task. This is not a linear process and it requires identifying people across a broad skills base to engage a range of communication activities. In the UK, several digital advocates were identified who could effectively engage with industry and champion the strategy to create momentum. In other countries such as Chile, where this engagement action has been fantastically successful, we have seen industry engagement as a ‘viral effect’; rapidly spreading across the industry ecosystem. This is an organic process that is important to start early and continue to build throughout the programme.
Upskilling and changing the mindset of the public client is essential, and perhaps the most important step to take with care, resource and empathy. The public client is the one setting the procurement question, and potentially using the information delivered from BIM process. Understanding and changing the culture of the public procurer is important and many countries recognise this as a gradual but necessary process.
Communities of Practice are an important tool for accelerating learning and building confidence and competence. This is great for clients and for industry practitioners. This approach has worked well in many countries, for example, in the UK there are now 45 different groups focusing on what BIM means for their community.