How to Improve Your Construction Document Management

NEW YORK - Dec. 4, 2018 - PRLog -- Construction projects are inherently complex. They're centered around a massive number of documents and files, with hundreds of revisions being made by several different people. And when you're working on multiple projects at once, it quickly becomes overwhelming.

A single error can result in costly mistakes, project delays, or worse; a lawsuit. But let's be honest, you didn't choose this industry because you love managing documents. You chose it because you love to build. It's no secret that document management is not the most liked part of construction. But unfortunately there is no escaping it.

Staying organized and keeping track of the latest versions, changes, and notes is incredibly challenging — especially if you're still using paper documents.

Our two greatest problems are gravity and paperwork. We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
- Werner von Braun, renowned Engineer

Construction is a very collaborative industry. It's also an industry where your workspace might be an office, a jobsite, your truck, or wherever you happen to be. So, managing hundreds of paper documents while having to collaborate with several project contributors who are spread across multiple locations is virtually impossible.

Managing paper documents cripples productivity
Some projects generate hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of different versions of construction documents throughout its build. And that number grows with each new revision or change. With that much paper, it is impossible to physically take all of your project's documents with you at all times.

Hence, solely relying on paper limits the access that you have to important project documents, which restricts you from being able to make real-time modifications as changes arise. Not being able to make these modifications creates a great deal of confusion around the accuracy of each version of every document.

Since you and your teams are working with multiple versions of several documents, a tremendous amount of time is wasted determining which versions are accurate. This quickly becomes a nightmare.

As a result, high-growth contractors have identified the importance of having a central source of accurate data that is easily accessible from anywhere.

Luckily there's a solution…
Contractors have turned to construction project management solutions, like BuildingBlok, as the reliable, digital answer to their document management needs. Now they have access to their job's most current documents — anywhere, anytime, from any device.

By digitizing and centralizing your project documentation in one cloud-based solution, you can access documents when you need them, make modifications from any device, track workers' time, define and manage approval processes, and much more.

• No more paper means less data-entry errors
• All project contributors have access to the most current versions of every document which reduces mistakes
• Live updates and reports can be sent directly from the field
• There is no time being wasted while waiting on — or searching for — paper reports
• All communications are improved resulting in cost savings, earlier completions, and fewer contract disputes

Making the move from paper to digital also helps you manage uncertainty and reduce risk. Before documents are finalized, team members can review and provide comments, suggestions, and edits. And authorized project contributors can update documents and provide statuses, send notes to notify others of updates, even create an approval process for final sign-off — all in real time.

BuildingBlok users who have made the switch from paper to digital have found that it speeds up processes, increases overall productivity — and improves their profitability. Explore our document management page to learn more about the tools that can do the same for you: https://buildingblok.com/construction-mgmt-software/documents