Successful communication between construction parties is critical to the overall success of a construction project. Cross discipline communication between the distinct professionals of the construction industry is however very problematic and maybe seen to be a major contributory factor in poor project performance. Coupled together with a lack of integration the document transfer process between the parties becomes littered with mistakes, is unstructured and non-collaborative. In effect the multidisciplinary nature of the project team limits the scope of co-operation between the project team members.
Information/documentation is a key enabler to the running of any project. Structured communication channels will dictate how project documentation is to be passed amongst project parties. Construction personnel on many projects are drowning in oceans of documents that have arrived from a range of different sources. These documents still however tend to be paper based and rarely available in a compatible electronic format.
The highly complex legal issues surrounding the construction industry and the constant threat to contractors for claims and expenses incurred means the risk in not managing and controlling documentation becomes an area of great concern for those involved in the creation and storing of project documentation. What is required is a system which enhances the communication process and facilitates document management as a management tool.
Modelling the communication process between professional groupings is not an easy task but can be achieved through the use of Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS) and projects that adopt EDMS as a communication tool make the extraction of such management information possible.
Increased efficiency and profitability by electronic document management
1. Do you currently use paper documentation to record vital information about your
construction project or manufacturing process?
2. Are you, or your staff, often unsure how to classify documents when they are
stored in your filing cabinets?
3. Are you unsure how to co-ordinate your electronic and paper-based information?
4. Would you like to be able to retrieve the information you need quicker than you
can with your current system?
5. Are you involved in a partnering project and want to be sure that the latest
information is instantly available to the whole construction team?
6. Are you prepared to commit to, and manage, a culture change within your
organisation?
If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then you could benefit from an investment in an Electronic Document Management (EDM) system.
What are the benefits?
Whether you have a particular function within your organisation that could be made more efficient, or whether you are leading a partnering project, such systems can provide the following benefits:
• Greater efficiency in document issue, day-to-day access, retrieval and archiving
• Greater staff awareness of the status of an increasing number of documents
• Greater control of the currency of documents leading to less abortive work
• Improved communication within the company or design team when staff are located in
a number of locations nationally or internationally
• Improved record keeping for regulatory compliance
• A clearer audit trail, with records of when a document was sent, to whom, when it
was read and when the instruction was completed
How is it done?
• A web-based intranet or extranet for remote access, or an internal network, is set
up using Lotus Domino often in conjunction with Microsoft Exchange.
• A cost-effective knowledge base is created across an entire project team.
• Existing paper documentation and electronic information is co-ordinated under a
single system.
• The life cycle of a document can be controlled by built in process management
features.
• Up-to-date information is then shared on line and in real time – via a project or
company intranet.
• Documents are searched through a variety of logical fields, rather than through a
single directory structure.
• Rapidly changing information is tracked, with notification and reminders automated.
What documents can an EDM system handle?
EDM can handle all documentation that flows in and out of site offices every day, much of which has contractual significance. Documents may include:
• site instructions
• variation orders
• design drawings
• inspection certificates
• contract documents
• requests for information
• minutes of meetings
• site photographs
Since these documents are costly to administer manually, an EDM system will have the major benefits of saving time and increasing efficiency. For instance, if you are telephoned by a contractor who wants to discuss a particular document, you can find it immediately on your computer screen and resolve the enquiry there and then, rather than spend time searching for the paper document in your filing cabinet, then contact the contractor yourself, only to find that he is no longer available. The responsibility for resolving the problem has become yours!
What can the GEDYS EDM system provide?
One such system is offered by GEDYS-DISKUS. The advantage of this system is that it is fully web-enabled, making it possible for new partners/users to benefit from the document management system using their existing Internet access. All that needs to be done is to determine the degree of access that the new user will have, then provide a web address and password.
Other advantages include:
• Users can determine their own file structures.
• Issuing and archiving routines are fully automated.
• The system integrates seamlessly with Microsoft packages.
• Elements of the system can be PDA-enabled via GPRS connected with a mobile phone.
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