International Data Standards for the Capital Projects Industry: Selector Tool and Implementation Guidance

Standards governing data creation, formats, and exchange for capital projects and handover to operations are numerous and complicated. A central body of knowledge regarding standards does not exist, and companies can spend years in discovery alone. These conditions impede the value data standards can bring and reduce the benefits broader efforts in digitization can provide.

In response to this challenge, RT-415 reviewed 143 data standards and categorized them into Core, Niche, Supporting, and Foundational. It identified 14 Core and 17 Niche standards that are primarily used for project data capture and exchange. Supporting and Foundational standards are important and likely already in use for their specific functions. To help select applicable Core and Niche data standards, RT-415 developed metadata that are put into an ExcelTM-based Data Standard Selection Tool offering sorting by project phase, function, CII Best Practice, and use cases. The Tool is designed to be easily editable, enabling easy updating and customization to organizational needs.

Furthermore, the research team identified fifteen Critical Success Factors for data standards implementation in organizational, contractual, and technical areas. The team finds these Critical Success Factors are not present frequently enough on projects and recommends the list be used to audit project and enterprise implementations to increase successful implementation.