Chapter 5 – Use cases

buildingSMART Austria is not a client for openBIM projects and therefore does not specify any use cases in its AIA. The use cases to be implemented in an openBIM project must be defined by the client in the AIA. This can be done in a reduced textual form, as each use case can be further specified by the input of the project members involved in the use case – but only after they have been commissioned in the BAP.

The selection of use cases should be based on the project objectives. If, for example, “high cost certainty” is defined as a project objective, a use case for “model-based quantity/mass determination” should be specified. The most accurate possible quantity/mass determination is also based on having as few cross-disciplinary model collisions as possible in the specialist models. A use case for “breakthrough planning” therefore also makes sense.

Finding such interdisciplinary model collisions is not a use case, but part of BIM quality assurance (coordination). Listing BIM coordination and BIM planning as a use case would not correspond to the definition of a use case, as both topics are fundamental prerequisites for all use cases. They are therefore to be regarded as an overarching basic component of an openBIM project.

Possible examples of use cases can be found in the “BIM use cases for public sector clients” in the current version, see also the KnowledgeBase of buildingSMART Austria. The contents listed there represent the use cases jointly developed by the public sector clients in Austria and should be regarded as a basis. Each client who refers to these should further formulate them with regard to their own requirements.

The following applies to all applications:

Use cases use the openBIM method to define the processes to be carried out in the project. They include:

• the basic description of the use case
• the project participants (BIM role models and other relevant)
• the individual actions to be carried out
• the result to be achieved for the use case

in order to achieve the project objectives (see section 3.1). The use cases always relate to model-based use (specific content of one or more business models) or model-supported use (e.g. evaluations or derivations of business models).

The use cases are carried out on the basis of the reconciliation cases (see section 4.5.3):

• Coordination between individual planning participants = coordination between two planning participants to clarify planning situations or to exchange information.
• Coordination of overall coordination meetings = ongoing coordination of specialist model content (BIM quality assurance)
• Coordination of phase ends/milestones = release of technical model content for use in other software (e.g. evaluations, simulations, etc.) or for submission as part of BIM quality assurance.

In principle, the required information content can be assigned to each use case. If it is alphanumeric information, this is recorded in the LOI. For the geometric formulation of model elements, the LOG contains this information. The documentation (DOC) lists all required documents and records.
The use cases therefore form the basis of the LOIN (Level of Information Need, ISO 7817-1 and 2).

To be considered a use case in a set of rules, an LOI is always required, it must be possible to assign a LOG, and at least the technical models are part of the DOC. If a task does not contain a dedicated LOI, it is not listed as a use case in the set of rules (e.g. quality assurance using test routines as part of overall coordination is not a use case, as quality assurance only checks the LOG and the LOI for a use case listed in the set of rules – but does not request this independently).

Publication from Krischmann, T., Malzer, W.: buildingSMART Austria Standard-AIA. Edition 2026.

Status: 17.02.2026