The analytical method is a unique combination between quantitative measure and expert opinion. The quantitative measure works as follows. With each KPI, there are a number of possible answers. For each answer, a score is assigned. Each KPI also carries a certain weighting factor. The sum of all the partial scores after considering the weighting factors represents the total score of BIM performance of an organisation. The questionnaire is meant to be filled in by a Certified BIM consultant based on an observation of the organisation and an in-depth interview with the person in charge of BIM. This means that the expert opinions of the Certified BIM consultant contribute to the justification of the answers. This also means that misinterpretation of the KPIs or the questions by non-experts can be avoided since all BIM consultants carrying out the BIM Compass™ are certified by BIM Supporters, after being trained and after receiving clear guidelines about the content and methodology of the assessment tool.
The expert opinions become even more valuable for the analysis when the certified BIM consultant is experienced with the business operation of the assessed organisation. After analyzing the results of the report, an organisation will receive a total score. A certain score always represents a certain level of performance. For bench-marking purposes, the scores are always consistent, that is, two organisations with the same score are directly comparable in terms of BIM performance.