All About Construction Document Management Software

In this fast-paced digitalized world, documentation is still important for authenticity and verification. Imagine you orally contracted with someone about a job order, and shortly afterward, they silently revoked the contract. In this case, would you have any written proof or authentication to recover your losses due to contract revocation?

Well, you get it – that's the importance of documentation. But if you're in the construction industry, there are many documents, ranging from contracts, proposals, bids, procurement receipts, and job orders. Even before the construction project starts, there are legal documents that are important and must be stored properly.

Therefore, it creates a need for a proper channel to ensure construction document management. If you are someone facing problems regarding document handling and communication, don't worry. We are here to help you streamline your workflows and ensure effective document management. Let's get started.

What is Construction Document Management?

Nearly all organizations have some type of data that requires proper documentation. Hence, all organization manage their documents in one form or the other. But things are different in the construction industry, where an insane number of documents should be filed and stored properly.

Therefore, construction document management is a process whereby project managers store and file all day-to-day construction documents in an accessible way. It starts with document control, where each piece of documentation is captured for later use by stakeholders. In simple terms, document management creates a single repository for all major documents, allowing people to access them in one place.

However, things have changed. Documents have shifted from filing cabinets to the virtual cloud interface. Most construction managers have adapted to the new digital change of storing all necessary documents on document management software, where people can easily access them online. Here are some notorious benefits of storing all the construction documentation online:

• It saves a lot of time. Now you just have to share the software with the project managers when you require any approval for a document.
• The software allows controlling flexibility. You can assign roles such as editing, viewing, and suggestion on the document.
• It saves a lot of paperwork which may be tedious and prone to theft.
• The cloud storage also has security layers, ensuring that your documents remain intact.

Essential Documents in A Construction Project

As seen above, construction projects can have innumerable documents. Did you ever wonder why is that so?

Well, in the construction industry, there are projects lasting for several years. Here are some of the project cycles, which call out for different construction documents:

• Project creation: At the start of the project, there are several construction documents such as bidding proposals, contracts agreements, and legal procedures. There can even be some feasibility study before the start of the project, which can be essential construction documentation.
• Project planning: Once the pre-project work is completed, procurement is required for the project to begin. Hence, invoices, bills, and procurement receipts are all necessary documentation for financial planning.
• Project Execution: Once the project is underway, there can be documents relating to invoices, blueprints, drawings, and legal compliance.

Every construction document is important, and most of them would require prior approval, edits, or suggestions from a project manager or owner before execution. The documents can act as verification and authentication for government notices or tax authorities. Not only that, but they can also act as proof for the stakeholders involved and keep a record of all the progress.

Since there are tons of construction documents that may require revisions, having them stored and available through cloud document management is extremely important in order to integrate workflows.

How to Implement a Construction Document Management System

It's for sure that you'll have some form of a document management system for your construction project. But is it saving you time and increasing efficiency? Is it the right choice for you? Here we unlock several steps to help you revamp the construction management system all over again.

Assess Your Current System

Firstly, identify if you even have any current document management system. You must have one, but is it really efficient? Or is it just for the sake of keeping the records? You must conduct a thorough assessment of the current system and identify whether the procedures align with your objectives or not.

Get an Authoritative Personality on Board

The chances are that you want to upgrade your current construction document management system. But how? Firstly, you must get someone who's responsible for the work and will act as an intermediary. The person must be accountable for all the document system and approval work required in the construction system. Several subordinates may even accompany the manager, but the work must be executed in an orderly manner.

Get a Software for Document Management

If you haven't yet digitalized your documents system, it's time now. Of the many software to choose from, you might want to try LogicalDOC. Now is the time you go digital and get rid of all the spreadsheets clutter from your table. You no longer have to dig deep to find a specific document. LogicalDOC offers you numerous search and filter functions, which allow you to immediately access the required document.

Centralize Your Process

Even if you have software for your construction document management, you must smartly use them. It's better to integrate all the documents at one central point rather than using different software. Using several different software will increase clutter over the cloud interface, and you may even find difficulty remembering the data files storage.

Re-assess

Successful organizations don't stop at one place. Instead, they evolve with time and adjust to the new norm. Hence, you must also re-assess your document management system over time and address any possible fallacies in your current system.

Features to Look for in a Construction Management Software

Till now, you must have thought about easing your life and incorporating software for construction documentation. But with so many options out there, it's easy to get baffled in selecting the best one. Here we pinpoint several important features to consider when purchasing construction management software.

Security

Almost all construction management software has high-end security layers for documents protection. But some software even adds an additional SSL security layer, which enhances the data protection and eliminates any chances of data theft.

Reminder Alerts

A day in a project manager's life can be tough. Attending meetings, looking over job sites, signing contracts, and whatnot, there can be a lot of pending tasks. However, project managers may also miss their deadlines and forget about them. Hence, reminder alerts are a great addition to construction management software, allowing them to file necessary construction documentation on time.

Viewing Option

Construction documents can have diagrams, making the document file bulky. Not everyone would want to download these huge files on their devices. Hence, some software allows people to view the file online without downloading them on their devices.

Document Sharing Option

Almost all software will have a document sharing option. Suppose you want the project owner to approve a contract; you may not find them readily available. But with construction management software, you can enable document sharing, inviting the specific person to view the document virtually from anywhere.

Hence, it'll eliminate all the accessibility and delay problems arising from document approval and formal procedures. You can even share the document with contractors, subordinates, workers, and suppliers to instantly get invoice or order approval.

Moreover, multiple roles are available, including editing, suggesting, and viewing, allowing you to assign specific roles to people according to their tasks. In this way, you can eliminate all the waiting time for the person to approve a document. Just with a simple link, you can send them the source file and get it approved faster.

OCR Data Search

Sometimes, you can have so many documents in your database that it may get difficult to find them. Some software programs have tagging system and OCR technology that enables you to filter the required document and access it instantly.

Track Changes

Sometimes, you may have to edit a document. But what if you want to track changes in real-time and record them? Some software has a tracking facility that enables you to eliminate false information and check all the changes made in the document.

Go Digital with Construction Management Software!

Till now, you must have a clear picture of how construction document management can streamline the workflow process and save time. It can essentially make all your construction documentation paperless and display the entire progress in a clear, identifiable, and coherent way.

Are you thrilled by the numerous management benefits of construction management software? Are you looking forward to revamping your construction document management system? Check out the tips listed above for revamping your organization and try a software that includes the most beneficial features based on your organization's requirements. 

Out of the box LogicalDOC provides: security, calendar with deadline management, event subscriptions on documents, version management, tracking of all document activities, preview of documents including CAD drawings, indexing and search with OCR engine, process management for approval and signing of documents, application of watermarks and QR code for secure identification of documents.