Start with a clean slate

One of the basic features of Simplebim is the trimming functionality. The first thought is to remove (trim) everything you don't need from the model. This way you won't waste any time examining, validating or analysing something you don't need.

However, it is often better to think the other way around. What if instead of removing what you don't need you would start with a clean slate and first remove everything and then add back all the data you need? This is almost the same, but not exactly.

The big difference is that when you remove what you don't need, you will not learn. Imagine you are sending a model to someone else or using a model yourself in a downstream application. If the model contains unnecessary information it is almost certain that you will not hear about it or notice it. This leads to a situation where you may use models with unnecessary information for years without ever noticing. But if you first remove everything and then add back what you need, you will get immediate feedback if you removed too much, if something that is needed is missing. At this point it is very easy to ‘relax the rules’ and add the required information back to the model. The feedback loop is fast and reliable, and the process automatically leads to an optimal data exchange.

Here are some things that you can consider cleaning from the model:

• Building elements
• Properties
• Type objects
• Classifications
• Groups
• Assemblies (simplify or remove)

What are your thoughts, which approach are you using?