(Editor's note: This brief look at integrated project delivery systems is the ninth in a weekly series of blog posts about CAD and BIM software that comes to us from AECbytes.com.)

Building Information Modeling plays an important role in construction, but an inadequate means of addressing integrated project delivery means that, at the moment, it is steadily losing the ability to keep up with the changing industry.

There is a strong need for efficient processes, fast design and construction, minimized waste and construction errors, sustainable design, higher quality buildings and fewer budget over-runs. Of course, there are several applications that can supplement BIM and improve the quality of your work; these include server-based Newforma Project Center, Web-based Attolist and SharePoint-based Organice.

Each of these applications takes a different approach to integrated project delivery; the best program for you will depend on your specific needs. For instance, a firm that already works heavily in SharePoint will probably find Organice more effective, but a firm that needs to communicate externally a lot will probably prefer the Web-based Attolist.

There are many similar programs out there, such as Bentley’s ProjectWise, Autodesk’s Buzzsaw and Constructware and CADworks’ WebAxis. While none of these applications is integrated with BIM yet, their developers are working on it.

To learn more about integrated project delivery systems for BIM, read Collaboration, Project Management, and Project Information Management Solutions in AEC.