ISO 29481-1:2010(E)

2.14
role
functions being performed by an actor at a point in time

NOTE The role of an actor is determined by action and outcome and not by the profession or trade followed by the
actor.

2.15
schema
schema is a description of the formal structure of a defined set of information

2.16
transaction
communication event that fulfils a relationship between two roles

3 IDM (Information delivery manual)

3.1 Complete schema

A complete information schema that covers all of the information required for all actors throughout the
construction process will be large and comprehensive. Such a schema is relevant in defining all of the project
information needs for all business requirements at all life-cycle stages (see Figure 1), but it is not the way that
project information is usually delivered.
Business requirement

Life-cycle stage
Information
schema

Figure 1 — The information schema supports all business requirements at all life-cycle stages

3.2 Breaking a complete schema to support requirements

It is more usual for information to be exchanged about a particular topic and the level of detail provided to be
driven by the life-cycle stage. The need is (generally) to support one business requirement over one or more
life-cycle stages (see Figure 2). This is a matter of deciding which components of the information schema
should be used to meet requirements.

© ISO 2010 – All rights reserved 3

Business requirement
Life-cycle stage
Information
schema

Figure 2 — Need to support a business requirement at a life-cycle stage

3.3 Supporting the building information modelling

Elements of the overall information schema are used in a building construction information model (BIM) (see
Figure 3). For a particular business requirement, only certain classes of information are required. Multiple
objects are derived from each class, each object having an identity (determined by a unique identifier) and a
state (determined by the values given to each attribute of the object). The classes that support the business
requirement form a unique and identifiable schema.

INFORMATION SCHEMA
a schema is defined
by many classes
Schema Class

A schema specifies A class provides the

Model Object
a model is populated
by many objects
BUILDING INFORMATION MODEL

Figure 3 — Supporting the building information modelling

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3.4 Supporting the business requirement

To do this means that the set of information that needs to be exchanged to support a particular business
requirement in the relevant life-cycle stages must be established. This is termed an exchange requirement.

An exchange requirement provides a description of the information to be exchanged in non technical terms.
An exchange requirement may support the communication of object information enabling the construction and
operation of a project or it may support the communication of management information that controls the
project execution.

3.5 Supporting the software solution

The technical content required by solution providers to support an exchange requirement is provided as a
series of units of information. A unit of information is termed a functional part.

A functional part provides the technical expression of information content as a subset of the complete
information schema.

3.6 Supporting the construction process

Software solutions typically support users across several exchange requirements. Exchange requirements are
used to support an overall construction process. The connection between exchange requirements and a
construction process is captured within a process map.

A process map typically deals with the development of information within the boundary of a particular topic or
software view. It shows the roles of actors engaged in the process and references the transactions between
them.

3.7 Defining the connection between IDM components

Functional parts are used together to create exchange requirement models. An exchange requirement model
provides a version of the exchange requirement that can be understood by a computer. It includes business
rules which are computer interpretable versions of the business propositions described in an exchange
requirement.

3.8 Content in the specific IDM

The content in a specific IDM will

⎯ describe the need for information exchange between processes,

⎯ specify how to capture the information needing to be exchanged between these processes,

⎯ identify the actors sending and receiving information,

⎯ define, specify and describe the information being exchanged to satisfy the requirements at each
point of the business process,

⎯ ensure that definitions, specifications and descriptions are provided in a form that is useful and easily
understood,

⎯ create detailed specifications of the information captured within exchange requirements to facilitate
the development of software building information systems,

⎯ ensure that the information specifications can be made relevant to local working practices.

© ISO 2010 – All rights reserved 5