Poor document management causes delays in construction projects
February 4, 2015
By CCE
A company in the U.S. has published the results of a survey among architects, engineers and contractors that shows problems with document management are a major source of delays and overruns on construction projects.
The study was conducted by a market research company for ARC Document Solutions in California. The respondents were 108 professionals, 40% of whom had more than 15 years’ experience in the construction industry. They were executives in everything from large firms with more than 1,000 people to small boutique firms.
The study aimed to quantify the effect document management has on the productivity, efficiency and costs of construction project management.
75% of the respondents said up to one third of project cost overruns are due to project document difficulties and issues;
33% found accessing the latest set of documents and having the most current information to be a challenge in completing a project;
25% said inaccurate project paperwork, or too many versions of documents, has contributed to construction delays.
Among the study’s findings in terms of technology solutions and challenges:
Nearly 40% said online access for all documents on any device platform is one of the most important ways of increasing productivity or reducing costs;
Approximately 30% said current cloud technology tools that are not designed for the A/E/C market made completing a project on schedule a challenge;
30% said using multiple software tools during a construction or design project caused duplication of data.
Security and controlling versions of documents were also a concern.
32% of respondents were concerned over the use of the wrong versions of building plans, 30% worried that documents could be erased or not backed up, and 25% were concerned with document confidentiality.
ARC Document Solutions has just launched SKYSITE, a cloud-based, B2B, enterprise-level document.
To see the full press release on the study, click here.
