One of the biggest promises of Building Information Modeling Services is that it acts as a single source of truth for a project — where architects, engineers, contractors, and owners can all access and update the same data in real-time. In theory, this eliminates miscommunication, duplication of work, and errors caused by disconnected information.
But in practice, it doesn’t always work that smoothly. Many firms still deal with data silos because of different software platforms, incomplete adoption of openBIM standards, or limited collaboration across teams. For example, an architect might build the model in Revit, but a subcontractor could be using another tool that doesn’t fully align. This leads to gaps, rework, or even manual transfers of data — which defeats the idea of a single source of truth.
Some argue that cloud-based platforms and IFC standards are closing these gaps, while others feel that until the industry fully embraces interoperability, data silos will continue to exist.
What do you think? Have you experienced BIM as a true single source of truth in your projects, or do silos still create challenges?
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