Information management
Quick definition: The set of processes for specifying, producing, checking, sharing, storing and handing over information about a built asset so that the right people have reliable information when they need it.
Explanation
Beginner explanation
Every project produces thousands of models, drawings, reports and data records. Information management is the discipline of deciding what information is needed, who produces it, when it is due, how it is named and checked, and where it lives — so nobody builds from an out-of-date drawing.
Technical explanation
The ISO 19650 series frames BIM as one way of carrying out information management across the life cycle of an asset. The process starts with the appointing party's requirements (Organizational information requirements, Asset information requirements, Project information requirements and Exchange information requirements), continues through delivery planning (BIM execution plan, Master information delivery plan, Task information delivery plan) and production in a Common data environment, and ends with checking, acceptance and transfer of information into the Asset information model.
The draft second editions of ISO 19650-1 and -2 (2026) shorten the part titles to "Information management", reflecting the shift in emphasis from modelling to information management generally; these drafts are not yet published standards.
Practical example
A school board appoints an information manager for a new elementary school. The information manager drafts the exchange information requirements, sets the naming convention and status codes for the CDE, reviews each delivery team's execution plan, and runs acceptance checks on every information delivery milestone before the board signs it off.
Why it matters
Poor information management shows up as rework, disputes over which revision was current, missing handover data and duplicated effort. Clear processes make responsibilities auditable and information trustworthy.
Standards and references
- ISO 19650-1:2018 — Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management using building information modelling — Part 1: Concepts and principles. ISO, 2018. Clauses 4–5 (concepts).Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
Supports: Information management concepts across the asset life cycle · Status: Stage 90.92 (to be revised). Revision ISO/DIS 19650-1 at stage 40.93 on 2026-08-18 (decision for new DIS ballot). - ISO/DIS 19650-1 — Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management — Part 1: Concepts and principles (draft). ISO, 2026.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
Supports: Draft second edition retitled "Information management — Part 1" · Status: Draft. Not citable as requirements. Monitor for publication. - ISO/DIS 19650-2 — Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management — Part 2: Information management process (draft). ISO, 2026.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
Supports: Draft second edition of Part 2 retitled "Information management process" · Status: Draft. Proposed retitling of Part 2. Monitor for publication.
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 management. In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/information-management/