Overcoming Hurdles in Data Management and Compliance

Overcoming Hurdles in Data Management and Compliance

The Building Safety Act (2022) mandates crucial reforms necessary to improve safety standards across the built environment. But for many construction industry organisations, fulfilling the comprehensive requirements laid out in the Act is far from straightforward.

Potential barriers include dealing with inconsistent or incomplete legacy data, defining and implementing the ‘golden thread’ of information and ensuring safety-critical data is maintained over decades. As a result, the path to full compliance is often complex and challenging.    

To learn more about navigating the provisions of the Building Safety Act and achieving compliance, you can view our recent webinar here: The Building Safety Act 2022 –  What It Means for Information Management

For more in-depth discussion on trends in digital construction, browse our schedule of upcoming webinars  

The legacy burden: incomplete or inaccessible information

One of the most immediate and widespread challenges lies in the state of information for existing buildings. As highlighted in Dame Judith Hackett's report Building a Safer Future and discussed in our webinar, many properties, especially older ones, suffer from incomplete, inaccurate, or inaccessible records. Information may be scattered, held in outdated paper formats, or simply missing altogether. Retroactively locating, reviewing, and digitising years or even decades of historical building data can be a substantial, time-consuming, and potentially costly undertaking.  

Defining and implementing the elusive 'golden thread'

The concept of the 'golden thread' – a digital, reliable, and accessible single source of truth for building information throughout its lifecycle – is central to the Act for high-risk buildings. While the principles are clear enough – improving accuracy, security, accessibility, and longevity – actually translating the theory into practical, day-to-day implementation can be a daunting task, especially for organisations without internal expertise in formal information management techniques and tools.

Several key challenges relate to the process of defining the 'golden thread':

• Scope: Determining the precise level of detail required for different building elements and systems.

• Structure & standards: Agreeing on consistent data formats, naming conventions, and classifications (like Uniclass).

• Technology: Selecting appropriate platforms (like Common Data Environments - CDEs) to host and manage the information securely and accessibly.

• Responsibilities: Assigning roles for creating, updating, validating, and approving information at each stage.

Developing effective information requirements documents (like Asset Information Requirements - AIR, and Exchange Information Requirements - EIR) that accurately capture the client's and regulatory needs without being overly complex is another critical but often difficult step.

Ensuring information survives handover and operation

A frequent failure point in traditional construction projects, which we highlighted in the webinar, is the 'information handover cliff'. This describes the commonly encountered scenario where the quality, structure and usability of data drop off significantly at the point of handover from the construction to the operational phase. The emphasis in the Act on lifecycle information management means that bridging this gap is critical for compliance    

Careful planning and robust processes are necessary to ensure that the detailed Project Information Model (PIM) developed during design and construction can be seamlessly and efficiently translated into a functional Asset Information Model (AIM) that can be maintained over the building's (potentially long) operational life.  

Post-handover, capturing changes resulting from routine maintenance, minor works, tenant alterations or major refurbishments consistently and accurately within the AIM requires structured and consistent processes that may be lacking in existing facilities management workflows.

Addressing the digital skills gap  

Effective Information Management demands specific digital skills and a high level of understanding across the entire project and operational teams – and this is reinforced by the Building Safety Act, which requires that duty holders demonstrate the relevant competencies. However, as indicated by the poll during our webinar on the Act, many organisations are only just beginning their digital information journey.

This points to a significant skills gap, where individuals within client organisations, design teams, contracting firms, and facilities management departments may lack the necessary training or familiarity with core IM principles, standards like ISO 19650, and the technologies involved (e.g., CDEs, BIM software).  

This isn’t just a question of technical skills – there may also be cultural hurdles to overcome. Successfully moving away from traditional, siloed and paper-reliant methods, towards a collaborative, transparent, digital-first approach can pose challenges in overcoming organisational inertia and reluctance to change. Explicit buy-in from leadership and a willingness to adapt established ways of working are, therefore, crucial to making the switch.  

Facing BSA information challenges?

The information management requirements mandated by the Building Safety Act are substantial, presenting real challenges for the industry. Identifying and acknowledging these hurdles is an essential first step towards developing effective strategies and seeking the right support to overcome them, ultimately leading to safer buildings and more efficient practices.  

If you’re struggling to navigate the complexities of Information Management to comply with Building Safety Act requirements and duties, Majenta has the experience, expertise, and resources you need. Get in touch using the link below to discuss your next project.

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