Issue tracking
Recording, assigning and resolving coordination problems through to closure.
Issue tracking — sometimes called BIM issue management — is the systematic process of recording, assigning and resolving the coordination problems found in models, and following each one through to closure. It turns a finding in the model into a trackable task with an owner.
The lifecycle is consistent. An issue is opened by identifying a problem — a clash, missing data, a design error — on the federated model; it captures the exact 3D location, the element identifiers (GUIDs), a description and discipline tags. It is then assigned to a team member with a due date, categorised by discipline, status, priority and type, discussed in comments, and finally closed with its resolution documented for the record.
It is the natural sequel to clash detection: a clash report can generate issues automatically, each one a located, assigned conflict — the bulk of them in MEP coordination. The vehicle is BCF, the openBIM format that carries an issue — a snapshot view, IFC coordinates, element GUIDs — between different software, either as a file (.bcfzip) or over a web service. BCF is a buildingSMART standard, and ISO 19650-2 assigns the coordination responsibilities around it. In Italian it is tracciamento delle problematiche or gestione delle problematiche BIM.
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