Managing Project Documentation for any significant construction project can be a daunting task. From the wide range of documents and data required, starting with original drawings and design plans through to final contracts and invoices. Managing all these documents and ensuring that they are accessible to the right people at the right time can be a significant challenge for any construction company. Collabor8online offers a solution to this problem, providing a centralised platform for storing, organising, and most importantly sharing documents with colleagues and other stakeholders working on the project.
Looking more closely at the benefits of using a construction document management system may be broken down as follows:
"A place for everything and everything in its place", in other words, centralised document storage or common data environment (CDE): One of the most significant advantages of a construction document management system is that it provides a centralised location for all project documents. This means that everyone involved in the project can access the most up-to-date versions from anywhere, any time. With all documents in one place and, with automatic version control, it's easier to ensure that everyone is working from the same set of documents, which will reduce errors and improve collaboration.
"Get organised": Managing construction project documents can be a complex task, especially when dealing with multiple projects and stakeholders. An online system, when correctly setup, can help simplify this process. Frequently, organisations have an existing folder structure, grouping documents together according to project stage, trade, profession or activity, when replicated online, this presents existing users with a familiar interface and simplifies navigation.
"Enhanced collaboration": Construction projects involve numerous stakeholders, including architects, engineers, contractors, sub-contractors and clients. An online system makes it easier for all these stakeholders to collaborate and share information. Documents can be easily shared with specific users or groups and changes made by one user are automatically updated for all other users, ensuring everyone is working with the most current version. This can help reduce the risk of miscommunication and mistakes, leading to a more efficient and productive project.
"Control who can see what": Construction project documents often contain sensitive information, such as designs, contracts, and financial records. Access to documents or any content can be restricted to specific users or groups. By having fine control over users' view, edit and delete permissions, the users' experience can also be greatly simplified. When they login, they only see the information that is relevant to them, shortening the learning curve and encouraging user uptake. Of course, for overall security, all documents can be encrypted both in transit and at rest, ensuring compliance with the most demanding security standards.
"See who did what and when": Having access to the latest version of any document is obviously essential, but for the project owner, knowing how the latest version was arrived at is equally important, the system provides a complete audit trail of document activity, allowing you to track who accessed documents and when.
"Streamlined and automated workflows": Construction projects involve numerous workflows, including design review, document approval and change management. An online construction document management system can help streamline these workflows, reducing the need for manual processes and paperwork. For example, documents can be automatically routed to the appropriate users for review and approval, with notifications sent to users when action is required. This can help reduce the time and effort required for these tasks, allowing project teams to focus on more important activities.
"Get there Faster": One of the primary benefits of automated workflows is that they can help speed up the processing of project documents. Instead of relying on manual processes, which can be slow and error-prone, automated workflows can route documents to the appropriate stakeholders automatically, based on pre-defined rules. For example, an automated workflow can automatically route a document for review and approval by the appropriate stakeholders, without the need for manual intervention. This can help reduce the time required to process documents and can help ensure that documents are processed more efficiently.
"Monitor deadlines with alarms and alerts": Working alongside automated workflows, enables project managers to quickly identify bottlenecks or blockages with regard to allocated tasks, such as those associated with document approvals, request for information (RFI's), snags (punch lists) or Procurement. Users may be prompted and reminded as tasks assigned to them become due and colleagues or supervisors may be alerted the series of escalating alerts or alarms, should any deadlines be missed.
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