Construction document management control might not sound glamorous, but ask anyone who does the job and they’ll tell you it’s critical to the success of construction projects.
As contractors move from pen and paper to digital, paperless operating environments, they have found a variety of solutions for document management available to them, some more sophisticated than others.
Still, many contractors use a mix of paper and digital documents, and even if they’ve gone fully digital, they may rely on several different software applications.
A recent survey found many contractors still rely on basic digital tools like spreadsheets to manage their projects.
On the whole, this trend toward digital is good. It means contractors want to make documents more accessible to their teams. But for real success with document control in construction to happen, we need to identify what that work encompasses and focus on solving the remaining challenges of document storage and accessibility.
What is construction document management control?
Construction document management is the general process that a construction manager or project manager might use to organize and store contracts, blueprints, permits and other documents necessary to day-to-day operations.
These days, filing cabinets have been replaced in many construction firms with construction software that digitizes data and assists with storing and sharing it quickly with those who need it in the field via electronic forms, dashboards, plans, drawings, specs and much more.
Construction document management styles may differ from individual to individual, but the best practices we’ve laid out below can help construction managers identify the best ways to ensure no one is left hanging when they need information.
What are the challenges of traditional construction document management control?
Document management is not a trivial thing. Contracts, compliance documentation, job costs and financial data, drawings and specs and more all ensure a project is carried out according to plan. These documents play a fundamental role in construction. But many common challenges arise related to document management, even in modern construction organizations:
