Things That Sound Fantastic on Paper in Construction [Today: HOAI]

Welcome to the next chapter of our popular series „Things in construction that sound fantastic on paper – until they meet operational reality".

As a consultant who has been trying for what feels like an eternity to reconcile the worlds of passionate architects, pragmatic civil engineers, IT architects, and calculation-driven facility managers, I can assure you: The HOAI (German Fee Structure for Architects and Engineers) and a CAFM system share a deep-seated, classic love-hate relationship.

For the planner, the HOAI is simply the sacred legal basis basis for their fee calculation. For the facility manager, it is – if it is mapped reasonably well in the CAFM – the absolute only chance of survival to manage a construction project in such a way that it doesn't end up as a ton of unstructured data junk pile on their desk upon handover in performance phase 8 or 9.

Here is a small guide on how to anchor HOAI performance phases 1 to 9 so deeply in the CAFM that you don't drown in bureaucracy – and keep your sanity.

1. The data model is not a PDF repository (Seriously?)

The biggest and most expensive conceptual error that companies have reliably repeated for decades: They treat HOAI phases in CAFM like dusty folder structures on an old network drive, into which PDFs are simply dumped at will.

This gives you absolutely nothing in terms of transparency and control. An HOAI phase in CAFM is not a digital Leitz folder, but a dynamic, object-related status and process attribute. In plain English: Every component, every room, every single cost item, and every document must carry the DNA of the respective HOAI phase within it.

At its core, this is based on four pillars:

• Object-related properties: Rooms and MEP assets are assigned fixed phase attributes (e.g. LPH_Status = 3_Entwurf).

• Standardized workflows: There is no phase transition without digital approval and a gapless audit trail.

• Cost control according to DIN 276: The HOAI phases are directly linked to cost calculations. This way, you can see budget deviations between cost estimates, cost calculations, and final costs pop up on your dashboards in real-time.

• BIM Versioning: The IFC model is stored per HOAI phase as a frozen baseline with a unique approval ID.

However, there is a tough trade-off lurking here: If you pack too many data fields into one phase, If you choose too flat a structure, you won't be able to track later additions. The golden rule is therefore: as much granularity as necessary to secure costs according to DIN 276 and operator responsibility - but not a single meaningless alibi attribute more.

2. LPH 1 (Basic determination): Those who falter here will pay later

The mathematics of the construction industry is ruthless: every mistake you gloss over in Phase 1 out of convenience will cost you ten times the nerves and budget in Phase 8. In the preliminary planning, the digital room and functional book is already created in the CAFM. Here you define room programs, area approaches, target temperatures, and the initial cost framework.

However, the most important discipline in this phase is Data Dictionary, i.e., your governance for naming conventions. If the architect calls a room "Office 01", the MEP tool lists it as "R_101", and the CAFM system makes it "FL_EG_001", a Babylonian language chaos is guaranteed from Phase 2 onwards. Therefore, demand uncompromising adherence to a uniform data structure from the planning team as early as LPH 1. If the foundation isn't laid here, you'll only be able to correct it in Phase 5 with suppressed tears and exorbitant consulting costs.

3. LPH 2 & 3 (Preliminary & draft planning): The great detail trap

During preliminary and design planning, data transfer between BIM authoring tools like Revit or ArchiCAD and the CAFM engine runs at full speed. And this is precisely where the so-called detail trap snaps shut.

The buzzword of the hour is LOD (Level of Development). An architect raves in LPH 3 about highly complex geometry and wants to model every reinforcing bar in 3D (LOD 300). For CAFM, this geometric ballast is simply garbage. In this phase, CAFM primarily needs clean area calculations and initial technical data for cost estimation.

Link the IFC model directly to your CAFM master data, but filter it strictly to what is actually needed for later operation. Once the design planning is completed in LPH 3, set a freeze point and establish this status as a version. Any subsequent budget deviations must be immediately audited as change events.

A brief reminder for sobering up: BIM is not a magical guarantee for automatic cost savings in planning. BIM ensures data quality and transparency. Anyone who believes they can save money solely through the introduction of BIM from day 1 is suffering from a well-maintained loss of reality.

4. LPH 4 & 5 (Approval & execution planning): Where compliance hurts

In design stages 4 and 5, the focus shifts. It's no longer primarily about colorful areas and floor plans, but about inspection obligations, fire protection concepts, building permits, and execution details. The CAFM must now serve as a legally compliant archive where approved plans and automatic notifications to future operating trades are set up.

A classic from practice: If the engineer plans a fire damper in LPH 5 in a certain location, at which the facility manager would have to erect an 8-meter-high scaffolding in the middle of the staircase for later maintenance, the execution planning has failed. A CAFM-supported review workflow must intercept exactly such burned maintenance budgets before the first drill is used.

5. LPH 6 & 7 (Awarding): The encounter with market reality

In phases 6 and 7, beautiful theory meets the harsh reality of the market. Procurement data becomes central objects in the CAFM. Bills of quantities, GAEB files, and budgets are transferred into the system to make later amendments auditable.

The core task here is System Integration: Synchronize your tender data in the CAFM directly with your ERP system (like SAP). As soon as a bid is awarded to a bidder, the contract data, warranty periods, and agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) must be automatically assigned in the CAFM to the corresponding components and trades. Only then will you know years later who is liable for the leaking pipe.

6. LPH 8 & 9 (Monitoring & support): The hour of truth

This is where the hour of truth strikes. Construction supervision seamlessly transitions into object management. What is not completely structured now will disappear forever into the dark catacombs of neglected stacks of folders.

In this phase, four central tasks take the helm in the CAFM:

1. Mobile defect recording: Defects are recorded directly on-site via app and precisely anchored to the digital BIM object or room.

2. Document linking: Operating and maintenance manuals, declarations of conformity, and inspection certificates are precisely assigned to the respective MEP asset.

3. Automated maintenance plans: Based on manufacturer specifications and standards (such as DIN 31051), the CAFM automatically generates future maintenance orders on the day of official acceptance.

4. Warranty management: The system monitors the typical 4- to 5-year statute of limitations for defect claims and automatically issues an alert 6 months before the deadline for the final inspection.

7. The C-Level Conclusion (Or: How to Avoid Headaches)

Anchoring the HOAI in the CAFM is not a technical IT toy, but your only effective tool for long-term liability and construction cost minimization.

To ensure the next project doesn't end in chaos, the following should be mandatory reading for you:

• Approve Data Dictionary: Define naming conventions bindingly before the first pencil is sharpened in LPH 1.

• Anchor HOAI properties: Establish the LPH status as an absolute mandatory field in the data model.

• Specify BIM requirements: Unambiguously instruct planners which data must be delivered to the CAFM in which phase.

• Set up Gate Checks: No approval of the next phase without a successful audit trail and budget check according to DIN 276.

• Activate ERP interface: Mirror award and contract data from LPH 7 directly into financial systems.