It has happened…the first of its kind–a Building Information Model (BIM) lawsuit. We all knew it was coming and you can probably guess what the underlying culprit was. That’s right–COMMUNICATION!

"The problem was poor communication. The design team never discussed the installation sequence with the contractor, and the contractor wasn't sophisticated enough to understand the importance of assembling the components in a certain order,” says Lewis, vice president of loss prevention and client education at XL Insurance, Denver office, which provides professional liability insurance to licensed design professionals.

I believe it is off-hand to try to completely blame BIM for the legal ramifications in this case. BIM is not the issue. The issue is non-communication. In my opinion, during any project, whether done with BIM or a drafting board, communication is key. This is not a process that has changed as we move to the virtually built environment, but it is a process that is demanded. Communication between architects and engineers, contractors and owners, is clearly the driving force on our BIM projects.

The use of BIM coupled with the evolution of technology, litigation, and contractual relationships between all project members will continue to influence how teams communicate. It is important for teams involved to continue to assess the communication component and prepare for the fact that the more technology advances, the better your communications skills need to be.