Construction document management best practices: How builders stay organized and reduce risk

Construction pros like you know that with every job, building project or remodel comes a tall stack of essential documentation and paperwork. Although necessary, it can be a ton of extra work to keep track of it all – especially when you’re juggling several jobs at the same time.

That being said, it’s critical that you implement and maintain an effective documentation process to ensure your projects are streamlined and easy to manage. Taking control of your document management with construction document software will allow for easy day-to-day operations and limit the amount of time spent on searching through project documents, filing and other repetitive tasks.

Effective document management also helps ensure everyone is working from the same information. Whether your team is in the office, on the job site or working with subcontractors and clients, having centralized access to current project documents reduces confusion and keeps projects moving forward.

What is document control in construction?

Document control in construction refers to the process of managing, organizing and distributing documents and information related to a construction project. It involves creating, reviewing, approving, updating and archiving various types of documents to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is available to all relevant stakeholders throughout the project. Examples of these documents include drawings, construction contracts, change orders, permits and invoices.

It’s important for your business to implement document management so you can find the correct documents when you need them and easily communicate all project updates in one central location.

What documents should construction companies keep track of?

Here are some examples of the many documents to keep track of:

• Drawings: Visual representation of the project’s design, dimensions and materials. Drawings may include floor plans, elevations/measurements and site plans.

• Specifications: Additional information on the materials, products, design and construction methods that are shown in the drawings.

• Contracts: Legally binding documents that state the terms and conditions of the project. Examples include payment terms, scope and schedule.

• Change orders: Unplanned modifications to the contract that may come from owner requests or design updates. Change orders often impact the budget and schedule.

• Permits: Legal documents that give construction workers the green light. Some examples of potential permits are: building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and demolition.

• Progress reports: Typically written or approved by the project manager, Work in Progress reports provide updates on the status of the project. A project WIP report includes work completed, upcoming tasks, project challenges and adjustments to budget and/or schedule.

• Invoices: Requests for payment that detail completed jobs and total costs associated with material and labor. Invoices usually include the payment due date and late payment penalties.

• Safety plans: Written instructions outlining the safety protocols and emergency response plan. This plan should identify potential job hazards and how to safely avoid them. Instructions for incident reporting and regular safety inspections of work sites and equipment may also be included.

“It keeps everything in one place instead of having your computer hard drive with all your photos and a Dropbox with all the client design elements. Then you have Word documents and Excel spreadsheets that are all over the place. Buildertrend makes it so much easier.” – Liz, CEO, Vaughan + Co.

Why is construction document management important?

Keeping track of the most recent versions of everything from drawings to safety plans can be challenging. Many builders use construction management software to centralize documents, photos and project communication. Buildertrend helps teams store, organize and access project files from a single platform.

Store unlimited files and always be prepared

Buildertrend offers unlimited cloud-based storage that allows all documents, files, photos and videos to be stored, organized and easily accessed. No more searching through miscellaneous files on your computer or rifling through paperwork in a filing cabinet. Everything you need is in one place and can be found quickly with organized, designated folders for each job or within the Global Documents folder.

Being able to easily access your files also ensures that you’re prepared in the event there’s a dispute regarding the terms of contract or work that has been completed.

Stay organized and avoid costly mistakes

It’s unrealistic to think that mistakes never happen on the job site, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try your best to avoid them, right?

By storing all important files for each of your jobs in one central document location, you’re reducing the chance of losing something. More importantly, you’re keeping things organized, getting your job’s construction scope of work under control and making it much harder for job site mistakes to happen.

By using Buildertrend’s unlimited document storage, all your files for each project will be neatly organized in job-specific folders. And no need for printing hard copies of plans or documents. With the Buildertrend mobile app, all documents, plans and photos are available whenever and wherever you need them.

Ensure effective communication with real-time documentation

Managing all your documents from one central location keeps everyone on the same page. You’ve all experienced a time when your office team had documents with one set of markups, but your field crew was working with a different set of markups. It happens.

You can avoid additional work by allowing your job site team, office team and subcontractors to view and work from the same documents. Any general contractor markups or annotations will be updated in real time, eliminating the need for guesswork or backtracking.

Take control of your construction documents

You got into construction because you love building things, not because you enjoy sorting paperwork and managing files. The right system helps you spend less time on admin work and more time on the work that actually matters.

With Buildertrend’s document storage, all project files are organized in job-specific folders so your team can find what they need quickly. There’s no need for printed plans or scattered file versions. And with the mobile app, documents, plans and photos are always accessible in the field or in the office.

Keep your clients involved every step of the way

Homeowners want to be involved in the building or renovation process in any way they can. A great option for helping them to feel included is to share files like photos, videos and necessary documents. By using Buildertrend’s Client Portal, your clients can log in and see all the content you have shared with them.

Stay connected with your clients by using the Customer Portal. You can share and request signatures on documents and upload progress photos and videos to keep them involved. Any information you share on the Customer Portal will be there for the duration of the project, so your clients can access and refer to it anytime without having to contact you.

Sharing your files with your clients not only makes them feel included, but it also ensures effective communication and transparency.

8 construction document management best practices

When it comes to document management, here are eight best practices:

• Establish a document management system
• Use cloud-based storage
• Take advantage of document templates
• Assign document ownership
• Use automated workflows
• Regularly review and update documents
• Add access controls
• Ensure document security

3 tips for construction document management

Having a structured file management system in place is not just convenient – it’s necessary. One of the best ways to improve your document storage and photo storage is to implement technology. Using construction project management software creates a central hub for storing all your important job information and files.

Check out these three tips for how to improve your current system with Buildertrend.

1. Take advantage of unlimited storage for added convenience and communication

Buildertrend’s cloud document storage makes it easy to upload documents, photos and videos that can be instantly shared with your team, subcontractors and clients. For added security and privacy, you can control viewing permissions for each document during the uploading process. Also, you can notify users when uploading a new file for quicker communication.

Documents and photos can also be added by using the mobile app, which makes it easy for your job site team to take and upload photos throughout the day. Plus, the mobile app allows you to scan and upload documents using Buildertrend’s built-in scanning feature. So there’s no need for that trip back to the office.

With our file sharing and file management system, you can upload files within features as well. For example, if your team members or subs want to add daily progress photos, they can take photos and upload them directly to the corresponding daily log. After uploading, you and your team then have the option to make annotations. This will help to add transparency and eliminate miscommunication.

2. Store all your files in one place for increased organization and efficiency

By uploading your seemingly endless amounts of documents and photos to Buildertrend, you’re ensuring you’ll never have lost files again. Everything you need is saved in one place within neatly organized folders. If you find a folder structure that works really well for you, make it a template. Using a folder structure template will make it easy to upload photos and documents to a new job.

Documents, photos and videos can be uploaded into folders specific to a certain job or to the Global Documents folder. Global Documents is a great place to store general documents that aren’t job-specific. You can create folders within folders for added organization and efficiency.

3. Ensure transparency and be prepared with daily documentation

As mentioned above, you can share documents and photos with your clients to keep them updated and create transparency. Using construction documentation management software features within Buildertrend allows you to send documents and request signatures. Your clients can then sign documents directly in Buildertrend – keeping essential files grouped together and easily accessible.

Document management solutions from Buildertrend

Buildertrend has all the features to help you successfully digitize and organize those stacks of documents. Besides keeping everything in one place, our digital document control features will free up your time searching for what you need, so you can spend more time building.

Don’t just take our word for it – Liz, CEO, and Kenny, COO, of Vaughan + Co. out of Delaware County, Ohio, are proud Buildertrend users. Liz and Kenny came to Buildertrend searching for an organized, central solution for their growing business.

“It keeps everything in one place instead of having your computer hard drive with all your photos and a Dropbox with all the client design elements,” Liz said. “Then you have Word documents and Excel spreadsheets that are all over the place. Buildertrend makes it so much easier.”

The document management within Buildertrend that Liz enjoys so much can also help with project communication and savings. Plus, you’ll have consistent templates across all jobs to simplify document management.

Let us help you take control of your construction documents

You went into the construction industry because you love to build things, not because you’re thrilled by the idea of filling out paperwork and filing documents. Let us help you get back to spending more time doing what you love.

If you’re ready to manage your business with the best construction management platform, schedule a demo today.