The IfcSharedMgmtElements schema defines basic concepts that are common to management throughout the various stages of the building lifecycle. The primary classes in the schema are all subtypes of IfcControl and act to manage or regulate the conduct of the project in some way. This schema, along with IfcProcessExtension and IfcConstructionMgmtDomain, provide a set of models that can be used by applications needing to share information concerning management related issues.

Scope

The IfcSharedMgmtElements schema forms part of the Interoperabiity Layer of the IFC Model. The objective of the IfcSharedMgmtElements schema is to capture information that supports the ordering of work and components and the development of cost schedules . The aim is to provide support for exchange and sharing of minimal information concerning the subjects in scope; the extent of the model will not support the more detailed ideas found in more specialized management applications.

The following are within the scope of this part of the specifications::

• Principal types of order that may be used in the project and whose details need to be captured for the project including purchase orders, change orders and work orders.
• Schedules of costs (cost estimates) and budgets from the cost information attached to objects.

The following are outside of the scope of this part of the specifications:

• Transaction details that may be supported by or support electronic commerce.

Process Usage

Project Orders

All types of order contain a basic set of attributes that enable the identification of the order, who it is issued by, who it is issued to and when it is issued. These are the fundamental requirements of an order.

Three types of project order are defined:

• Change Order
• Purchase Order
• Work Order

Change Order

The change order provides details of when an instruction is given to make a change in the project. It includes a description of the change and the reasons for it occurring. It may relate various documents to the change requirement. A change order will also have time constraints expressed as requested start and finish time and these are paralleled by the actual times at which the change is started and finished. Chnage orders may also be constrained by a cost estimate and a work plan can be associated in which the various tasks and resurces required can be exposed.

Purchase Order

The purchase order can handle information concerning any type of purchase including both component and services purchases. Individual items within the purchase order are referenced from a cost estimate against which individual costs can be assigned. The purchase order also captures some information about logistics including shipping method (where a component is required).

Work Order

The work order provides a general approach to capturing information cncerning an instruction given to do work. Various individual types of work order may be further defined in domain schema (e.g. maintenance work order).

Cost Schedule

A cost schedule provides the means to bring together costs to develop a cost estimate or cost plan. As with any type of schedule, the cost schedule has a title and its authors are identified. Because costs can vary, the schedule may be assigned a range of dates between which it is valid.

Each line in a cost schedule is considered to be a cost in which individual a number of items having the same cost value can be extended to give a total cost for that item type.

Ccost schedules can be nested so that complex, multi-part cost estimates or cost plans can be defined. Similarly, costs can be nested so that that an individual cost estimate or cost plan can be broken down into elemental parts (e.g. brickwork, builders work, fluorescent ligyt fittings etc.).