Quality Management for Digital Model–Based Project Development and Delivery (2025)
Chapter: 1 BACKGROUND
CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND
This conduct of research report summarizes research completed as part of efforts of NCHRP Project 10-113, “Quality Management for 3D Model–Based Project Development and Delivery.” Implementation of 3D model–based delivery is redefining how Highway Agencies communicate, coordinate, review, and document project details during design and construction. Over the past decade, it has become a common practice to deliver 3D engineered models as supplemental information for construction, but State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and other Highway Agencies want to use model-based information as another medium for sharing the information contained in construction contract documents. However, no national guidelines exist for establishing a reproducible and repeatable process to perform quality management reviews and document review outcomes in a model-based environment. This study addressed two key challenges, first, the use of 3D models as a new way to review designs, and, second, the review of the 3D models themselves.
Objective
The research objective was to develop a guide that can serve as a national industry reference for quality assurance with 3D model–based project delivery and provides a consistent, repeatable, reproducible, and traceable quality management process that is equal to or better than existing paper-based processes.
Web-Only Document Structure
This document is structured to help readers understand in detail tasks undertaken by the research team. Chapter 2 provides a task-by-task description of the research approach and represents most of the document. Chapter 3 outlines findings and applications. Chapter 4 presents the conclusions and suggested future research.
