Document controllers play a vital role in the whole lifecycle of a complex construction project. They have a wide range of responsibilities including controlling company and project documentation, following and improving document control procedures and ensuring all documentation meets project requirements and required standards.
They also have responsibility in most cases for sorting, storing and retrieving electronic and hard copy documents on behalf of clients, contractors and industry professionals, producing an array of document progress reports for senior managers and conducting regular reviews and document audits.
A popular tongue in cheek line from document controllers is “If you didn’t document it, you didn’t do it.” and when document control isn’t done well it can have negative impacts such as the following:
- Wasted time searching for hard-to-find documents
- Wasted money spent recreating lost documents
- Duplication of documents
- Lack of version and revision control (are you looking at the latest revision?)
- Lack of consistency in documentation creation, modification, distribution and storage.
- Costly delays to project turnover
In short, document control helps you ensure that the right person has access to the right document at the right time, time and time again. Thankfully in the digital age we live in there is powerful construction management and commissioning software available that can make a difficult job easier. The next question is, what should document controllers look for when making a decision on what software to go with?
Document Control
As a document controller you want to be able to store, track and manage all your construction documents and drawings on a single centralised platform. This platform needs to be able to accommodate integration with other software’s that are being used and be user friendly and precise enough to get buy-in and commitment from the relevant contractors and suppliers. It also helps to be able to work on-the-go, in the field and in real-time.
EIDA software delivers this and also enables you to store all design & construction documentation, send documents back and forth to equipment vendors and trade contractors. It has a transmittal alert on new revisions which is vital so that everyone is working off of the most up to date documents.
EIDA is also designed to take full advantage of project metadata, tagged items within P&IDs, isometrics and general arrangements are searchable, providing users with targeted information in seconds. As the document controller you will have full confidence that all users have the most up to date & correct documentation.
Example of EIDA Document dashboard
Communication
Communication is one of the main predictors of success in projects. Good communication helps avoid delays, rework, and costly misunderstandings. It helps strengthen important relationships and team management and improves collaboration and feedback.
Clear, well defined communication paths and workflows are important and document controllers should have a software that facilitates all that and more. EIDA specialises in capturing the communications, correspondence and revisions that will occur on 1000’s and sometimes hundreds of 1000’s of documents. From a project point of view it covers:
- RFI’s
- Vendor & trade contractor submittals
- Permits
- Opes
- NCR’s
- Project Change Control (PCC)
Workflows
All the above, to function successfully, potentially require complex project specific workflows. EIDA provides the ability to create robust and logical workflows which allow real time monitoring of turnaround time of each workflow team which reduces project delays. Workflows also allow for the management of site Permit to Work and vendor document requirements (VDR).
Data Security
Data security involves safeguarding digital information throughout its entire life cycle to protect it from corruption, theft, or unauthorised access. It is a growing concern in the digital age so there should be options to have all of your project data stored on your own dedicated server and following the very best and thorough system security, privacy and backup policies.
In conclusion, this article has highlighted some of the considerations that document controllers should have when choosing a construction management software. Speak to one of our senior consultants who understand the unique pressures of the role and find out how EIDA can help you win.