Information delivery manual (IDM)
Quick definition: A method, standardised in ISO 29481-1, for documenting which information must be exchanged between which parties at which point in an asset's life cycle, starting from a defined use case.
Explanation
Beginner explanation
An IDM describes a business process — for example "energy analysis at design stage" — and spells out exactly what information has to pass between people and software for that process to work.
Technical explanation
ISO 29481-1 sets out the methodology and format. An IDM documents a use case with its business context (often as a process map), identifies the exchange requirements at specific points in the life cycle, and specifies the information content of each exchange. Exchange requirements can then be implemented technically — for example as IFC model view definitions or IDS files. The third edition, ISO 29481-1:2025, replaced the 2016 edition in November 2025.
Practical example
A transit agency develops an IDM for "track maintenance planning", mapping the hand-offs between design, construction and operations, then implements the exchange requirements as an IDS used to check every handover model.
Why it matters
IDMs make requirements traceable to real processes, helping avoid generic "deliver everything" requests.
Standards and references
- ISO 29481-1:2025 — Building information models — Information delivery manual — Part 1: Methodology and format. ISO, 2025.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
Supports: IDM methodology: use case, business context, exchange requirements; third edition published 2025-11-24 replacing 2016 edition · Status: Published 2025-11-24; replaces ISO 29481-1:2016.
VDC Stack.io writes its own explanations and does not reproduce copyrighted standards text. Consult the cited standard for normative wording.
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VDC Stack.io. (2026). Information delivery manual (IDM). In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/information-delivery-manual/