Revolutionizing project efficiency with visual management in construction

In the construction industry, innovating is becoming increasingly difficult, due to the level of maturity reached over time. Corporate governance is looking for innovations that bring great benefits at contained costs, especially in a challenging economic context. An emerging approach that is proving to be highly effective is visual management in construction. This method uses visual tools to improve communication, simplify processes, and enhance overall project performance. Discover how to get the best for your project, thanks to the integration between BIM and visual management methods!

What is visual management in construction?

Visual management is a method of operations management through visual signals and tools that provide immediate and clear information on the status of a project. It uses visual tools such as graphs, diagrams, 3D models, color-coded systems, and physical markers to facilitate understanding and decision-making. In the context of construction, visual management helps coordinate tasks, monitor progress, and ensure that all team members are aligned with the project’s objectives.

A branch of visual management is architectural visualization, a set of representation techniques useful for deepening the understanding of a project and improving communication techniques of architectural choices to users, clients, contractors, suppliers, etc.

The BIM 3D model of the asset is the starting point for visual management and architectural visualization. 3D modeling software is essential in this phase because it allows the creation of accurate 3D models to be used as a basis for various analyses and for the entire construction lifecycle.

Presentation of interior design project with VRi

Implementation of Visual Management in Construction

To implement visual management in design, it is necessary to reconstruct a global vision of the project and establish a direct connection between the object of the design, the place where it will be realized, the times, and the tools available.

Connection what-where

To have a clear overview of the project, it is essential to know where the activities will take place. We move from a traditional activity-based scheduling to one based on location, using a Location Breakdown Structure (LBS). The LBS is a hierarchical representation of locations that allows organizing the construction site from the early stages of the project, facilitating the management of work areas. This method allows linking each activity to a specific physical space, improving the understanding of the layout and sequence of work. Tools for managing geospatial digital twins, can help understand and analyze the relationship between the architectural model and its context and successfully manage the construction site and maintenance of the already built asset.

Construction site BIM model

Connection where-when

In many construction projects, different activities are closely interconnected and require a just-in-time planning to avoid cascading delays. Tables are created to represent the work phases, indicating ongoing and completed activities, with color codes for the type of activity. This allows visualizing the dependencies between the works and managing the program in order to minimize delays. It is essential to carefully monitor the links between the end of one activity and the start of the next, ensuring that the project progresses smoothly.

Connection when-how

The decisive step is the use of the Time-Location Diagram, usually used for linear projects. This tool allows combining time and space in a single view, facilitating the understanding of activities on the construction site. Activities are arranged along the time and space axis, showing the direction and rate of progress, with various types of lines and colors for different information (contractor, type of work, criticality, etc.). This approach helps better manage resources and prevent potential conflicts between activities on the construction site.

Benefits of visual management in construction

Visual management is not just the simple graphic visualization of data but a real working method to:

• reduce project times and costs,
• optimize the process,
• improve communication,
• enhance safety and worker well-being.

All this with a very low investment cost, because it is based on simple tools whose cost more than repays the benefits obtained.

Here are the details of the advantages:

• Improved communication – visual tools make it easier to convey complex information quickly and accurately. This reduces misunderstandings and ensures that everyone on the site, from managers to workers, is on the same page.
• Improved efficiency – by clearly visualizing schedules, workflows, and responsibilities, visual management helps identify bottlenecks and optimize resource allocation. This leads to smoother operations and reduced downtime.
• Increased accountability – visual management tools such as performance dashboards and progress trackers facilitate monitoring of individual and group performance. This fosters accountability and motivates workers to achieve their goals.
• Safety compliance – Safety protocols can be effectively communicated through visual signals and alerts. This not only ensures compliance but also creates a safer working environment.
• Real-time issue resolution – problems can be quickly identified and addressed with visual signals, reducing the time spent on issue resolution and minimizing project delays.

BIM and visual management

How to implement visual management in the construction sector? BIM is certainly the most comprehensive way to introduce visual management in construction projects, as it allows organizing all phases of an asset’s life cycle, making all information related to the activities to be managed easily accessible and exchangeable.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a methodology that allows creating, managing, and sharing detailed and accurate information about construction projects in a collaborative digital environment. It can play a fundamental role in Visual Management in Construction, as it constitutes a real integrated platform for the visualization and management of data and information related to the project. Here’s how BIM can help Visual Management:

• Detailed 3D visualization: BIM allows creating detailed 3D models of construction projects, including not only the aesthetic aspect of buildings but also information on materials, technical specifications, construction sequences, and more. Using a BIM 3D modeling software allows creating detailed 3D project models, improving the visualization and understanding of the layout and construction phases and times, facilitating planning and communication with all stakeholders;
• Visual planning and sequencing: using BIM, it is possible to plan and visualize construction sequences in a detailed and visual way. This helps identify potential conflicts or coordination issues before they occur, allowing for activity optimization and reduced downtime;
• Resource management: BIM allows associating detailed information with model components, including times and resources required for activity execution. This enables more efficient resource management and better work planning;
• Collaboration and communication: BIM facilitates collaboration among team members through real-time information sharing and the ability to view and comment directly on the model. This improves communication among stakeholders and reduces the risk of errors or misunderstandings;
• Progress monitoring: implementing BIM in your workflow helps monitor and record work progress in detail. This allows comparing the current status with the initial planning and identifying any deviations or delays, enabling timely interventions to keep the project in line with established goals;
• Clash detection: BIM models related to various disciplines (architectural, plant, structural) can be compared to detect geometric and informational inconsistencies between the different models. With specific clash detection tools, interferences are highlighted with a graphical alert indicating the type of conflict and their status. The detected interferences (Issues) are organized in a synthetic report with a matrix structure that makes it easy to identify the colliding objects, the type of collision encountered, and the conflict status. Thanks to the dynamic link between Issues and BIM, you can identify and immediately visualize the interfering objects directly in the model.

Resolving geometric interferences with usBIM.clash

BIM, therefore, represents the turning point in facilitating the understanding of construction projects, thanks also to the possibility of having a visual feedback of the results and project activities, directly on the 3D model.