I'm confident that most of the people who read this blog will agree that there are distinct differences in the application of project Document Control versus the application of other information related functions such as Records Management or Operational Document Control or non-technical Document Management. Then there are differences across sectors of Engineering as to how Document Control is approached and generally understood.
There are experts in the field of Records Management that are highly competent and very experienced but really would not have the first idea of how to set up a project Document Control function. There are people with degrees in Information Management who don't even know what we mean by project Document Control. Believe me this is not conjecture, I have had the honour of having to work with many such people; I learnt something from them and I like to think some of them learnt something from me. For example, when I want your opinion, I'll give it!
(Of course I also know some world class Information Managers and even some Records Managers who understand what Document Control should look like, but they all started out as Document Controllers themselves).
Meanwhile, if you think I'm stretching the facts, consider this. The Gartner Guide is used by many businesses to select the best EDRMS tools. If a system sits in their 'magic quadrant' then it's considered a safe bet. Well I've been interviewed by two representatives from Gartner on two separate occasions, where I was involved in a system selection process. On both occasions, so that they could understand the requirements for the system, I had to explain at length and from scratch, what Document Control is, how it works and why it's important. They could then begin to understand the difference between content management which is their area of expertise and Document Control, which is mine.
Many, many companies have invested hundreds of millions between them (conservative estimate) in these systems, having taken advice from such experts and from Records Management experts and Information Management experts and of course the 'A' list consultancies who know that these systems are a meal ticket for them, only to discover that they need to spend millions more on customisation, more consultancy and on bolting on things the system is not designed to do. For example bulk upload metadata without content. In that time of course they may also have lost money on claims, lost work and missed deadlines, KPI payments, been hit with disallowed costs etc, etc for lack of traceability and proper reporting.
(Obviously there are realms of content management and record management requirements outside of project Document Control whereby an EDRMS content solution makes perfect sense, particularly for big corporations and global enterprises however, a proper Document Control database is also needed and there are so many examples where that alone would more than fulfil the requirement).
I have complete respect for my fellow colleagues and for their expertise in their own fields. Obviously good Records Management is essential. Patently, for the sake of our planet, good Operational Document Management is paramount and of course there are thousands of other business sectors like Legal, Banking, Retail and so on where there are different requirements in Document/Content Management.
The fact is however, that on engineering projects, without best practise project Document Control the Records Manager won't have everything they need to archive and the Operations team will have neither the complete record or the quality and compliance across the docbase that is critical not only for Safety but for the performance and maintenance of the asset.
This is one of the multitude of reasons that Deliverable Schedules are so essential. Getting the information up front from Contractors and Vendors so that you can plan the distribution and approvals but also so that you know what you should have to handover and that the supply chain have signed up to it. Which takes me back to bulk uploading of metadata without file content; it's a fundamental requirement of project Document Control. If a system doesn't have that then I need something that does.
A very common syndrome is that many businesses have compromised by adjusting how they work according to what the system they've spent so much on is capable of. The words tail and dog spring to mind.
I'm interested to know others experiences across different sectors. I personally believe very strongly that there are key pillars of best practise that apply in all sectors, be it Rail, Aviation, Oil and Gas, Civils, Mining, Defence. Meanwhile I have spoken to Nuclear Power owner operators who, like the Gartner reps, had no idea what I was talking about. It was all new. Same in Aerospace, same in Mining, Utilities etc and even when companies do acknowledge a need, there is still a vast spectrum in their levels of understanding and therefore across the standards and application of Document Control across these sectors.
An obvious result of this lack of understanding is reflected in the quality of people that get hired to do Document Control. Where there is no recognition of the function as a discipline, people will be hired with little or no experience because they are cheap and they'll do what they're told by someone else who doesn't know what needs to be done. Then someone decides that a new system will solve their problems, so they get some expensive consultants to send in some business analysts to define requirements. They get the requirements from the users who don't know anything but the consultants don't care because they can deliver a system that they know will generate more work for them when the business wises up that the requirements were inadequate. It's called the 'long con'.
I heard of a major airport programme for example where all the legacy drawings were lost; out on the site somewhere, thrown into old containers and nobody could remember where. So they had to re-survey the whole site. I've heard of facilities being built to hundreds of rejected drawings that are currently operating. I had a colleague that worked on a massive refinery programme where one of the US design houses engaged in a long running battle with him because he insisted that they keep the same drawing and document numbers throughout their lifecycle and uprev them when they resubmitted. They insisted that he was wrong and that they always change the drawing number and keep the revision the same! You couldn't make it up.
I am trying to highlight, again, the need for recognition of expertise in the field of project Document Control, specifically. I am interested in others views and experiences on the subject and I am interested in raising the profile of so many highly professional practitioners that I've had the great pleasure to work with over the last 30+ years, many of whom I count as close friends.
I've lost count of the number of times I've heard people dismiss Document Control with the tired line 'it's not rocket science'. No it 's not, neither is designing a bridge, but there is a science to delivering first class project Document Control and it's value is immeasurable. The people who can deliver that should also be recognised and valued.
finally...thank you soooo much for this blog. As a DC/IM, i find it sooo frustrating and many times annoying that our role is belittled so. for someone like myself with 2 degrees; 1st and 2nd, 10 years + in the industry; thats apart from my non DC experience and still going, it is painful to see that our role is still regarded as an admin/secretarial one, or that of a tea girl's! i dont bother to add my qualifications on my cv; just so i am not perceived as over qualified. i cant give suggestions - constructive ones to the content managers because they have bought into a system that they know is not robust enough to accomodate change but we have to stick with because £000,000 have been invested into it. lastly, there's the issue of what you are deemed to worth. again, because the role is considered as an admin one. perharps if we have a proper professional body like most, it'll give us more worth in our employer's eyes! Being a DC is a specialist role. fact.
ReplyDeleteI found your article interesting as I started out as a librarian then moved to information management and then document management. I have been managing "information " all my working life -- I think that "some" record mangers and librarian perceive information from a different perspective and it is this perception that gives them a different view point in "how to manage information".
ReplyDelete-- I found that a lot (note not all) of records mangers think of information as a folio -- ie a collection of documents rather than the individual items themselves while librarian’s look at book as an item -- document controllers look at the individual documents themselves (in most cases) -- many librarians and record mangers can't seem to understand the different concepts of managing documents as compared to folios or books although i believe many of the process are the same.
Perhaps it is matter of training -- as a document controller you have to know how to add metadata, (or a librarian catalogue, or as a records officer add index - all adding metadata) to an information item, and how to find items (for a librarian a reference search or in records finding records). I could go on but the main point is that we all manage information and we all have to find information it’s just that Librarians and Records Mangers have to be qualified to do it !
There hasn’t been an interview where I have applied for a document controller position that I haven’t been asked why I want to do "that sort of work" I always wanted to know if nurses are asked the same question ?
-- I leave my qualification on my resume as I think if the people see that I am over qualified then they probably don’t understand what is required in "document Control" and they only want an ""admin/secretarial one, or that of a tea (guy !!)girl"". If that is the case then they probably under value the role any way and “do you really want to work for them?? !!”.
I have found the best places to work are those that value the information they have and the resources they use to control the information.
Another aspect of your article was the issue of document schedules -- most of the projects I have worked on do have document schedules and yes it is realy handy if your document control software is able to load the deliverable list in advance -- provided all vendors, contractors sub-contractors etc etc-- understand and are able to supply the documents !!
ReplyDeleteLoading of this list and schedules is useful but other issues can come into play even to the extent of identifying the documents it amazing how many different document numbers (and even variations in revisions) you can have for the same item as the documents move from vendor to subcontractor etc etc.
It is always interesting to look at the Deliverable Schedules/Deliverable list of documents at the start of the project and then compare it to what is produced at the end -- often from this you can tell how successful a project has been -- another interesting indicator is how many different revisions of the same document you have I would suggest if you have ten revisions of the same document then you have had a few issues !! (Not to mention the cost of all those reviews --in reviewing and re-drafting the different versions) !
On many projects building the structure or items and cost comes first --otherwise why do it ! and the documents are added as a after thought. Until the vendors sub-contractors realise that the payment schedule for the job is also tired up with the documents that are delivered!! -- I find most of the companies that have problems don’t use a document controller!! and this is more of a cost issue.
I often wish I could find a standard business case ie what is the cost of the project if you don’t use a document controller and this will be the cost if you do use a document controller..
Perhaps by looking at the underlying costs industry in general would value and understand “ good document control and a good document controller !”.
This is a brilliant post I too find that my position as Document COntroller if often seen in the light of a file clerk or copy assistant. it is only when issues of litigation or some critical issue arise that everyone wants to blame the DC when a document cannot be located. Thanks you so much for writing this may be it will reach some of those who totally misunderstand the value of the document controller.
ReplyDeleteRuth
I agree strongly that Project Document Control should be recognized as a specialized field. I am an IT person working for systems related to document control and document management for more than 10 years and I understand the importance and the value of this field. Great to know the realization is growing to consider Document Control as a vital asset.
ReplyDeleteAbizar
Hi there! I am glad to stop by your site and know more about enterprise document management software. Keep it up! This is a good read. You have such an interesting and informative page. I will be looking forward to visit your page again and for your other posts as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about enterprise document management software in your area.
ReplyDeleteThe latest definition encompasses areas that have traditionally been addressed by records management and document management systems. It also includes the conversion of data between various digital and traditional forms, including paper and microfilm.
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