Major projects coming up in the region require advanced document management systems.
Online systems help manage mega projects
Document management systems are coming of age and with the maturity of the Internet in the Middle East, new on-demand systems promoting open collaboration are now available and set to revolutionise the process, reports CHARLES WALSHAM.
01 June 2005
Given the current construction boom in the Middle East with projects of all shapes and complexities mushrooming across the region at a phenomenal rate to satisfy a seemingly incessant demand, efficient document control has become vital to ensure speedy and error-free implementation of projects.
Document control has long been a core element of projects – both large and small and managing project documentation and maintaining its integrity throughout the life of an asset has become essential. The maturity of the Internet in the Middle East means that construction projects here can utilise new technology that is achieving dramatic success in Europe and the US.
Tight deadlines – resulting from the rising investment costs – have increased the pressure on companies to finish their buildings as quickly as possible. The faster the projects are up and running, the faster is the return on investment. To cope with these huge logistical challenges, construction companies have been involving a larger numbers of contractors and independent firms to avoid stringent trigger penalties. But such an approach has traditionally been riddled with risk.
While the idea of getting many firms to contribute to the overall building project works fine on paper, the reality is often that it can cause even more delays. Unclear plans, old versions and a general lack of communication can all conspire to create even more problems if the effort is not properly unified. A large part of the problem is that traditional document management systems are designed to share key architectural drawings within a single company as opposed to across a supply chain of dispersed companies.
Under traditional document management systems, information is usually stored on an internal IT system that is designed more like a fortress than an open system for external supply chain partners. Even though a partner company may want to get involved in the building work as quickly as possible, gaining confident access to the right information can be a tedious and time-consuming process. Add to this the fact that partners are also competitors and the full extent of the problem becomes clear. The result is that systems are often dispersed and information kept in data silos. This greatly increases the risk of having many versions of the same document.
This pressing need for open collaboration becomes even clearer when faced with some startling facts. According to BuildOnline – a leading European supplier of on-demand document management software in the construction sector which is currently establishing a presence in the region – 80 per cent of errors in any building project, are caused by firms having access to the wrong documents. Furthermore, about 30 per cent of the construction workers’ time is spent on looking for documents and often results in them working on the wrong version, causing in even more problems that quickly become compounded.
Traditional vs modern
Under the traditional approach to document management systems, there are often huge headaches when transferring data to a new partner. For the mega projects going on in the Gulf region, there will be a number of firms constantly moving in and out of projects, but having an overriding need to hit the ground running with crucial information. This handover process can be critical in determining the success or failure of a project.
With a traditional document management system, these firms will need to be able to get through firewall defences to access the central repository, which can cause and result in delays - something that is unacceptable when there may be trigger penalties in operation.
“Another problem is that due to the security policy, many firms are reluctant to open up their systems to their supply chain,” says Patrick Joyce of BuildOnline. “There are also logistical problems in opening up systems that are essentially inward-facing.”
Another important change in the construction industry that needs to be reflected in the systems that serve it has been the growing importance of compliance laws such as health and safety and building regulations. Just like in other industries, there is a growing burden on construction firms to prove that they have complied with these rules.
This push for greater and more flexible collaboration and auditing capabilities is now being realised by a new approach to document management systems, switching away from a system based on traditional software to a service that is available over the Internet. Just as the on-demand revolution has redefined the way most companies view customer relationship management systems, the same thing is happening in the document management space with remarkable benefits.
This approach is tailor-made for the life cycle asset management in the construction process, whereby many companies have to collaborate on large numbers of drawings and documents with a process. This is simply not a single-company process that can be done in the company’s document management system.
The on-demand approach is also well suited to help the network of contractors get up to speed with a project quickly and efficiently. On-demand products are available over the Internet, out of the box, and place a minimal demand on IT teams, allowing construction companies to get up and running with minimal delay.
“If you consider the lifecycle asset management process as a whole, thousands of workers will need to have access to centralised plans at any given moment if they are to ensure that the project is a complete success,” says Joyce.
Working with an on-demand document management solution also ensures that there is one single truth, since all data is retained in a single repository by the information owner. This means that it is much easier to ensure that there are no multiple versions of the same document floating around at any one time.
An on-demand approach ensures that there is one single system that keeps information centrally. Under traditional document management systems, there may be several different versions of a plan spread across different systems, making it almost impossible to keep tab on the master plan. The on-demand approach also allows many people to work simultaneously on the same document across a distributed network improving efficiency and accuracy.
With on-demand systems, firms are able to log who has made changes and for what reason providing the project leader with a clear audit trail, boosting compliance, not just within one phase of the supply chain process, but for the full lifecycle of the asset. With an online system, it becomes a much simpler task to work out which contractor was responsible for which faulty section, thanks to the central approach to data storage.
Meanwhile, some traditional software models are heavily customised to serve the specific needs of the construction industry, and consequently require a high degree of training if workers are to get the full benefit of the system and use it to the good of the project. Even if it is possible to connect an external system up to the lead system, there may still be problems in ensuring everyone gets up to speed through training. This is particularly important as certain partners may only be participating in the project for a small amount of time. It is not good if the training period is half of their time on the project, or even worse!
Under the on-demand model, there are no such qualms over training – as any user with the basic knowledge of using the Internet Explorer will be able to use the on-demand solution. BuildOnline says that its system is as simple as using Amazon.com. It also ensures that there is no need for complex hardware to fire-up complex applications.
Taking an on-demand approach also means there is no need to fall back on the risky process of sending computer-assisted drawings (CADs) by email and having the danger of multiple versions of the same project floating around at any one time. Often there are only inadequate records of who has been sent what, making the review process extremely laborious. Joyce underlines that having a centralised on-demand document management system mitigates the risk of losing core information.
As the Gulf’s construction industry moves to another level by creating increasingly ambitious designs, its back-office systems are doing the same thing. The raising of the bar means that back-office systems also need to be changed if the industry is to fulfil its massive potential when time and quality of build is of the essence. Software should be seen as a service not an impediment to the timescales of a project and the ‘on-demand’ or ‘software-as-a-service’ model shows the potential to deliver exactly this.
