Soft skills requirements in a BIM project team

Building Information Modelling (BIM) offers the possibility of prototyping building design and construction options in a simulated system, before construction begins, offering the potential for improvements in productivity, product quality and sustainability. In addition, the information resulting from the design and construction process can be transferred for use in the ongoing management and operation of the building. Underpinning these promised improvements is the understanding that BIM project teams need to embrace collaboration and work as more integrated units in order to achieve them. Through an analysis of interviews with BIM practitioners from New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands, this paper explores the various BIM roles within projects, and the associated skills that are needed for successful BIM adoption, and development and delivery of BIM projects. Interviewees placed significant emphasis on skills such as communication, conflict management, negotiation, teamwork and leadership as important components of a BIM project. They also considered that these skills are generally overlooked in common definitions of the competences of a BIM practitioner, and in existing education and training opportunities.