Construction Management System: Project Documentation

It goes without saying that managing a construction project is no joke. Being a construction project manager is a huge responsibility as you are basically in charge of it all: workflow, tasks, materials, delivery, budget, deadlines and much more. If you are not particularly thick-skinned or persistent, it can definitely get overwhelming after some time. This is why it is of utmost importance to invest in construction management software, which offers project document control that will help you be on top of everything.

What is Document Management in Construction

Document Management is a system used to capture, track and store electronic documents such as PDFs, word processing files and digital images of paper-based content.

Whether you work in construction or not, we all know how tiresome and unpleasant managing documents can be. Not only does it involve most of your precious time, but it also requires some outstanding organisational skills from your part. As we are all well aware no one is born a manager or a great planner - you gradually learn certain things from formal training, experiences and practice. There are however some areas that function better when automated and document management is certainly one of them.

Well, let’s be honest, no one joins the construction industry with a sole purpose to take care of documentation unless you are a qualified construction document control manager. Managing construction documents, such as various contracts, permissions, subcontractors, customer specifications, supplier budgets, plans or data is a challenging task and cannot be found on anyone’s wishlist (again unless you love being constantly challenged at work). If not, no worries! This is where you’ll be looking for project document control software.

A Good Construction Document Control Software: Features

As we have already established what a project documentation is, we need to emphasise how much significance and impact it has for a given project.

Before we go into details, let’s just state that a proper construction management system should always come with a project documentation solution. And, while there is no doubt whatsoever about its beneficial influence on a construction project, the question you should be asking yourself at the moment is how to distinguish an effective project documentation system from a poor one?

To facilitate the process of looking for your dreamy project document management system, we created a list of features that will help you recognise and tell apart a good project documentation option and a bad one. Take a look:

The Features of an Efficient Document Management System

• Central Repository – for all the documents necessary throughout the project’s lifecycle;

• Repository for each project – a separate folder for every new construction project, allowing you to store project-specific data in one place;

• Flexibility – creating and adding multiple files in an easy way, as well as managing the already uploaded data all in one, project-assigned place;

• Availability – all data and introduced changes are automatically synced to other web-enabled devices, making it easy to view and share them from wherever you are on any device connected to the network;

• Accessibility – every single document can be assigned its place in a project-specific folder, so that it is easily accessible by the right staff in the right department;

• Integration with the critical construction processes;

The Benefits of Construction Document Management

We have already stressed plenty of times in this article the importance of integrating a project documentation management system with your construction company. Here is why:

• 01

  Helps Reduce Spend
  Cost overrun haunts everyone, even the most experienced project construction managers. It should not come as a surprise as it turns out that 9 out of 10 projects end up exceeding their original budget. Thanks to implementing a construction document management process, you will no longer have to worry about spending more as each project has a single repository for all the documents connected to it!

• 02

  Saves Time
  Similarly to the previous point, the project delivery delays are bread and butter for every construction company. With a proper project documentation system, there will be no need to manually enter and search for specific data. Anyone with access to a given repository can use one of the numerous search options available in the document management system.

• 03

  Streamlines Communication Between Departments
  It would be a sin if we did not mention the great impact that a project documentation system has on communicational skills among different teams. Even though the correlation between communication and document management is not that apparent at first glance, one is very closely related to another. For instance, job site workers, who are often left out when it comes to project-related issues and plans, will be given full details concerning safety-related critical communication.

• 04

  Establishes a Standard Procedure for Handling Documents Effectively
  With a document management system, organising and managing documents becomes seamless and problem-free. It replaces the old paper chase of finding approved invoice copies or date stamps for received materials with a few clicks.

• 05

  Protects Project-Specific Information and Data
  All information and data related to a specific project is safely stored in one place. This means that only those authorised will be able to enter and review the project’s details. User access rights can be assigned according to the department that the user is a part of and can be set only for a specific file.

• 06

  Gives a Complete Overview
  Thanks to efficient document management at your company, you have a clear view of an entire project. You stay organised and in control by managing all your files and documents from one place.

At Archdesk, we realise the necessity of proper project documentation. This is why our construction management software comes with a document management solution that will ensure the success of your project.

Contact us today to learn more about it!