Using an issue management platform like BIMcollab can save time, avoid mistakes, and create transparency within a team. As powerful as BIMcollab’s issue management may be, if it is not used in a structured way, the full potential may not be reached.
By applying the points described below, issue management can maximize its potential and bring you all the benefits it promises.
To achieve good issue management, you will need to:
Clearly define issues
Share your issues live in BIMcollab
Document all the changes to a status
Avoid separation in communication
Avoid delays in synchronization
Avoid copies
📝 Note: Do you want to advance your knowledge about BIMcollab? Go to our BIMcollab Academy and enroll in the BIMcollab course.
Clearly define issues
When you want to report a new problem in your project, take these points into account:
Always create a clear viewpoint that captures what the problem is about. To know how to create the best viewpoints, consult the article Create the best viewpoints.
Create an issue via the BCF manager plugin from your BIM software or directly from BIMcollab Zoom.
This allows you to create a direct link between the issue to be solved and the model components that concern the problem. This way, the location of the problem can be easily retrieved, even if your team members do not use the same BIM software as you.
Formulate the title of the issue concisely and explicitly, and give detailed explanations in the comments, so that the problem can be easily found using the search function.
Assign the issue to the person who needs to deal with it. Notifications will be automatically sent to them as soon as the issue is created. They will also receive notifications when changes are made to the issue.
Fill in all the available fields as well as possible, like type, zone, phase, priority, and others.
You will need them if you want to sort, categorize, or filter problems more easily later. It is also possible to define custom fields to facilitate problem management according to your specific needs.
Share your issues in real-time in BIMcollab
The easiest way to share your issues is to connect your application to BIMcollab using a BCF manager and sync changes to the team. By connecting to BIMcollab, communication is handled automatically, and issues are never lost.
💡 Tip: Learn how to connect your software to BIMcollab in the articles Connect to BIMcollab from BCF managers or BIMcollab Zoom and Connect from Solibri.
Document all the changes to a status
When an issue is created or changes are made to it, actions are taken. This can result in a change of status of the issue.
It is important to always log the actions that take place by creating a clear comment in the issue. This way, it is possible to retrace the reasons for a change.
An issue status can be the following:
Active: The issue still needs to be solved. A new issue is always active
Resolved: A solution for the issue has been implemented in the model
Closed: The resolution has been verified. If the issue reoccurs, it can be reopened.
📝 Note: By default, issues can be closed by anyone, but the project manager can limit this to certain roles or team members. For more information, click here for the article Limit team members from closing issues.
💡 Tip: For a more formal workflow, it is possible to have a resolved issue’s resolution approved or rejected by one or more team members before being closed.
⚠️ Attention: The approval workflow is not available on all plans. To check if it’s included in your subscription, review the [plan comparison list] or contact your admin. If the feature isn’t available, you may need to upgrade your plan.
Avoid separation in communication
Use the platform to communicate as often as possible about a project. This way, all actions are transparent, and team members can contribute and respond if needed. Use the 'type' of an issue to define the form of communication, so it is possible to filter while handling the issues.
BIMcollab will automatically inform you about the changes made by other team members that concern you. This is immediately visible in the project dashboard when you log in to your BIMcollab space and select the project. You can activate email notifications to receive a notification immediately, daily, or weekly about the changes that concern you. As a project leader, you can receive a scheduled activity overview of the whole project.
Avoid delays in synchronization
Remember to click on the 'Synchronize the project' button when you have finished your work. This way, you avoid synchronization delays and minimize communication conflicts between team members working on the same issues.
Avoid copies
Avoid using file-based or offline communication. This leads to manual tasks to incorporate issues in BIMcollab. Which again could lead to delay and possibly mistakes as issues become out of sync.