What is Information Management
A plain English guide for estates and facilities professionals
Overview
Information management is the discipline of ensuring the right information is created,
structured, shared, and maintained throughout the life of a built asset. It covers everything from how data is named and organised during design and construction, through to how it is handed over to estates and facilities teams at practical completion and used to operate the building for decades to come.
For estates owners and facilities professionals, information management is not a technology
question. It is a governance question.
The technology (BIM software, asset registers, CAFM systems) is simply the mechanism.
What matters is whether the information that flows through a project and into operations is accurate, complete, structured and usable.
This guide explains what information management means in practice, why it matters for organisations that own and operate built assets, and how to establish effective information management on capital programmes and existing estate.
The cost of poor information - some examples
01
Asset registers are
incomplete
Maintenance programmes miss critical assets, leading to
reactive spend and compliance risk
02
CAFM imports fail or
require rework
Significant staff time is spent manually correcting data, delaying operational readiness
03
Information is not version-controlled
Conflicting document versions create confusion and potential liability
04
Data is locked in proprietary
formats
Switching CAFM providers or FM contractors becomes disproportionately expensive
Why Information Management matters
The opportunity cost
Beyond direct costs, poor information management affects strategic decision-making.
Estates directors who lack reliable asset data are unable to make evidence-based decisions
about planned maintenance, capital prioritisation or decarbonisation programmes.
Space managers without accurate floor area and room data cannot optimise utilisation. Building safety managers without a complete golden thread of information face significant compliance and liability exposure.
The regulatory dimension
In the UK, the importance of information management in the built environment has been reinforced by legislation and standards.
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduces a statutory duty on higher-risk buildings to maintain a golden thread of information a structured, accurate record of the building and the decisions made about it throughout its lifecycle.
ISO19650, the international standard for information management using building information modelling, sets out a consistent framework for how information should be specified, produced and exchanged on projects.
These requirements apply not only to contractors and designers, but to the organisations that commission and own buildings.
Estates owners who do not take an active role in defining their information requirements and managing the quality of information they receive are increasingly exposed to regulatory, financial and reputational risk.
The information lifecycle
Information management spans the entire lifecycle of a built asset, from initial briefing
through to decommissioning.
In practice, most organisations focus their information management activity around two critical points: project delivery and operational handover.
During project delivery
On capital projects, information management governs how the design and construction tea
produces, shares and maintains project information.
This includes:
Exchange Information Requirements (EIR): the client's specification of what
information they need, in what format and to what standard
- BIM Execution Plan (BEP): the contractor's plan for how they will meet those requirements
- Common Data Environment (CDE): the shared platform where project information is stored, reviewed and approved
- Information Delivery Plan: the schedule of what information will be produced and when
- Model and document reviews : the process by which the client checks information against their requirements
Without active information management during delivery, the project team will produce
information to their own standards which typically serve design and construction purposes but are not structured for operational use.
At handover
Handover is the most consequential moment in the information lifecycle for estates teams.
The information transferred at practical completion or more precisely, the quality of that information determines how effectively the building can be managed for decades to come.
Asset information at handover typically includes:
- Asset registers: Structured lists of maintainable assets with key attributes
- Operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals: Documentation covering maintenance
requirements, warranty information and operating procedures - As-built drawings: Updated drawings reflecting what was actually constructed
- Commissioning records: Evidence of system testing and performance
- Health and safety files: Documentation required under CDM regulations
- BIM models: Federated or individual models usable by FM teams
In practice, many handovers fall significantly short of what estates teams need.
Common failures include incomplete asset registers, O&M documentation that has not been structured to match the asset register, and drawing sets that have not been updated to reflect construction changes.
In operation
Information management does not end at handover.
A well-managed estate maintains the accuracy of its asset information over time, updating records when assets are replaced, capturing maintenance history, and ensuring that information remains accessible and usable as systems change.
Organisations that invest in post-handover information management benefit from:
- More reliable planned maintenance programmes
- Better-informed capital investment decisions
- Reduced dependency on individual staff knowledge
- Lower cost and risk when changing FM contractors or CAFM systems
ISO 19650 and Information Management
ISO 19650 is the international standard that defines how information should be managed on projects and assets using building information modelling (BIM).
Published in a series of parts covering concepts, project delivery and asset management, it provides a consistent vocabulary and process framework for information management across the built environment.
What ISO 19650 requires of clients
One of the most important aspects of ISO 19650 is that it places the responsibility for
defining information requirements on the appointing party (client) in most cases, the organisation that commissions and owns the building.
Under ISO 19650, the appointing party is expected to:
- Define their Organisational Information Requirements (OIR), the information they
need to achieve their business objectives - Develop Asset Information Requirements (AIR), the specific information needed to
operate and maintain their assets - Produce an Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) document, the project-level
specification of what information the supply chain must deliver - Establish acceptance criteria, the standards against which delivered information will
be checked - Manage information through the project reviewing, accepting and building on the
information produced
In practice, many organisations are unable to fulfil these responsibilities without specialist
support.
Developing information requirements that are sufficiently detailed to drive good practice from contractors, and robust enough to protect the client's interests, requires both
BIM expertise and a deep understanding of how the organisation actually uses its asset
information.
What good Information Management looks like
Organisations with effective information management share a number of characteristics.
They have a clear and documented set of information requirements that are applied
consistently across projects.
They have defined processes for reviewing and accepting information from contractors.
They have a structured asset information model that maps to their CAFM system and operational processes.
And they have governance in place to maintain the accuracy of that information over time.
For a capital project
On a well-managed project, information management is established at the very beginning during strategic definition and brief development rather than being addressed at the end.
The client's information requirements are included in procurement documentation, so they are priced and planned for from the outset. The contractor develops a BIM Execution Plan that sets out how those requirements will be met.
Information is reviewed at defined gateway points throughout delivery. And at handover, the client receives a structured package of asset information that can be imported directly into their CAFM system with minimal manual intervention.
For an existing estate
For organisations managing an existing estate rather than a live project, good information
management begins with understanding the current state of asset data.
An information audit establishes what information exists, where it is held, how accurate it is, and what gaps need
to be addressed.
From there, a programme of data improvement whether through condition surveys, CAFM data cleansing, or model development can be prioritised based on operational need and risk.
Common Information Management mistakes
Based on our experience across NHS trusts, universities, housing associations and other estates-owning organisations, the following are among the most frequently encountered failures in information management.
Leaving information management to the contractor
The most common and most consequential mistake is assuming that the contractor will manage information on the client's behalf. Contractors will produce the information they need to design and build. Without explicit requirements from the client, that information will rarely be structured in a way that serves operational needs.
Specifying information requirements too late
Information requirements defined after contractor appointment are difficult and expensive to enforce. By the time they are issued, the contractor has already established their processes and workflows. Structural changes to how information is produced at this stage create cost and programme risk. Information requirements should be part of the procurement package.
Accepting information without checking it
Many clients receive handover packages without checking whether the information meets their requirements. An O&M folder that looks complete on the surface may contain documents that are not linked to the asset register, use different naming conventions, or relate to different plant than what was installed. Formal information reviews at key project stages catch these issues while there is still leverage over the supply chain.
Treating handover as a one-time event
Handover is a process, not a moment. Information quality problems that are not addressed before practical completion become the estates team's problem. Organisations that front-
load their information management effort, establishing requirements early and reviewing information progressively through the project consistently receive better quality data at handover.
Not connecting project information to operational systems
Even when good quality information is delivered at handover, it is often not structured to align with the organisation's CAFM system. Asset classifications, attribute naming conventions and document formats used on the project may not match the data model of the system it needs to populate. Organisations that define their operational data requirements first, and work backwards into project requirements avoid this disconnect.
How to improve information management in your organisation
Improving information management does not require a wholesale transformation of how your organisation operates. Most estates teams see significant improvements from a small number of focused interventions.
Start with your information requirements
If you do not have a documented set of information requirements covering what asset
information you need, in what format, and to what standard developing one is the most
important step you can take. This is the document that drives everything else. Without it, there is nothing to hold contractors accountable to, and no consistent basis for reviewing what they deliver.
Define your asset data standard
Your asset data standard sets out the attributes you need for each asset type, the
classification system you use (typically Uniclass or NRM in the UK), and the format in which data should be delivered (typically COBie or a direct CAFM import specification).
Many organisations have the beginnings of this in their CAFM system configuration but have never formalised it in a way that can be shared with the supply chain.
Establish a review process
Deciding in advance how and when you will review information from contractors is essential.
At a minimum, this should include a mid-project review at information exchange points and a pre-handover review of the complete information package before practical completion.
Many organisations also build information reviews into gateway approvals, making the acceptance of information a formal condition of proceeding.
Audit your existing information
If you are managing an existing estate, understanding the current state of your asset
information is the necessary first step before any improvement programme.
An information audit assesses completeness, accuracy, consistency and accessibility producing a prioritised action plan for addressing the most significant gaps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is information management the same as BIM?
BIM is one of the mechanisms through which information management is delivered on
modern projects.
Information management is the broader discipline that governs what information is needed, how it should be structured, and how it should be maintained.
Not all information management involves BIM for example, managing the accuracy of an asset register in an existing CAFM system is an information management activity that may not involve any BIM software.
Do we need information management if we are not running a capital project?
Yes. Information management applies to the ongoing management of existing estates as
well as to new projects.
For estates teams, this includes maintaining the accuracy of asset registers, managing document libraries, and ensuring information is accessible and usable by FM teams and contractors.
The principles are the same whether you are managing a live project or a legacy estate.
Who is responsible for information management on a project?
Under ISO 19650, the appointing party typically the client organisation holds the
primary responsibility for defining what information is needed and ensuring it is delivered.
The contractor is responsible for producing information that meets those requirements. In
practice, many clients appoint a specialist information manager to act on their behalf
throughout the project.
What is the difference between an EIR and an AIR?
An Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) is a project-level document that specifies
the information the supply chain must deliver on a particular project.
An Asset Information Requirement (AIR) is an organisation-level document that specifies the information needed to operate and maintain assets across all projects. The AIR informs the EIR what you need operationally determines what you ask for on each project.
How long does it take to see the benefits of better information management?
The benefits of clear information requirements are typically felt immediately at handover estates teams receive better structured data that requires less manual remediation before use.
The longer-term benefits are improved maintenance planning, lower reactive
spend, better capital decision-making all typically become evident over the first one to
three years of operation.
What does a specialist information manager actually do?
A client-side information manager acts on behalf of the estates owner to define
information requirements, review and advise on contractors' BIM Execution Plans,
conduct information reviews at project milestones, and manage the handover of asset data into operational systems.
They work in the client's interest not the contractor's and bring both BIM expertise and an understanding of how information is used in operations.
About Lynefield
Lynefield is a client-side BIM and information management consultancy.
We work exclusively on behalf of estates-owning organisations including NHS trusts, universities, housing associations and other built asset owners to define their information requirements, manage the quality of information delivered by the supply chain, and ensure that information is usable by estates and FM teams from the moment a building is handed over.
Related Guides
The following guides from the Lynefield Knowledge Hub explore topics covered in this guide in greater depth:
• What is a Digital Twin?
• What are Organisational Information Requirements?
• What is an Asset Information Requirement?
• What is an Exchange Information Requirements document?
• What is a BIM Execution Plan?
• What is COBie?
• Why BIM handovers fail