Türkiye inşaat sektöründe malzeme üreticilerinin BIM'i benimsemesi sürecinin incelenmesi
Examination of product manufacturer's BIM adoption process in the Turkish construction industry
Yazar: KERİM KAAN KARAKOÇ
Danışman: PROF. DR. ESİN ERGEN PEHLEVAN
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / İnşaat Mühendisliği Teknolojileri Ana Bilim Dalı / Yapı İşletmesi Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2022
Konu: Bilim ve Teknoloji = Science and Technology ; İnşaat Mühendisliği = Civil Engineering
Dizin: Yapı bilgi modellemesi = Building information modeling ; Yapı malzemeleri = Building materials ; Üreticiler = Producers ; İnşaat sektörü = Construction sector

Özet:
Dünya çapında tüm sektörlerde dijitalleşme yaşanırken inşaat sektörü ve özellikle inşaat malzemesi üreticileri bu akıma diğer sektörler kadar katılmamıştır. İnşaat sektöründe dijitalleşmenin anahtarlarından olan BIM (Yapı Bilgi Modellemesi) yaklaşımının benimsenmesinde malzeme üreticileri diğer paydaşlarla karşılaştırıldığında daha geride kalmıştır. Türkiye'deki inşaat malzemesi üreticileri, Türk ekonomisinde ihracata katkı sağlayan ana paydaşlardandır ve yurtdışı pazarlarında BIM'in benimsenmesindeki artışla birlikte, Türkiye'deki üreticilerden de hem yurt dışından hem de yurt içinden BIM içerikleri talep edilmeye başlanmıştır.  Bu üreticilerin BIM'i benimsemesi ve müşterilerine BIM nesneleri sağlamaları ile yurt dışı pazarlarda daha iyi rekabet etmeleri, dijitalleşmenin etkisi ile iç süreçlerindeki verimsizlikleri gidermeleri ve Türk ekonomisine katkı sağlamaları beklenmektedir. 
Ancak birçok üretici firma bu süreci nasıl yürütebileceği konusunda bilgi sahibi değildir. Bu tez çalışmasının amacı, malzeme üreticilerinin BIM'i benimseme sürecinde BIM içeriklerinin geliştirilmesinde ve sunulmasında karşılaştıkları sorunlar ile genel eğilimlerin tespit edilmesi ve buna dayanarak BIM'in benimsenme sürecinde üretici firmalara rehberlik edebilecek öneriler geliştirmektir. Bu doğrultuda öncelikle sektördeki üreticilerin ve diğer paydaşların BIM konusundaki eğilimleri ile BIM kullanımının sektördeki durumunun ve karşılaşılan engellerin belirlenebilmesi için bir anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Anket formları Türkiye İMSAD üzerinden sektördeki meslek örgütleri üzerinden sektör paydaşlarına dağıtıldı ve 137 geçerli yanıt formu toplanmıştır. Ankette sektör paydaşlarının BIM'e neden yatırım yaptığı ya da yapmadığı, BIM'i benimseme sürecinde karşılaşılan engellerden ne kadar etkilendikleri ve BIM'e dair beklentileri gibi konularda sorular sorulmuştur Ayrıca, malzeme üreticilere BIM nesnelerini hazırlama sürecinde karşılaştıkları sorunlar ve aldıkları kararla ilgili sorular yöneltilmiştir. Bu şekilde üreticilerin süreçte zorlandıkları konular ve süreçlerde geliştirdikleri yaklaşımlar belirlenmiştir. 
Ardından, üretici firmaların BIM'i benimsemesi ve BIM nesnesi geliştirmesi süreçlerinde danışmanlık veren bir BIM danışmanlık firması ile vaka çalışması yapılmıştır. Vaka çalışması kapsamında 1) danışman firmasının uzmanları ve yöneticileri ile yarı kurgulu mülakatlar yapılmıştır ve 2) birlikte çalıştıkları üreticilerin BIM'i benimseme süreçlerini açıklayabilecek belgeler toplanmıştır. Toplanan veriler ışığında, her bir firmanın BIM'i benimseme sürecinin değerlendirilebilmesi için süreçlerin mantıksal modelleri çıkarılmıştır ve vakalar arası sentez ile bu vakalardan öğrenilebilecek dersler ortaya konulmuştur. Ayrıca anket çalışmasında belirlenen sorunları bu firmaların nasıl çözdüğü belirlenmiştir. 
Bu çalışmalardan derlenen çıkarımlar ile Türk inşaat sektörünün BIM eğilimleri ve BIM'in benimsenmesinde karşılaşılan sorunlar belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, BIM'i benimseme kararı alan üreticilerin benimseme sürecinde kullanabilecekleri bir kılavuz geliştirilmiştir. Bu kılavuzda, üreticilerin BIM nesneleri geliştirme süreci dokuz adımda tanımlanmıştır ve bu adımların nasıl gerçekleştirilebileceği herhangi bir yazılıma veya platforma bağlı olmadan açıklanmış, her adım için önem vermeleri gereken konular ile yapılabilecek hatalar belirtilmiştir.

Abstract:
While all industries worldwide are experiencing digitalisation, construction industry and especially construction product manufacturers have not experienced this phenomenon as much as the other industries. Construction product manufacturers are also behind other stakeholders in the construction industry in adopting BIM (Building Information Modelling) which is the key to digitalisation in the industry. In Türkiye construction product manufacturers are one of the industries that contribute to exports of Turkish economy and with BIM Adoption increasing in international markets demand for BIM content from manufacturers has increased in both Türkiye and abroad. By adopting BIM and providing their customers with BIM objects it is expected that these Manufacturers can be more competitive in international markets, increase productivity in their processes and contribute more to Turkish economy. 
However, many manufacturers are not knowledgeable on how to manage the adoption process. The aim of this thesis is to determine the problems manufacturers run into while creating and providing BIM content during their adoption of BIM and their tendencies regarding BIM. Afterwards it is aimed to use these findings to make suggestions to guide manufacturers during the adoption process.
For this purpose, first a survey was performed to determine tendencies regarding BIM, BIM adoption rate and barriers to BIM for manufacturers and other stakeholders. The questionnaire was developed through a literature review, translation of questions asked in previous surveys done abroad to Turkish and with the help of BIM experts in Türkiye. The questions aimed to gather categorical and ordinal data. A five-point Likert scale was used for questions that aimed to gather ordinal data. Questions about the participants characteristics that were of interest to the research topic such as their age, role in construction projects, experience in BIM and the construction industry were also asked. An online questionnaire was created, these questionnaires were distributed to professional associations through Türkiye İMSAD. The questionnaire was also shared on LinkedIn and included a request for participants to share the questionnaire.  Through this snowball sampling method 145 responses were gathered; 8 responses were considered non-valid due to participants not following instructions on the questionnaire. In total 137 valid responses were gathered at the end of a three-month period.
After the data gathering phase, the responses were collected in a single spreadsheet to be prepared for analysis. Participants' responses to questions about their characteristics were used to determine whether their characteristics influenced their responses to other questions. Firstly, Kruskal-Wallis H test was applied to determine which characteristics caused significant differences between responses. Then Mann-Whitney U test was applied to pairs of groups divided by these characteristics to determine which groups caused significant differences. To determine concordance of responses within a group Kendall Coefficient of Concordance was used and to determine whether there is correlation between ordinal characteristics such as age and experience and responses to questions with a Likert scale Spearman Coefficient of Correlation was used. To determine the tendency of participants on multi-item Likert scale questions Relative Importance Index was used. The frequency of responses for all questions were interpreted with distribution graphs. 
The survey allowed the researcher to determine the BIM adoption rate and BIM adoption tendencies of the Turkish construction industry alongside the degree of effect for barriers to BIM adoption in the industry. The inclusion of questions pertaining to the manufacturers that were not asked in such a survey before revealed the tendencies of manufacturers regarding BIM and the process of creating BIM objects. It was determined that Türkiye was behind in BIM adoption compared to other countries and that manufacturers were behind the rest of the industry in this regard. The survey is planned to be repeated periodically with Türkiye İMSAD to track changes in the BIM tendencies of the Turkish construction industry. 
The problems manufacturers encountered during BIM adoption and BIM object creation were determined through the survey. However, to determine how manufacturers can solve these problems a qualitive research method was needed. A case study was performed with a BIM consultancy firm that worked with manufacturers during their BIM adoption and BIM object creation processes to achieve this. The study comprised of six cases. One of which decided to adopt BIM on their own then started working with the consultant to achieve their goal of providing BIM objects. The other five cases all decided to adopt BIM as part of a government sponsored program organised by a professional association and worked with the consultant firm as part of the program. Data gathering was done firstly through documents that contained information about each case's process of creating BIM objects such as communication between the manufacturer and the consultant, training materials, product data sheets, technical drawings, product images, 3D models and the BIM objects themselves. Secondly semi-structured interviews with experts from the BIM consultants were carried in order to better understand the cases and to gain insight into the creation and use of BIM objects in the industry as a whole. The gathered data was stored in a secure database to enable replication of the study, reinforcing its reliability and validity. For each case a logical model of the BIM object creation process was generated, starting as early as the manufacturer's decision to adopt BIM, and ending with the publishing and updating of BIM objects. The logical models contain steps in the process as well as decisions made, input and output for each step. Then these logical models were used for cross-case synthesis to determine which parts can be applied to manufacturers in general. The determined outcomes of the study were shared and verified with the participants from the BIM consultancy. Through the study the ways manufacturers overcame the problems encountered during BIM object creation identified by the survey were determined. The study also allowed new insights about the process of creating BIM objects and the specifiers' views on BIM objects created by manufacturers. 
With the findings from these methods Turkish construction industry's views and tendencies on BIM were determined. Particularly, tendencies of manufacturers about BIM objects were determined. Afterwards suggestions for manufacturers who wish to adopt BIM were developed. These suggestions were compiled in a guide that contains ten steps starting right after the manufacturer decides to adopt BIM and ending with publishing and updating BIM objects.
Firstly, it is suggested that the manufacturers increase their knowledge of BIM through training programs to better define their purpose in adopting BIM and to better understand the later steps in the guide. Then it is suggested that the manufacturer decide how to carry out the BIM adoption process, at this stage the manufacturer can decide to use their own personnel, hire additional personnel for BIM processes or work with another firm with BIM expertise such as consultants. Afterwards it is suggested the manufacturer decide which of their products they should provide BIM objects for. They may decide to provide BIM objects for all their products, but this may increase the time and cost of the process so as an alternative it is suggested they prioritize products with the most demand. Fourthly, it is suggested that the manufacturer determine the needs of the users of their BIM objects, namely the specifiers. This can be considered the most important step in the guide as it contributes the most to whether the object will be used in project model thus making the product used in the project. The manufacturer can examine their competitors' BIM objects, directly consult with the specifiers on their needs, examine standards, seek the advice of their BIM consultants if they have them or utilize tools offered by professional associations for BIM content. Afterwards, it is suggested the manufacturer compile the data that will be used in creating BIM objects. The manufacturer can achieve this by using product data templates and preparing parametric technical drawings of their products. Then the manufacturer can start creating the object in a BIM authoring software. At this stage the manufacturer should take care to make sure the configuration options for the object work as planned, be aware of the limitations of the software they use and automize data entry as much as possible. After the BIM objects are created the manufacturer should decide on a way to provide interoperability. IFC format is most used for this purpose. For the next step the manufacturer should perform quality control activities on the BIM objects. These activities can range from checking compatibility with basic modelling tools to comparing the contents of each object with its data source. Then the manufacturer needs to decide how and where to publish their BIM objects. Manufacturers can use BIM object library platforms, their own websites, or other tools they developed to share their BIM objects. They can also choose to share them on demand with clients. Lastly, it is suggested that the manufacturer decide how to carry out updates to their BIM objects. Manufacturers can choose to maintain in-house expertise for this purpose or work with experts outside.
Through the use suggested guide it is expected that manufacturers will have a clear roadmap to create their own BIM objects and by offering BIM objects they will compete better in international markets. The guide is not dependent on any software, and it can be updated as standards change and BIM technology improves.