If you are a small or medium sized architecture practice using Revit, you have probably seen ISO 19650 appear in a tender, an EIR, or a consultant appointment and thought:
Do we actually need this?
Is this only for large firms?
Is this going to create more paperwork than design work?
ISO 19650 can sound intimidating. In reality, for small practices, it is far less about bureaucracy and far more about structured information management.
This blog post explains what ISO 19650 actually is, what it requires, and how it realistically applies to small architecture teams.
ISO 19650 is an international standard for managing information over the whole life cycle of a built asset using BIM.
In simple terms, it sets out:
It evolved from the UK PAS 1192 standards and is now used widely across the UK and Ireland, particularly on public sector and larger private projects. There is growing adoption of the standard across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and Asia.
However, its principles are not scale dependent. They are about clarity, structure, and accountability.
It is not:
For small practices, ISO 19650 is simply a framework that helps you organise project information in a consistent way.
You are likely encountering ISO 19650 because:
Even if you are not formally required to be “ISO compliant”, the language and structure of ISO 19650 are increasingly embedded into project documentation.
Understanding it gives you confidence and credibility.
At its heart, ISO 19650 is built around five core ideas.
1. Defined Roles and Responsibilities
It introduces roles such as:
In a small practice, these roles are often combined.
For example, the architect may act as:
ISO 19650 does not prohibit this. It simply requires that responsibilities are clearly defined.
2. A Common Data Environment
The Common Data Environment, or CDE, is a structured way of storing and sharing information.
Typically divided into:
For small teams, this may simply be a clearly structured cloud folder with defined permissions.
The principle is more important than the platform.
3. Standardised Naming Conventions
ISO 19650 sets out a structured naming format for:
This ensures information can be understood without opening the file.
For example, a drawing number may embed:
Project code
Originator
Level
Type
Role
Number
Suitability
This is one of the most practical and impactful aspects of the standard.
4. Information Delivery Milestones
Rather than issuing drawings ad hoc, ISO 19650 aligns information delivery with defined stages.
For architects in the UK and Ireland, this often aligns naturally with:
RIBA stages or equivalent planning and construction milestones.
The key idea is that information is delivered intentionally, not reactively.
5. Structured Review and Approval
Information moves through status codes such as:
Work in Progress
Suitable for Coordination
Suitable for Information
Suitable for Construction
This introduces clarity around what a drawing is actually suitable for.
It reduces risk.
In most cases, no.
There is no general legal obligation for small architecture practices to be certified to ISO 19650.
However:
What is typically required is not certification, but alignment in workflow.
This is an important distinction.
You do not need a framed certificate on the wall. You need structured information management.
When implemented proportionately, ISO 19650 can actually:
It formalises what many good practices are already trying to do informally.
Revit is already structured and data driven.
That makes it well suited to ISO aligned workflows.
The key is ensuring:
When these principles are embedded into your template, compliance becomes part of your workflow rather than an extra administrative layer.
This is where many small practices struggle. They attempt to apply ISO externally through documents, rather than internally through structured model setup.
The most common mistake is overcomplicating it.
ISO 19650 is scalable.
A two person practice does not need:
What it does need is:
Proportionate implementation is the key.
If your current system involves:
Then ISO 19650 is not extra work.
It is a solution.
Many of the practical requirements of ISO 19650 are directly connected to how your template is structured.
For example:
If these are considered at template level, alignment becomes seamless.
If they are not, implementation feels forced.
The goal is not to “do ISO”.
The goal is to embed structured information management into everyday design workflows.
ISO 19650 is not a corporate burden designed for large contractors.
At its core, it is about clarity.
For small and medium architecture practices, understanding the principles:
The key is applying it proportionately and intelligently.
In the next article, we will look at how to implement ISO 19650 step by step within a small Revit based practice, without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
