IDM Building Blocks (BB)

The IDM Methodology currently describes three main types of building blocks, each with a different purpose and audience:

• Process Maps (PM)
• Exchange Requirements (ER)
• Functional Parts (FP)

The Process Maps (PM) provides a description of an activity (or set of activities) related to a domain in the AEC/FM industry. Examples are Energy Analysis or Cost Modelling. Each of these activities are described from a process perspective using Business Process Modelling Notation BPMN as well as textual description of these processes.

The Exchange Requirements desribes the information required to carry out an action (the minimum of information that must be available before the action can be carried out) or the information which should be produced by carrying out an action described in a Process Map. In simple words, an Exchange Requirement is the contract describing the information deliverables between actors involved in the process.

Because an Exchange Requirement describes the information using natural language, Functional Parts are introduces to capture all the technical detailes related to exchanging information in the AEC/FM process.

In addition the following components are identified to complete the IDM content, but they are currently not part of the official methodology or document set.

• Business Rules (BR)
• Application Usage (AU)