Gantt + BIM: Geometrizing Progress and Planning in Finishes

The Importance of Planning in Construction

In the world of construction, planning is a key process. While well-executed planning can help you win a bid or complete your project on time, poor planning can lead to headaches (for you and your team) due to cost overruns and unforeseen issues that, in the long run, may even result in project losses. This is why one of the industry's constants, from the days of paper-based planning to today's digital models, has been the pursuit of improving project planning capabilities.

The Gantt Chart: Organizing Time

This is where the Gantt chart comes into play—a tool that helps you clearly understand not only what will be built but also when it will be built, considering all dependencies and constraints. In an industry where delays mean not only lost days but also millions in cost overruns, effectively managing task sequences, optimizing the critical path, and parallelizing activities can make the difference between success and failure. This is why, since their introduction in the 1980s, tools like Primavera and MS Project have become industry standards in construction.

From Scheduling to 3D Visualization with BIM

However, in the digital age, using time as the sole axis for planning is no longer sufficient. Modern construction demands a clearer, more tangible visualization of what is happening on-site. The industry's answer to this challenge? BIM (Building Information Modeling). It's not just about creating visually appealing 3D models; it's about unifying information in one place so that you can make decisions based on real, up-to-date data.

Tools like Revit from Autodesk or SketchUp from Trimble allow you to anticipate problems, visualize clashes, and coordinate your teams before a single drop of concrete is poured. Furthermore, since BIM goes beyond displaying shapes, you can integrate key information about materials, structural categories, and other properties to enrich your decision-making process. Although this technology is not yet fully integrated into the Latin American market, in other parts of the world, it has become the standard, benefiting both construction companies and developers (if you're interested, look up the Golden Thread of BIM in the UK).

The ObraLink Solution: Integrating Gantt and BIM

But if this technology has yet to gain strong traction in the Latin American market, how can we take advantage of it? And what does it have to do with Gantt charts?

The answer to both questions lies in ObraLink. Without disrupting your current workflows, our Finishes/Completions module connects your MS Project or Primavera Gantt charts with your project's BIM model. Through our exclusive control units, we have achieved something that once seemed complex: giving time a visual form. How? By providing you with an intuitive interface to link your Gantt chart tasks to specific spaces in your model. And if you don’t have a BIM model, don’t worry—we can also provide the service to create one based on your plans. This way, you can have a fully integrated BIM model with your Gantt chart.

Benefits of BIM + Gantt Integration

• Visual tracking: A 3D model that not only displays the project but also when each task should progress.
• Optimized project control: Detailed tracking by zones, making supervision and progress management easier.
• Better decision-making: Clear visuals placing each task in its spatial context, facilitating oversight.

Conclusion

In short, we transform planning into a visual and dynamic experience. Less paperwork, less uncertainty, and more time to focus on what truly matters: building.