A look inside ISO 19650-3

At BIM Academy we embraced the new ISO 19650-3 standard, hoping it would build on the excellent PAS 1192-3. We always believed that PAS 1192-3 was the easiest of that series to read and digest, full of pragmatic advice about how to manage information better during the operational phase.

The hope was that ISO 19650-3 would build upon this, but in my opinion, it has fallen short of providing additional guidance, wrapping advice up in some fairly short “shall consider” statements and has heaped even more requirements on the client.

However, all is not lost, ISO 19650-3 now has a very clear process defined which is completely aligned with terminology of ISO 19650-2.

This process now attempts to cover the complexity of collating information in order to operate an asset, whether that is: appointing a team to deliver information on an existing asset; acquiring a new asset; or receiving information from the delivery of a new project.

These three separate activities are bookended by the establishment of client requirements at the start and the integration into an asset information model (AIM) at the end. This is where clients need the most support.

There is still the onus on the client to establish their Organisational and Asset information requirements (alongside Project and Exchange information requirements, if for a new project). But now there is also the suggestion that clients need to also establish:

• Which assets require managed information
• An asset information standard
• A method for creating information on assets in operation
• How and what information to share during tenders
• A common data environment for operational data
• Links between an AIM and enterprise systems
• What sits within an AIM
• How to maintain an AIM
• An asset information protocol setting out the rights and obligations in relation to the AIM

And identify potential trigger events where information on assets may change. Not much then!

All of this in a time where most operational teams are working to tight budgets and limited software or have no control over their information as it is all managed by a third party.

The benefits of a robust, rigorous approach to management of operational information are clear. For example, we have conducted research that shows that giving the right people, the right information at the right time can save 30 minutes on average per work order, which based on 20,000 work orders per year and industry standard rates could save upwards of £450,000 per year.

The key to making this work successfully is ensuring that clients have the right support and advice either in house, or from a trusted advisor,  to make right decisions on how they overhaul their operational processes in order to optimise these clear benefits.

Therefore this rather swift review of ISO 19650-3 shows there are many good things to come out of it, but perhaps just as many not so good.

To help client understanding of what the ISO standard means, we have developed a new training programme to enable organisations to implement ISO 19650 requirements. We take the complexities out of the implementation process and will work with you to ensure all areas are met and projects work fast and smarter.

To learn more about this training contact me at [email protected].