The Common Data Environment is the single trusted location where all project information lives during the delivery and operational phases. ISO 19650 defines four mandatory states for every information container in the CDE: Work in Progress, Shared, Published, Archived. Every BIM project needs a CDE and every container must move through these states.
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The Four Mandatory States
Every information container must be in exactly one state at any time. Movement between states is one-way (with exceptions for rejection).
State / Item Owner Purpose Access Moves To Example 1. WIP (Work in Progress) Author / Task Team Active authoring, not yet ready for collaboration Author has full read/write; nobody else → Shared (after self-check + suitability assignment) Architect editing the working Revit central file 2. Shared Author + Recipients Collaboration — others can reference for coordination but cannot edit Read-only to the rest of the project team → Published (after authorisation by appointing party) OR → WIP (rejected, needs rework) Architect's IFC export pushed for structural & MEP coordination 3. Published Appointing Party (signed off) Authorised, contractual deliverable Read-only, signed-off version → Archived (at project close-out or supersession) Stage 4 Tech Design report — issued for client approval 4. Archived Project record Historical record / audit trail Read-only forever Terminal state All published containers at project close-out, plus superseded versions
Suitability Codes (when moving WIP → Shared)
Every container must be assigned a suitability code when shared, indicating what it CAN be used for. Common scheme:
State / Item Owner Purpose Access Moves To Example S0 — Initial status — not for use — — Just-uploaded, before any team review S1 — Suitable for coordination — — Used for clash detection only S2 — Suitable for information — — For reference/context only — not for design decisions S3 — Suitable for review and comment — — Mid-stage formal review point S4 — Suitable for stage approval — — Submitted for stage gateway approval S6 — Suitable for PIM authorisation — — Becomes Published S7 — Suitable for AIM authorisation — — Operations handover
Information Container Naming Convention (BS 1192 / ISO 19650-2 Annex)
Recommended naming structure — adapt the field count to project scale
State / Item Owner Purpose Access Moves To Example Field 1: Project — Project code — — PRJ001 Field 2: Originator — Lead appointed party / task team code — — ABC (architect company code) Field 3: Volume / System — Building / zone / system — — ZZ for project-wide, B01 for Block 1 Field 4: Level — Floor level — — 01 for Level 1, ZZ for project-wide Field 5: Type — Information type — — M3 for 3D model, DR for drawing, RP for report Field 6: Role — Discipline — — A=architect, S=structural, M=mechanical, E=electrical, P=plumbing Field 7: Number — Sequential — — 001, 002, 003 Example — Full filename — — PRJ001-ABC-ZZ-ZZ-M3-A-001 = project-wide architect 3D model
Popular CDE Platforms (verified to exist)
State / Item Owner Purpose Access Moves To Example Autodesk Construction Cloud (BIM 360) Autodesk Most-used CDE in India — — Native Revit integration Aconex Oracle Document management heritage; large infrastructure projects — — Used by NCRTC RRTS Bentley ProjectWise Bentley Systems Strong in infrastructure, civil, plant — — Used with OpenBuildings, OpenRoads Asite Asite Solutions UK origin, ISO 19650 native — — Used by some Indian developers Dalux Dalux Field-friendly, mobile-first — — — Trimble Connect Trimble Strong with Tekla — — — Procore Procore PM heritage, BIM module — — — BIMcollab / Solibri — Issue management within CDE — — Plugs into the CDE for clash workflow
CDE Setup Checklist (post-appointment BEP)
State / Item Owner Purpose Access Moves To Example Choose platform Lead Appointed Party Per BEP — — List in BEP Section 5 Configure folder structure Information Manager WIP / Shared / Published / Archived folders — — Apply access permissions per role Set up naming convention enforcement Information Manager Auto-validate uploads — — Reject files that don't match convention Configure suitability codes Information Manager S0–S7 dropdown on every upload — — — Test with mobilisation upload Each Appointed Party Activity 5 of ISO 19650-2 — — Don't start production work until CDE is tested Train all users Lead Appointed Party Pre-production — — Include subcontractors, manufacturers Document audit trail policy Information Manager Activity 8 archival — — Who can delete what, when
Notes
• CDE is mandatory under ISO 19650 — 'I just use Dropbox' is non-compliant
• WIP → Shared transition is the most common dropped step — discipline matters
• Once Published, NEVER edit — supersede with a new revision instead
• Naming convention must be enforced by tooling, not by goodwill
• Suitability codes prevent the 'I thought your model was final' disaster
• Plan archival from day one — at close-out you'll have terabytes of data to preserve
• On Indian projects, DDC / VDC / BIM Manager roles overlap — define them clearly in the BEP
• Backup: keep an offline CDE export every milestone — cloud platforms can lose data
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