We’ve all been there – you have a need for a plan sheet, daily report, RFI, Submittal or any other number of documents generated during the design/construction process and you can’t remember where it’s located. It could be on a drive somewhere, your consultant’s software system that’s cumbersome to navigate, or on hard copy covered in coffee and in a dark corner somewhere. If you’ve been in this situation, you’re far from alone – in fact you’re probably in the majority according to a study done by InfoRouter. So, what can we do to ensure that next time you need a document, you can find it within seconds? We’ve got some quick tips below written by experts in the fields of both project management and project controls that will bring your document control process into the new age!

Investigate the software market for tools that will benefit your team:

There are a ton of tools out there meant for Project Managers and Project Engineers, but very few that truly add efficiency to everyone on the project’s scope of work. While specialty software can sometimes be entirely necessary, I would always do my best to procure the services of a platform that can handle as much functionality as possible inside of one native system – this way your project management staff isn’t responsible to enter data or generate reports across multiple systems.

Define a process and stick to it:

Whether it’s a chain of custody for a document to follow or a defined workflow that needs to be rigorously stuck to – define the need early and you’ll see the benefits almost immediately. Typically processes start to slip as a construction project really begins to ramp up, so it’s important to utilize the software system you’ve chosen to ensure that everyone is held accountable to the tasks inside of their jurisdiction. If you need some more information on what options are out there, be sure to check out sites like Capterra to help you make a decision on which tool works best for your team.

So why MySmartPlans? With MySmartPlans, you never have to worry about the document control process weighing you or your team down – because we handle that FOR you! Our staff of Project Information Managers will ensure that your plans stay current, RFI links are kept up, reports stay current and up to date and several other processes completely unique to our platform. We bring an incredibly easy to utilize system to the table, along with the ability to simply point and click to retrieve the information you and your staff need.