Your Ultimate Guide to a Document Management System

Why You Need to Manage Your Construction Documents

All construction documents— design documents, bidding documents, construction drawings and specifications, floor plans, build permits, and construction contracts—are all prepared in different ways.

Here, one of the biggest hurdles to managing all your construction documents involves stakeholders using different tools and processes. In fact, over 26% of construction firms say “none” of the software applications they use even integrate, according to JBKnowledge, the information technology services company.

This means project information is in various formats and often stored in multiple places, making information management a mammoth task.

To ensure your project stays on track, asset owners need a way to manage this complex process. When your organization adds construction document management, you can standardize how you collect, upload, manage, store, track, and share all information associated with a project.

Usually housed within a single, secure, central location, a document management solution allows you to share and collaborate on information with your wider project team. Document management can refer to both physical and digital document management.

For many of us, the days of organizing information in filing cabinets in office basements or rebooting a 20+-year-old computer to get information off a floppy disk are thankfully gone. Now, more and more construction organizations and projects utilize the cloud to manage their documents.

With construction moving to more digital ways of working—using document management and collaborative solutions—you may no longer have to grapple with countless sheets of paper. Instead, all of your project docs are held in one secure location.

7 Features Your Document Management System Needs

Today’s businesses are up against more challenges than ever. Global carbon neutrality targets and increased remote working due to the COVID-19 pandemic have seen technology become even more crucial in developing resilient business models.

Technology influences every aspect of modern-day business. However, as teams around the world grapple with siloed systems that cause data and workload duplication and vast global networks that make it hard to find the correct information when required, there is the struggle of how to best approach the workday.

Incorporating?a document management software?in your organization could have a profound impact on day-to-day tasks. It could also help reach crucial business goals – whether you’re looking to cust costs by reducing paper output to free up expensive office space, streamline processes, or just help your business to ‘go green’. The benefits are wide-ranging and can be felt throughout your organization immediately.

Although making the transition from traditional paper-based processes to digitizing your business can be difficult, there’s no better way to get things off the ground than to implement a well-designed?document management system.

Definition of a Document Management System

In simple terms, a Document Management System (DMS) refers to software that allows you to store and keep track of electronic documents. While this is the most basic function of any DMS, a comprehensive solution typically comprises of a variety of other features useful to any business seeking to propel themselves into the 21st century.

There are two forms of DMS. Firstly, a stand-alone DMS is a program designed with the sole purpose of assisting users with managing files and documents. Then there is a suite DMS, which includes a number of business-related tools, such as calendars, messaging, blogging, tracking etc.

Both forms of DMS are deemed suitable for any business wishing to upgrade from their traditional paper-based processes, and will help streamline communication, increase collaboration, and reduce risk and cost.

What are the main features of a good Document Management System?

1. Cloud Access

Employees need to upload and download documents at any time and any place, so cloud access is necessary.

2. Intelligent Organization

Working with multiple documents can quickly become problematic. Organizational hierarchy is one of the most important features?when choosing a DMS. Extensive search functionality like categorization and tagging are just two examples of how you will be able to find files quickly.

3. A user-friendly interface

For daily use, it’s important to make sure that the software features?an attractive user interface.

4. Robust search features

It’s essential to be able to search through all of your content and quickly find the document that is required. A?robust search engine can help you accurately browse the DMS, saving you a great deal of time.

5. Version control

Every DMS should feature?updates and different versions of files. A DMS system should save every version of a document when it’s uploaded, allowing you to go back in its history before crucial changes were made and save what might otherwise become a useless document.

6. Permissions

Permissions are necessary as they allow you to choose who can or can’t delete or change files and documents. Administrators can set specific permissions for every employee, helping to manage information and protect important documents from being altered.

7. Universal format support

The more formats the DMS can support, the better. This will ensure that there are no issues when using multiple software.

By the end of the day...

The management of information is different from business to business. It’s no secret that teams are often hindered by traditional paper-based solutions or inadequate cloud solutions that cause mistakes and delays to daily tasks and projects.

At its core, a DMS provides the foundations to start managing your files digitally. For organizations that have stored their files in cabinets for the last ten years, this can be a massive change; however, it is necessary to increase productivity, enhance collaboration, and reduce risk and cost. The benefits of implementing a DMS in your business are essential to today’s agile business models.

5 Ways You Win with Digital Construction Documents

The construction industry is undergoing dramatic change. Though known for its static ways, the industry has begun to embrace technology, including digitization.

This change can’t come fast enough. Consider some of the challenges the industry regularly faces.

Construction projects often go over budget and require extra time. The bigger the project, the more likely it will eat into your costs or be delayed. In fact, 98% of mega projects experience these issues.??

Another challenge to the industry is sluggish labor-productivity growth. The global average for the construction industry has been stuck at 1% for the past two decades, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. Other industries have grown an average of 2.8%.

But digitization is a game changer that offers the industry many advantages and allows it to overcome longstanding challenges. Let’s look at some benefits of making the transition to digital construction documents.

1. Make Going Green Easier

Multiple people on a construction project will need simultaneous access to the most up-to-date construction documents. From the field to the office, printing enough copies for everyone is cumbersome—especially on large projects. Plus, projects create a lot of documents—including drawings, bid documents, plans, contracts, invoices, permits, and reports.

Printed construction plans alone can require reams of paper, as each copy can run hundreds of pages. Now, think about a large infrastructure project. The Associated General Contractors reported that these projects could require up to 55 million documents.

With countries, businesses, and individuals striving to be more environmentally friendly, printing construction documents is a poor business practice.

Digitizing construction documents is an example of green business practice. It’s a simple, yet impactful way to reduce the use of natural resources.?

Another benefit of going paperless is you no longer require space to store documents. That can translate to a more spacious office or smaller, less expensive office space. Cost savings also come from eliminating the need for paper and ink.

2. Keep Projects Organized & On Track

With everything at our fingertips via the internet, searching for information manually can be frustrating and a waste of valuable time.

One survey found that a typical employee spends more than 25% of their workday searching for information needed to complete their job. Imagine how much more productive you could be if the information were easily accessible.

What drawer is it in? Is it in my truck? Did I leave it at home? Finding construction paperwork may take time. If the information is digitized, you can easily access it wherever you have access to the cloud.

In addition, when you have digital plans, you don’t have to rifle through them to find the information you’re seeking. Digitized information can be searched more quickly and easily (than a paper copy). More importantly, you will always have the most up-to-date plans, drawings, submittals, and RFIs.

Digitizing construction documents keeps employees organized and allows them to spend more time working and less time searching for the information they need to get the job done.

3. Creates a Single Source of Truth

Trying to keep track of design reviews, change orders, expenses, and more are all part of the complexity of any construction project. Each stage of construction—from pre-construction to construction and close-out—can mean multiple versions of many documents.

Keeping the entire team on the same page is hard. When work is done on paper and there are multiple sets of information, you have a recipe for confusion and chaos. Version control becomes a nightmare.

Keeping everyone on the same page with digitization is significantly simpler than having everything on paper. The plans can be “stored” in the cloud and stand as a single source of truth.

With one source of truth, the entire team is focused on the same information and is up to date. All the stakeholders are looking at the same plans, so their input or insight is based on the current plan. Changes are documented, so the team is alerted to them, and they can adjust as necessary. Just think about supply chain issues, and long-lead items as delivery schedules may have to change on the fly.

Digitization keeps everyone on the same page, increasing productivity and decreasing frustration.??

4. Adds Transparency & Accountability

It takes a team to bring a construction project to fruition. Throughout each construction phase, multiple people/entities are involved—whether it’s a roofing subcontractor or someone delivering scaffolding to the jobsite.

One characteristic of a good team is accountability. A project has a greater chance of success when each team member carries their weight and meets expectations.

Digitization helps hold team members accountable. When changes are made on paper, it might be unclear who made what changes and when. This can lead to frustration and finger-pointing.

When construction documents are digitized, changes can be tracked. Everyone knows who made what changes to the plan and when they were made. It’s clear when deadlines are met and missed.

If a team member has a question, they can easily determine who they need to speak with if the documents are digitized. This transparency speeds up the process and encourages the team to work as one, rather than remaining siloed.

5. Secure Your Documents in Cloud

Construction documents are valuable. Creating them is time-consuming. Re-creating them—because they were lost or destroyed - adds time and money to a project.

Documents may also include sensitive information that needs to be guarded. Lost or stolen documents can mean sensitive information falling into the wrong hands. No one wants to tell their clients they’ve put their data at risk.

Tracking multiple paper copies of plans can be difficult. Indiscriminately distributing copies of construction documents could lead to lost copies.

If documents are digitized, they can be stored in the cloud, eliminating the threat of losing them and the challenge of tracking them. However, with cloud storage cybersecurity must be considered. So, best practices related to keeping electronic files safe need to be followed when data is digitized as well.

Digitized documents stored in the cloud can’t be destroyed. They can be easily sorted through and reviewed. Copies don’t need to be restricted or tracked, which means all team members can access the plans whenever they need to. Very convenient!

Increased access improves project workflows and can lead to faster project delivery times.

Digitizing Improves Project Delivery

In the construction industry, too many firms have failed to move fully into the digital age. While they use laptops, tablets, mobile phones, they still see themselves tethered to a massive number of printed documents, instead of harnessing the power of digital data.

According to Construction Business Owner, 70% of businesses would fail in three weeks if they experienced a catastrophic loss of paperwork.

Today, construction companies need to digitize construction documents. The wide-ranging benefits positively impact the business on many fronts, most importantly their potential to improve profit margins.??

It’s time to end the historical twin challenges of project delivery—on time and on budget. Construction companies that digitize documents are taking a step in the right direction, and they’re bound to see better results. It’s a simple solution that will go a long way.

How can a Document Management System Save You Time and Money?

Over-budget and off-schedule are two phrases no one in the construction industry wants to hear. However, projects regularly run over their allotted time and end up costing a lot more than budgeted. According to global construction industry statistics, 90% of global infrastructure projects are either over-budget or delayed.

These issues arise for many reasons—poor project management, design flaws, and poor communication. When you drill down into the root causes, you will find not having the right project management tools, such as a Document Management System (DMS) could cost your project millions.

For example, a DMS provides efficient and effective project management. Organizing your construction documents keeps your project on track and out of the red.

If you’re interested in adopting a DMS, here are seven ways a DMS can save you time and money:

?1. Lower costs

The volume of paperwork generated by any project is considerable and often requires extensive storage solutions. Moreover, the paper itself can be very expensive. Switching to a DMS means using less paper to dispense information, which, in turn, avoids the need to pay for additional office space or storage.

2. Save time

A DMS provides 24/7 easy access to documents and the most recent information from any location – a real upgrade from overfilled filing cabinets. Robust indexing capabilities ensure that you know exactly where everything is at all times.

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3. Quick deployment

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Making the transition from paper to digital documents can be difficult; however, there’s no better way to get things off the ground than to implement a well-designed?DMS. Deploying a DMS is straightforward so there’s no need for concern over losing valuable time during the transition.

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4. Simple updating process

Much like the concerns surrounding the deployment of new technologies, organizations are often put off by the need to update software. With a DMS solution, maintenance is the responsibility of the provider and any updates should occur in the background to not disrupt work.

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5. Increased productivity

While saving you time, a DMS provides a centralized location for the creation and management of documents and valuable information. Rapid searching, sorting, and filtering of information means that it can be sourced, collaborated on, and presented with ease.

6. Highly Secure

Security will always come into question when dealing with classified or confidential information. Additionally, the fact that paper can be easily stolen or destroyed means that crucial documents could be compromised at any time. A DMS uses version control to ensure that original files are never lost and that all changes are auditable.

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7. Consistent with green business practices

Organizations need to consider sustainability to adhere to growing standards surrounding “green” business practices. Reducing the impact on the environment isn’t always easy, so implementing a DMS is a big step in the right direction. Both the digitization and digitalization processes are a vital component of an environmentally friendly business model.?

No matter the type of business or industry you operate in, you are able to gain significant time and cost efficiencies by adopting a Document Management System. In an increasingly digital world, it is integral that businesses adopt emerging technologies in order to boost their productivity and security online

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