Assessment of bim competencies and correlation analysis between competencies and career characteristics of fab construction project participants

Currently, BIM implementation in domestic FAB construction projects is in such an early stage that they are benchmarking the BIM implementation method applied in the conventional building sector. As such, in order to enhance the usability of BIM in FAB construction projects, it is necessary to have a correct understanding of FAB construction and to apply BIM in accordance with the characteristics of FAB. This requires defining critical BIM competencies needed by the participants of FAB construction projects in undertaking their tasks as well as identifying their current level of competency possessed. Accordingly, this study defined and presented BIM competencies that reflect the characteristics of FAB through the analysis of typical tasks related to FAB construction projects. For this, project participants from three FAB construction project sites in Korea (where BIM was implemented) were recruited, and a survey was conducted on their status of competency level. Moreover, a comparative analysis was conducted focusing on the correlations between their career characteristics (‘Construction project experience’, ‘BIM-based construction project experience’, ‘FAB construction project experience’, ‘BIM-based FAB construction project experience’ and ‘Overall project experiences’) and their current level of BIM competencies. As a result, high correlations were found between BIM competencies and BIM-based FAB construction project experience for the owner group, whereas competency items related to BIM-based construction project experience showed high correlations for the designer group.