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Introduction: What Are Organisation Information Requirements (OIR)?
Organisation Information Requirements (OIR) define the information an organisation needs to support its strategic objectives, business decisions, operational activities, and asset management responsibilities.
In Building Information Modelling (BIM), OIR establish the organisational need for information before project-specific requirements are developed. They help owners, developers, infrastructure operators, facility management teams, and construction organisations determine what information they need, why they need it, and how it will support business outcomes.
For example, a real estate developer may need reliable information about construction costs, project progress, energy performance, asset condition, and maintenance expenditure. Instead of collecting unnecessary information from every project, the organisation defines its requirements and uses them to guide BIM information delivery.
ISO 19650 provides an internationally recognised framework for managing information across the lifecycle of built assets. Within this framework, OIR are an important starting point for connecting business objectives with information management activities.
This tutorial explains how to create an OIR document step by step, including stakeholder analysis, business objectives, information needs, responsibility allocation, validation, and implementation.
1. Understand the Purpose of OIR in BIM
Before preparing an OIR document, understand what the organisation wants to achieve through information management.
An OIR is not simply a list of BIM model elements, drawings, or software requirements. It defines the information needed to support organisational decisions and activities.
Typical objectives include:
Improving asset lifecycle management.
Reducing operational and maintenance costs.
Monitoring project investment and capital expenditure.
Improving energy efficiency and sustainability reporting.
Standardising information across multiple projects.
Supporting portfolio-level reporting and decision-making.
Improving compliance, risk management, and auditability.
Example: A hospital operator managing five hospitals may require consistent information about medical equipment, maintenance schedules, warranty periods, energy consumption, and asset replacement dates. These organisational needs should inform the OIR and subsequently guide relevant project information requirements.
The primary question is: What information does the organisation need to make better decisions and achieve its business objectives?
2. Understand the Relationship Between OIR, AIR, PIR, and EIR
An effective OIR document works as part of a wider information management framework.
Organisation Information Requirements (OIR)
OIR describe the information required to support organisational objectives, business decisions, and asset portfolio management.
Asset Information Requirements (AIR)
AIR define the information needed to operate and maintain a particular asset or asset portfolio. They translate relevant organisational needs into asset-related information requirements.
Project Information Requirements (PIR)
PIR define the information needed to support decisions at key stages of a project, such as feasibility, design approval, construction progress, and handover.
Exchange Information Requirements (EIR)
EIR specify the information to be exchanged for a defined appointment or information delivery purpose, including applicable information content, formats, standards, and delivery expectations.
The requirements should be connected rather than developed in isolation.
Example: If an organisation's OIR requires accurate maintenance-cost reporting, the AIR may specify asset identifiers and maintenance-related attributes. The PIR may require design-stage maintainability information, while the EIR defines the relevant deliverables, exchange formats, and delivery dates for an appointed party.
This relationship helps prevent information from being collected without a clear business purpose.
3. Step 1: Define the Organisation's Business Objectives
Start by identifying the organisation's strategic and operational objectives. These objectives form the foundation of the OIR document.
Conduct workshops with senior management, asset owners, finance teams, project directors, operations managers, and facility management personnel.
Ask questions such as:
What decisions does management make regularly?
Which information is currently difficult to obtain?
What operational problems cause avoidable expenditure?
What information is required for regulatory or contractual reporting?
How should BIM and digital information improve business performance?
Which performance indicators should be measured?
Document the answers in a business objectives register.
Example business objectives register:
| Business objective | Business problem | Desired outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reduce maintenance costs | Incomplete asset records | Reliable maintenance information |
| Improve project control | Inconsistent progress reports | Standardised progress reporting |
| Improve energy performance | Limited energy data | Measurable energy-performance indicators |
| Standardise asset handover | Inconsistent handover packages | Structured, validated asset information |
Each objective should have a clear business owner and, wherever possible, a measurable performance indicator.
Avoid objectives such as “implement BIM” without explaining the business result expected from that implementation.
4. Step 2: Identify Stakeholders and Information Users
The next step is to identify who creates, manages, approves, and uses organisational information.
OIR should reflect the needs of decision-makers and information users, not only the requirements of the BIM team.
Typical stakeholders include:
Board members and executive management.
Asset owners and portfolio managers.
Finance and investment teams.
Project management consultants (PMC).
Design and engineering teams.
Construction and EPC contractors.
Facility management and maintenance teams.
IT, cybersecurity, and information management teams.
Sustainability and compliance departments.
Conduct stakeholder interviews or information requirement workshops. Record each stakeholder's decisions, information needs, preferred reporting frequency, and responsibilities.
For example, a finance director may need project cost and forecast information every month, while a facility manager may require equipment identifiers, warranty details, and preventive maintenance information at handover.
Use a stakeholder matrix to establish accountability.
| Stakeholder | Information need | Business purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Executive management | Portfolio performance | Strategic decisions |
| Finance team | Capital expenditure and forecasts | Budget control |
| Project director | Programme and progress | Project control |
| Facility manager | Asset and maintenance records | Operations |
| Sustainability team | Energy and environmental data | Performance monitoring |
This step helps ensure that the OIR reflects actual organisational requirements.
5. Step 3: Assess Existing Information and Information Gaps
Before creating new requirements, evaluate the information the organisation already collects.
Review existing documents, spreadsheets, asset registers, project reports, maintenance systems, Common Data Environment (CDE) platforms, and legacy BIM models.
Identify problems such as:
Missing or duplicated asset information.
Inconsistent naming and classification.
Unreliable project cost reports.
Different reporting formats across projects.
Missing equipment warranty information.
Poor data quality at project handover.
Information that cannot be transferred into operational systems.
Create an information gap analysis that compares current capabilities with desired business outcomes.
For example, an organisation may possess detailed 3D models but lack asset identifiers, manufacturer information, warranty dates, and maintenance classifications. In this case, model geometry alone does not satisfy its operational information needs.
Classify each gap according to its business impact, urgency, and cost of resolution. This enables the organisation to prioritise the most valuable requirements first.
6. Step 4: Translate Business Objectives into Information Requirements
Convert each business objective into a clearly defined information requirement.
Every requirement should explain:
What information is needed?
Why is the information needed?
Who will use it?
When is it needed?
What level of accuracy or reliability is expected?
How will the information be validated?
What system or format must receive the information?
Example:
Business objective: Improve maintenance planning.
Information requirement: The organisation requires a consistent asset register containing a unique asset identifier, asset classification, location, manufacturer, model reference, installation date, warranty expiry date, and maintenance reference for designated maintainable equipment.
Purpose: Enable maintenance planning, warranty tracking, and asset lifecycle reporting.
Acceptance criteria: Required fields must be populated, identifiers must be unique, and records must pass agreed validation checks before acceptance.
This approach turns a general business ambition into a requirement that can be implemented and tested.
Avoid including every possible parameter in the OIR. Detailed asset attributes may belong in the AIR, while project-specific exchanges may be defined through the PIR and EIR.
7. Step 5: Establish Information Standards and Data Governance
An OIR should define the organisational principles that govern information quality and consistency.
Consider the following areas:
Information naming and classification.
Unique asset and project identifiers.
Data ownership and approval authority.
Information security and access permissions.
Data retention and archival requirements.
Interoperability and exchange formats.
Quality assurance and validation.
Common Data Environment governance.
Alignment with relevant legal and regulatory obligations.
ISO 19650 provides a framework for information management using BIM. Depending on the organisation's scope, other relevant standards and frameworks may also apply.
For example, ISO 19650-1 addresses concepts and principles, while ISO 19650-2 addresses the delivery phase of assets and ISO 19650-3 addresses the operational phase. ISO 19650-5 addresses a security-minded approach to information management.
Select applicable standards based on the organisation's activities and contractual obligations rather than listing standards without explaining their purpose.
8. Step 6: Define Information Delivery and Responsibility
The OIR should clarify the organisational expectations that downstream information requirements must satisfy.
Establish who is accountable for defining, producing, checking, approving, and using information.
A responsibility matrix can help:
| Activity | Accountable role | Supporting role |
|---|---|---|
| Approve organisational needs | Executive sponsor | Asset management |
| Define asset information needs | Asset owner | Facility management |
| Define project information needs | Project director | Information manager |
| Produce project information | Appointed delivery team | BIM coordinator |
| Validate operational data | Asset information manager | Facility management |
The exact roles depend on the organisation's structure and appointments.
At this stage, focus on governance and accountability. Detailed deliverable schedules, appointment-specific exchanges, and model production responsibilities should be developed in the appropriate downstream documents.
9. Step 7: Create an OIR Register and Document Structure
Prepare a controlled OIR document supported by a register of individual requirements.
A practical OIR document structure includes:
Document purpose and scope.
Organisation profile and business context.
Strategic and operational objectives.
Stakeholder and information-user analysis.
Existing information assessment.
Information requirements register.
Information standards and governance.
Responsibilities and approval procedures.
Information security requirements.
Performance measures and validation.
Implementation roadmap.
Review and change-control procedure.
Recommended OIR register fields include:
Requirement ID.
Business objective.
Information requirement description.
Business justification.
Information user.
Decision or activity supported.
Required timing or trigger.
Quality and acceptance criteria.
Responsible owner.
Priority.
Related AIR, PIR, or EIR.
Review date and status.
Use unique identifiers so requirements can be tracked across projects and asset operations.
10. Step 8: Validate, Approve, and Implement the OIR
Before approval, review every requirement with its business owner and intended information user.
Check that each requirement is necessary, measurable, achievable, and linked to a documented business objective.
Ask whether the requirement can be fulfilled with the available technology, contractual arrangements, budget, and delivery capability.
Pilot the OIR on a representative project or asset. Test whether the resulting information supports the intended decisions and can be transferred into the organisation's reporting and operational systems.
Once validated, obtain approval from the designated authority and communicate the requirements to project and asset management teams.
The approved OIR should guide the development of related information requirements and the organisation's information management procedures.
11. Step 9: Monitor and Review the OIR
Organisational needs change as portfolios expand, regulations evolve, operational systems change, and new technologies become available.
Review the OIR at defined intervals and when significant business changes occur.
Useful performance indicators include:
Percentage of required information fields completed.
Percentage of accepted information exchanges.
Number of data-quality issues at handover.
Time required to retrieve asset information.
Percentage of maintainable assets with verified records.
Reduction in avoidable information rework.
Improvement in reporting completeness and reliability.
Set realistic targets based on a measured baseline. Record revisions, approval dates, and the reasons for changes so that the OIR remains a controlled organisational document.
Conclusion
Creating an Organisation Information Requirements document is a strategic information management activity, not simply a BIM documentation exercise. A well-developed OIR connects organisational objectives with the information needed to make decisions, deliver projects, and operate assets effectively.
By identifying business objectives, consulting stakeholders, assessing information gaps, defining measurable requirements, establishing governance, and implementing a structured review process, organisations can build a consistent foundation for BIM and digital transformation.
For owners, developers, contractors, EPC organisations, and facility managers, the greatest value of OIR comes from ensuring that information is collected for a defined purpose and remains useful throughout the asset lifecycle.
Lupiter Technologies LLP supports organisations with BIM advisory, information management, BIM implementation, and project delivery workflows. A structured OIR is a practical starting point for aligning business strategy with ISO 19650-based information management.
Call to action: Need help developing an OIR, AIR, PIR, or EIR for your organisation? Contact Lupiter Technologies LLP through www.lupitertech.com to discuss your BIM information management requirements.
