Core Concepts & Definitions

Activities are the core units of the digital twin — the building blocks used to track real progress on site. Each activity represents a trade visit — a piece of work carried out by a specific trade within a defined timeframe.

To set up these activities, Buildots uses the schedule to understand the intended sequence and timing, and the model to define the physical scope. In this way, each activity connects planning data from the schedule with related model elements, creating a direct link between what is planned and what is built.

An activity defines:

Some activities may also be configured as “Self-Tracked”, meaning they are updated manually by the site team. These are used only for specific tasks that can’t be captured visually (e.g., inspections, testing, commissioning).

Buildots groups model elements into Element Types — the units the system uses to track what has actually been built on site.

Element types are defined in a way that makes sense for managing work on site. This usually combines model properties (such as category, family, type name, or system classification) with how elements are actually installed. Each group represents a practical kind of built element — for example, internal drywall partitions, external concrete walls, or supply air ducts.

For MEP systems, elements may be grouped by system (e.g., chilled water, domestic water, gas) or by function (e.g., supply or return) — but only to the level that reflects how the work is carried out in practice. The grouping is flexible and determined together with the project team, so it supports site management without adding unnecessary detail.

Once model elements are grouped into element types and linked to activities, this relationship becomes visible in two key places within the Configuration Center:

A trade defines who performs the work on-site. It represents the group responsible for carrying out a specific scope of work — such as electrical, drywall, or plumbing.

In Buildots, each activity is assigned to a single trade. This ensures that progress data is clearly linked to who is doing the work, supporting accurate filtering, grouping, and reporting across the system.

Areas are the smallest spatial units used to track progress in the Buildots system. Each one represents a real location on site where a trade is assigned to perform work — for example, an apartment, corridor, or technical room.

Area definitions are based on GA plans and reflect how the site is organized during each project phase. In residential projects, each apartment is typically its own area, while corridors are usually grouped unless separated by lobbies or doors.

The same physical location may be grouped differently at different times. For example, an entire floor might be tracked as one area during the early-stage works and later divided into smaller units for finishes. This flexibility ensures that the tracking logic matches how the project is actually done on site.

Segments group areas into meaningful scopes of work, designed to reflect how progress unfolds and where risks may appear. Construction rarely follows a perfectly linear sequence — factors like dependencies, deliveries, or access limitations often mean that the same activity is completed in some areas while still pending in others. Segments help reflect this planned variability.

By segmenting the project, Buildots can track activities the way they’re actually executed on site. For instance, a drywall activity might appear to be only 60% complete overall — but when viewed by segment, it becomes clear that apartments are done and only corridors remain. This allows you to distinguish true delays from intentional scheduling.

Segments are not meant to mirror zones or visual layouts. Instead, they are structured to reflect meaningful scopes of work — typically groups of areas built together with similar activities sequence, and with shared dependencies.

By combining segments and areas, Buildots ensures that each activity is tracked in the right space, at the right time, and in a way that mirrors on-site realities.

In construction and BIM, a building system refers to a group of components that work together to support the building’s operation. Examples include ductwork, fire protection, or floor finishes. These systems are larger than individual elements or tasks — they represent an operational function within the building.

To reflect real progress accurately, Buildots uses schedule weighting — meaning that each activity. contributes to overall progress based on its planned duration.

This approach, common in tools like Primavera and PowerProject, ensures that larger or longer tasks have a greater impact than short or minor ones. For example, two activities planned for 10 days each would each count equally toward progress. But if one is later updated to 5 days, its weight — and impact on progress — is reduced.

For example, if Activity A and Activity B are each planned to take 10 days, and Activity A is fully complete while B hasn’t started, the system will show 50% progress for that location. But if the schedule is later updated and Activity A is shortened to 5 days, its contribution will decrease. The new progress for that same condition would now be 33%, since A accounts for a smaller share of the planned duration.

This prevents misleading results where small tasks distort the picture. Instead, progress reflects both how much work is planned and how much has been done.