This paper is based on findings resulting from ASHRAE Research Project RP-1609.

Reliable data exchange of building information between participants across the life cycle of a facility has been a goal of the buildings industry for decades. To date, less attention has been given to the benefits of data exchange supporting operations and maintenance (O&M) activities than has been given to design and construction activities. The primary objective of research project 1609 was to formally specify information exchange use cases for O&M work processes based on existing ASHRAE publications, documented according to the format of ASHRAE Guideline 20 (2016). Four use cases were developed from ASHRAE Guideline 4-2008 (RA13), ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 180-2012, the ASHRAE Service Life and Maintenance Cost database, and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 105-2014. A fifth combined use case, focused on asset management, was then developed from the first four. A user's guide was written to help practitioners implement a practical asset management program based on this combined use case. These products can be adopted by O&M professionals to bring building information modeling (BIM) techniques into their practice and make a significant contribution toward the longer-term goal of increasing ASHRAE involvement in adopting BIM technologies to support its members' work processes.