Beyond a Shared Folder – What Really is a Common Data Environment?

If your team is still using emails, shared drives, and WhatsApp to share critical project data, then you’re at risk. Imagine this: contradictory instructions, several iterations of the same drawing, and countless searches for that one crucial document. Sound familiar? It’s a common scenario that causes frustration, rework, and delays.

Enter the Common Data Environment (CDE).

Fundamentally, a Common Data Environment is a safe, centralized location where data from a project is gathered, organized, and disseminated. It’s much more than a digital filing cabinet, though. At HS Group, we consider the CDE to be a project’s only source of truth. It is the rulebook, the workflow engine, and the thorough audit trail for all project data; it is more than just a library of documents. It ensures that everyone is operating from the same, most recent playbook by converting dispersed data into actionable intelligence.

Why a CDE is Non-Negotiable for Modern Projects?

The engineering and construction sectors are constantly changing. It is no longer viable to rely on outdated data management techniques in the time of growing project complexity, tight deadlines, and expanding regulatory requirements.

Beyond BIM: A True Single Source of Truth

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a key component of advanced project management for many associates, but a Common Data Environment is more than just 3D models. From preliminary design concepts and comprehensive specifications to procurement, construction, and final commissioning, the goal is to establish a single source of truth for all project data. This strategy ensures that all data is gathered into a single, accessible location.

HS Group’s Approach: Cloud-Based CDEs for Seamless Collaboration

At HS Group, we assist you in implementing CDEs in practice, in addition to advocating for them. Our specialty is implementing reliable, cloud-based Common Data Environments (CDEs) with top-tier platforms such as Bentley’s iTwin or Autodesk Construction Cloud (which includes BIM 360). These solutions promote genuinely collaborative project delivery by guaranteeing that all stakeholders, from architects and engineers to contractors and clients, use the most recent information.

The Cost of Chaos: A Sobering Reality

Lack of a CDE can have serious repercussions. Projects without a single source of truth have a 20% rework rate, as per an FMI report. This is not merely an annoyance; it directly results in huge cost overruns, protracted schedules, and tarnished reputations.

Key Benefits You Can’t Afford to Ignore:

• Eliminate Errors: There is almost no chance of working from out-of-date drawings or specifications when there is only one accurate version of the truth. This minimizes costly on-site errors, saving time and money.
• Ensure Compliance: Workflows integrated into the Common Data Environment ensure that all models and documents go through the required audits and approvals. As we’ll discuss later, this is essential for meeting international standards, such as ISO 19650 CDE.
• Maximize Productivity: Imagine significantly reducing the time your team spends looking for information. By minimizing this administrative load by as much as 30%, CDEs can free up valuable time for essential tasks.
• Minimize Risk: A CDE provides an exhaustive and unchangeable audit trail of all project data, choices, and correspondence. This is crucial for safeguarding your company from future lawsuits or disputes.

HS Group’s CDE Framework: The 4 Work Zones

It’s really essential to understand what the ISO 19650 CDE is that makes it powerful. This standard provides an information management description within a CDE, arranging information into four distinct work zones. HS Group has built its model entirely around this for clarity and control.

Here’s a visual representation of how information flows within a CDE:

Work in Progress (WIP): This is the first zone in which individuals or teams record and generate information. It’s the “draft” stage, which only you and your writers can see, whilst the rest of your team is not impacted.

Shared: Prepare information for review, which gets placed in the Shared area. Here, disparate teams can access and review – as well as coordinate with other teams’ data. HS Group Involvement: We create automated clash detection notifications when models are published, ensuring early identification of conflicts and smoother coordination.

Published: This area contains the master version of a document or model. This is the fact-checked information that the project team should be using. HS Group Role: We implement strict permissions and strong approval process controls to ensure only permitted sign-offs occur, safeguarding the integrity of your project’s essential information.

Archive: The final record. When a phase of the project is completed, all necessary data is moved to the Archive. This gives an indelible record for future use, as well as asset management and legal compliance. HS Group Role: We archive this data in a format easily passed on to our client facility management team, ensuring smooth operations after project completion.

Struggling to get your CDE framework up and running? Get a free quote today!

Choosing and Implementing a CDE: A Practical Guide

A one-size-fits-all approach to applying a CDE on construction projects is not going to work. The best Common Data Environment is the one your team will use, and that plays nicely with your other tools and workflows.

Platform-Agnostic Advice: We’re Experts in Diverse CDE Software

At HS Group, we offer independent advice on the platform. We work with a number of the top Common Data Environment software products, which make it possible for us to advise and implement the best fit for your requirements:

Autodesk Construction Cloud / BIM 360: Great solution for BIM workflows, model coordination, and field management.

Bentley ProjectWise: Excellent for large infra projects, document management, and design integration, etc.

Viewpoint: Great for heavy-duty ERP integration linking project management with financial and operational reporting.

OpenAsset: Good for connecting information to visual property, controlling photography, and visual documentation.

HS Group’s Implementation Process: Your Path to a Seamless CDE

Our five-step approach guarantees that your CDE is smooth and effective:

Diagnose: We start by carefully examining your workflow, pinpointing problem areas, and understanding your specific needs.

Configure: based on the findings of our diagnosis, we configure the Common Data Environment taxonomy, user roles, permissions, and workflow to mirror your project requirements and ISO 19650 standards.

Integrate: We plug the CDE into your other production systems, such as ERP systems, scheduling software, and reporting tools, to form a true unified data ecosystem.

Train: We don’t just teach how to use confusing, generic software. Our staff training provides role-specific training tailored to your staff, ensuring the greatest uptake and proficiency.

Support & Audit: Our commitment is not over with implementation. We provide Ongoing management, technical support, and bi-weekly check-ins to track CDE uptake and performance with a goal of continuous improvement.

Case Study: From Chaos to Control with an HS Group CDE

The Challenge: There are weekly delays in the major hospital project due to document conflicts and communication issues. Many Requests for Information were generated, wasting time on administrative coordination.

HS Group’s Solution: For this project, given its complex requirements, we implemented a structured Common Data Environment. This included automated workflows for all critical documents and models approval, as well as real-time model coordination triggers to alert teams of potential clashes.

The Result: The results were quickly apparent and measurable: the client had practically zero RFIs due to document errors, while administrative coordination time dropped by about 15 percent. The project regained its schedule, proving that a CDE, when well implemented, could offer tangible benefits.

The era of fragmented data and inefficient workflows is over.  The creation of the Common Data Environment (CDE) is not just a technological advancement but also a strategic imperative for any modern engineering and construction project aiming at optimal efficiency, reduced risk, and consistent compliance.

Properly structuring and implementing a Common Data Environment will transform your engineering and construction projects, especially when using the expertise of HS Group for proper establishment.

Need help setting up or optimizing your Common Data Environment? Contact HS Group or Infra Construction today for a free quote!

FAQs

What’s the main difference between a Common Data Environment and simply using cloud storage like Google Drive?

While cloud storage offers sharing features, the Common Data Environment is really a structured way of managing information. It implements workflows, offers version control, governs access based on roles, and maintains audit trails-this is something that a traditional cloud drive cannot do. It’s about actually managing information rather than just storing it.

Is a CDE only relevant for BIM projects?

Not really. While CDEs form a fundamental part of BIM, their advantages go beyond any project in which considerable data is generated and shared, with or without the use of BIM. It is really about the single central source of all project information.

How long does it take to implement a CDE?

It depends on various factors like the magnitude of the project, the degree of complexity of information and data presently existing, and the available Common Data Environment software suite to implement with. The diagnosis and configuration will take between weeks and a couple of months, after which support and training should continue.

What is ISO 19650 and why is it important for CDEs?

ISO 19650 is an international standard for the organization and digitalization of information concerning buildings and civil engineering works, including BIM. It provides a framework for information management through the use of a Common Data Environment, thereby ensuring consistency, quality, and smooth data exchange among projects and organizations. Accordingly, promoting collaboration decreases risks.

What are the benefits of using a cloud-based CDE?

Cloud CDEs offer real-time accessibility worldwide, scalability, absence of cost from setting infrastructure for IT, the best security offered by specialized providers, better integration with other cloud resources, and therefore, favor fluent collaboration.