090513 4D Scheduling in my Vista

090513-4D Scheduling in my Vista Page 1 of 13
Author: Rufran C. Frago, P. Eng., PMP, CCP, PMI-RMP
4D Scheduling in my Vista

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................4
2. First encounter with 4D was a failure...............................................................5
3. Definition and Acronym.....................................................................................5
4. Are you ready to switch to 4D Scheduling? .....................................................5
5. What are some of my expectations?..................................................................6
6. Demonstration versus actual performance ......................................................7
7. Getting lost in the beauty of 4D.........................................................................7
8. Switching to 4D BIM not an assurance of good schedule quality...............7
9. How much time will 3D + Time integration require? .....................................8
10. Substantial increase in indirect cost is a possibility .....................................9
11. Are you the construction contractor or the client? ......................................9
12. 4D Scheduling is not a movie designed to entertain!...................................9
13. Question on 4D’s compatibility to your project’s existing application ...10
14. Qualification of a 4D scheduler...................................................................10
15. Conclusion .....................................................................................................11
16. INDEX.............................................................................................................13

1. Introduction
I was asked by a Senior Leader from another company during a recent breakfast seminar
whether my company and I have considered a better method of scheduling. He wanted
to know about the possibility of moving to 4D Scheduling from using Primavera Project
Management scheduling tool that they have. This was the very same question my direct
Leader asked me four months ago. Simply put, project management leaders are now
getting more interested with this 4D.
In view of these lines of questioning, I thought to pull a short article together reflecting
what to consider before bringing in this new application.
What is 4D Schedule anyway?
According to Wikipedia, “4D Scheduling or 4D BIM, an acronym for 4D Building
Information Modeling and a term widely used in the CAD industry, refers to the
intelligent linking of individual 3D CAD components or assemblies with time- or
schedule-related information. The use of the term 4D is intended to refer to the fourth
dimension: time, i.e. 4D is 3D + schedule (time).” Reference: Wikipedia4D BIM
(Jan 2010)
According to Vicosoftware, one of the more visible 4D Scheduling service/tool
provider in today’s market, this model-based scheduling (4D BIM) hinges on six
variables: quantities, locations, crew sizes, productivity rates, and material and labor
costs. Reference: 4D Scheduling Services by VICOsoftware
Creating the 4D models permits the project management team and all the
stakeholders of a construction project to picture the cascading and sequential display
of erection from the beginning to the end of the project. The idea of a client being
able to see how the edifices and facilities gradually come together is exciting and
opens a new world to project management.
4D simulations can have many construction process planning applications.
Validating the planned sequence and identifying time-based clashes are some of
them. Reference: Lesson 3-Scheduling and 4D Simulation
If your company is now using Primavera, MS Project or any similar scheduling tool and
is thinking of switching to 4D Scheduling, then this article might be able to offer you
some essential perspectives.

2. First encounter with 4D was a failure
The first time I encountered a similar tool was in early 2000 while working in one of
those mega-projects in the Canadian Oil Sand. It was the company’s proprietary tool tied
to an ERP/Estimating application. We tested it as a scheduling and progressing tool in
one construction area. The plan was to use in all of future projects if the test proved
successful.
Unfortunately, the result came short of management expectation. I left the company
while the test is in mid-stream and only learned about the testing failure two years ago
from someone who was directly involved with the daily rigours of 4D planning from the
3D model side. You will learn about some of the causes of failure in the succeeding
sections of this document if you continue reading.
Five years after that, beginning in 2008, I have come across several companies selling
what a lot of people in the construction industry now called 4D Scheduling, commonly
termed as 4D BIM. The idea was the same, which was to use a visual tool created
through the linkage of every object existing in a 3D model building information with the
schedule. Each component of the model corresponds with a specific schedule activity or
an activity representing a group of schedule activities. The purpose was to come up with
animations showing the construction process over time. 4D Scheduling is a technique
that is most often employed in the construction industry.
3. Definition and Acronym
Level 1 schedule … Project/Area/Sub Area Summary & Key Milestones
Level 2 schedule … Details down to Phase & Discipline Level
Level 3 schedule … Details down to Work Package Level
Level 4 schedule … Details down to Field Installation Work Package
BIM … Building Information Model
4. Are you ready to switch to 4D Scheduling?
In brief, I believe that many construction companies have not yet matured enough to
switch to this tool even at this time. This is true despite the fact that the concept of flow
line planning & scheduling has been there for many years. According to a “2013, Vico
article, location-based management system”, it was already used even during the
construction of the Empire State Building enabling construction to complete the building
in just 17 months employing location-based management and graphically tracking crew
productivity. To me, it was an awesome and magical achievement. It caught on for a
time with some recognized industry players adopting the concept. Unfortunately, 4D
scheduling fell out of contention with the advent of commercialized construction.

In my recollection, the application was only made commercially available within the last
decade or so. It only made sense, with today’s more and more commercialized
construction approaches. The tool should do likewise.
5. What are some of my expectations?
Every sales pitch I hear says that 4D offers a great degree of flexibility, scalability and
with no apparent limitation.
Since the modular and scalability design of software applications in today’s market is
now the main criteria of many companies in selecting their tools and applications,
holding on to the claim places 4D in high regards. No wonder, 4D Scheduling concept
through the latest version of this application is now making a big come back!
If I am one of the decision makers in my company who are contemplating on making this
scheduling upgrade, I will do the following:
 Make sure that your company’s IT Support Team has included 4D Scheduling in
its overall Short Term & Long Term Technology Plan and that there’s a good
business case covering its implementation. The business case must evaluate all
the reasons why a change is needed. Why move to the 4D scheduling? How will it
affect existing and ongoing projects, approved programs, present roles/positions,
governing standards, procedures, work Instructions and others
 You should approach this planned shift strategically to be effective and be
successful your company’s operational mandate.
 Just like any scheduling tool that you might have at this time, a central database
and Users administration work instruction and procedures are important to be put
in place.
 If implemented, I would prefer that the Project Controls Governance group,
central of all project controls groups should own this new 4D Scheduling tool and

should be given the authority to work closely with Engineering and Field
Construction. Otherwise, it is just a matter of agreement.
 Conduct the necessary risk assessment where certain criteria are considered in
depth. I strongly suggest the following:
1. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)
2. Cost-Benefit assessment
 Note that there’s a good probability that your company already have what you
need. This new scheduling tool might just be something nice to have. Don’t
endorse a decision to change an existing application just because peers and
competitors companies had made the move. Nice to have items are known to
bring additional monetary burden with no appreciable return.
 Make sure that the decision to replace an existing tool is driven by the present
tool’s limitation and not the Planners/Schedulers lack of knowledge and skills, a
problem that can be improved by training.
 There should be a buy in of all affected parties. For example: procurement,
fabrication and most especially engineering, module fabrication and construction.
6. Demonstration versus actual performance
Most of new tools seem to work when it is being demonstrated and marketed but fail
dismally in actual applications. 4D Scheduling just like all the other applications being
marketed today by companies like Autodesk Navisworks Timeliner, BRG, Vicosoftware,
Synchro, A3D, and others show how easy it is to tie time components and activities with
the generated 3D model. Such demonstration of proficiency is usually too good to be
true. Further investigation to the company’s knowledge base and skills is a must. A
demonstration using your company’s test environment, existing systems and
infrastructures should expose the tools real merits.
7. Getting lost in the beauty of 4D
The tendency to get lost in the beauty of the 4D tool visual presentation than
concentrating on the quality and achievability of the CPM schedule it supposed to reflect
could become the stumbling block that lend to more ineffective project management.
8. Switching to 4D BIM not an assurance of good schedule quality

Switching/upgrading to 4D Scheduling from an existing tool such as Primavera does not
necessarily mean that your projects can create better schedules or have better monitoring
and control. While it offers an opportunity for good visuals, there will always be
question of compliance with the project plan.
Experience dictates that field construction always comes up with their own creative way
of doing things. The frontlines take it upon themselves to change the plan and the
schedule for expedience. If implemented, construction foremen will have to be deeply
involved as well. It means they have to be trained so the knowledge and skills to
translate accomplishments can be captured accurately and on time. The challenge is that
field foremen might not be interested to learn.
The saying “you cannot teach an old dog new trick” is an obstacle and a learning culture
that has to be considered seriously. This is probably one of the aggravating factors as to
why any project can fail full integration of the 3D model and the schedule (time
element).
9. How much time will 3D + Time integration require?
Tying your CPM schedules to the design models (or vice versa) might be too time
consuming, requiring tremendous amount of information to be coordinated and aligned
for the 3D tool to work in actual mega-projects applications (i.e. projects with capital
cost ranging from say $500M up).
Changes to the schedule occur on a daily basis and progress updated manually on a
regular or periodic basis. The schedule changes daily, weekly or monthly and design is
endlessly evolving. The only constant thing is change. As such, this tool that depends
heavily on information integration of a 3D model + Time will have to cope with changes
and the required alignment with the schedule components.

10.Substantial increase in indirect cost is a possibility
Between the engineers, planners, schedulers, coordinators and the foremen, your projects
are bound to increase the cost of indirect. If your project is already facing difficulties at
this time using the Primavera or any other scheduling tool as it is, do expect the
possibility to have double challenges and double resources when 4D is brought on board.
Unless a relatively simple, clear and understandable methodology of implementation is
set in place, anyone who brings this new tool might face some tough time ahead just
maintaining the tool. As the project becomes familiar with all its inner workings, then
this cost will gradually taper off.
11.Are you the construction contractor or the client?
A construction schedule is a detailed schedule down to level 4 or 5. Expect 4D to
generate and tie into a Level 4 or to a Level 5 modularization or construction schedule.
It is very clear that it is more a tool for the Construction Contractors and not the client.
Therefore, I would suggest that if you are interested ask yourself first, what company
you represent. Are you a client or a construction contractor?
12. 4D Scheduling is not a movie designed to entertain!
The 3D element should come only after the time element (activities, durations and
logics) had been justified. As rightfully admitted in an article by Olli Seppanen of Vico
Software, “if this is not done, 4D has no substance but just another fiction movie. The

intelligence is what really matters in a true 4D schedule”. (Reference: Why a 4D
Schedule Must Be More than a Movie)
13. Question on 4D’s compatibility to your project’s existing application
Having somewhat limited experience with 4D Scheduling, I can only rely on what I’ve
learned so far and the good experience of other scheduling professionals who have. The
simulation of the planned construction process is the result of linking the 3D elements to
the project schedule.
Sadly, one of the struggles some of my colleagues experienced was the transfer and
conversion of model information 3D to a Primavera schedule. The difficulty lies in
creating a Primavera schedule using a file format that the 3D application such as
Microstation can recognize. If this is a problem concerning a small size construction
project such as theirs, linking 3D with a schedule can be discouraging.
14. Qualification of a 4D scheduler
I was asking around in my present company who has some good experience with 4D
BIM and found no one so far. It might be an indication that there is no awareness among
professional planners and schedulers about it. Nobody knows how to develop a 4D
schedule. Status quo is fine for many in the industry but for those who crave for
something new and applicable, they will want to know more.
The process will require a more detailed approach practically designed for construction.
A scheduler must have excellent knowledge of 3D modelling. It means that a scheduler
must know how to operate and handle 3D models. Someone with a Microstation and
AutoCAD background will do well. Altering, itemizing and maintaining the models to be
able to link them to the project schedule will be a regular exercise. With that in mind, it
will not be easy to learn it. The reward is when upper management plays the generated
model using Autovue or similar viewer that does not entail any considerable investment.
I met recently with some representatives from Oracle for coffee and learned that P6 is
probably the best application that works best with 4D. Although every time I search for
4D Scheduling in the net, the result was always pointing to Vicosoftware, I was informed
that Synchro has already established a foothold with Oracle Primavera.
So the question came up in one conversation which is best, train the design engineers to
use Primavera or the present project schedulers to train using Microstation.
What do you think?

15. Conclusion/Recommendation
15.1. 4D is best for Construction Company (Construction Contractors)
15.2. The interested company will have to provide relatively lengthy and
comprehensive training for would be 4D Schedulers. The training will touch both
3D Modeling and the Schedule to realize complete return of invested effort.
15.3. It is an awesome application if one knows the process and the tools involved.
15.4. 4D is not needed by the client company. The client company relies on the
expertise of their contractors. However, the client should have enough knowledge
on how the model is tied to the schedule, and be able to validate in the field what
was shown in the graphics. Never rely on the simulated progress.
15.5. Always ask the supplier to test using the company’s existing infrastructure.
15.6. I suggest that self-performing clients use 4D on a gradual basis, starting with
smaller and simple test projects. It is critical that the knowledge and skill gaps be
addressed accordingly.
15.7. Minimal investment to test for a year is a good option. If satisfied, the step to
acquiring the application can be finally decided. One small step at a time is the best
approach.
15.8. Prudence is still the best policy before taking in a new tool.

Wikipedia4D BIM. (2010, January). Retrieved from Wikipedia.org:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4D_BIM
Abhimanyu Basu, P. P. (2007 ). 4D Scheduling – A Case Study/PDF. Retrieved from AACE
International:
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ve
d=0CDAQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icoste.org%2FAACE2007%2520Papers%2F
Nashville_ps12.pdf&ei=FiwsUtCuAcSEiALOx4DADQ&usg=AFQjCNHtvDo5xTWDgsvq
g32yBeBTgskyuw
Jim Jacobi, P. (2011, April). 4D BIM or Simulation-Based Modelling. Retrieved from
www.structuremag.org: http://www.structuremag.org/article.aspx?articleID=1234
Olli Seppanen, V. P. (2009, September 09). Why a 4D Schedule Must Be More than a Movie.
Retrieved from Vico Software.comArticles: http://www.vicosoftware.com/0/blogs/fit-and-
finnish/tabid/51274/bid/10434/Why-a-4D-Schedule-Must-Be-More-than-a-Movie.aspx
Spokesperson), F. w. (2012, October 9). 4D BIM Scheduling for Dummies-You Tube. Retrieved
from www.youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEoivAGQYJ8
Unknown Author, A. (2013, September 10). Lesson 3: Scheduling and 4D Simulation. Retrieved
from Autodesk: http://bimcurriculum.autodesk.com/lesson/lesson-3-scheduling-and-4d-
simulation
Unknown Author, B. S. (2013, September). What does it take to become a 4D scheduler? .
Retrieved from bimscheduler.com: http://bimscheduler.com/2011/02/24/what-does-it-take-
to-become-a-4d-scheduler/
Unkown Author, V. (2013, September). Vico Location-based Management System (4d Scheduling).
Retrieved from vicosoftware.com: http://www.vicosoftware.com/location-based-
management-system/tabid/88213/Default.aspx
Unkown, V. A. (2013, September 7). BIM for Dummies. Retrieved from www.vicosoftware.com:
http://www.vicosoftware.com/vico-office-demos-bim-for-
dummies/tabid/306193/Default.aspx?source=youtube
Visosoftware, U. a. (2013, September). 4D Scheduling Services by VICOsoftware. Retrieved from
vicosoftware.com: http://www.vicosoftware.com/4D-Scheduling-
Services/tabid/79441/Default.aspx

16. INDEX
3
3D CAD components · 4
3D model + Time · 8
4
4D BIM · 4
4D simulations · 4
4D was a failure · 5
A
actual performance · 7
Autovue · 10
B
BIM · 5
C
cannot teach an old dog new trick · 8
central database · 6
commercialized construction · 5
CPM schedule · 7
D
detailed schedule · 9
E
Empire State Building · 5
I
IT Support · 6
M
management expectation · 5
Microstation · 10
O
Oil Sand · 5
P
Primavera · 4
Project Controls Governance · 6
S
schedule quality · 7
self-performing clients · 11
sequential display · 4
SWOT · 7
Synchro · 10
T
TABLE OF CONTENTS · 3
V
visual presentation · 7

090513 4D Scheduling in my Vista

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