3 DOCUMENT CONTROL PRACTICES TO PREVENT REWORK IN CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION
Learn how effective project information management ensures accurate project execution
POOR DOCUMENT CONTROL CONTRIBUTES TO EXPENSIVE REWORK AND DELAYS
No one looks forward to rework, but it’s distressingly frequent. An average 12% of a capital construction project’s total valuation goes to rework. That means that contractors funnel nearly $180 billion every year into rework and other avoidable tasks – and those numbers don’t even account for the resulting frustration and lost time. The causes of rework feel both obvious and vexing. Certainly the sheer complexity of capital projects makes some rework feel like the cost of doing business, but digging into the drivers of rework reveals some addressable areas. Nearly half of rework can be attributed to poor communication or information. Miscommunication accounts for 26% of rework, and inaccurate information accounts for 22%. On the downside, that means that the blame for a large portion of rework rests with poor document control practices – and evidence suggest those are all too common. But on the upside, improved document control practices have the potential to reduce rework significantly, with a positive effect on a project’s bottom line.
AVOID THESE COMMON DOCUMENT CONTROL MISTAKES
Smart project teams are often held back by these seemingly innocuous document control practices. There’s no doubt that shaking off long-standing practices requires persistent effort, but the downsides of practices like these mean that change is worth it.
- Using file names to identify the latest information. Document identification methods like naming conventions or manual version control are fragile and error prone.
- Relying on limited options for filing or tagging files. Team members struggle to find the needed files if they’re forced to navigate incomplete or inflexible categorization.
- Settling for inflexible approval and review flows. For maximum efficiency and speed, different projects and processes demand different workflows; limitations put the brakes on work.
- Working around limitations on file size or volume. Complex projects produce big files, and many of them; when teams are worried about limited file size or staying within storage limitations, they can’t focus on project progress.
CAUSES OF REWORK
Construction Projects Face Costly Rework Delays
Miscommunication accounts for 26% of rework
Inaccurate information for 22%
Miscellaneous rework delays 52%
UP-TO-DATE, EASY-TO-FIND DOCUMENTS ENSURE CORRECT WORK
Every construction professional knows the frustration of spending hours searching for a specific version of a key document. Construction professionals spend 35% of an average 40-hour work week on tasks that don’t lead to project progress, like looking for documents, finding answers to questions about the information available, and fixing mistakes. Too much time spent searching for information is itself a delay in project progress. Compound that wasted time with the downstream effects of finding – and working from –an unapproved or incorrect drawing or document, and the likelihood serious delays or expensive rework skyrockets. Teams serious about preventing rework should make efficient document search and distribution a top priority. The potential roadblocks to efficiency are many:
- Rigid or limited lists types of tags or document categories can force workarounds or inefficient practices.
- Inflexible folder structures that don’t match business practices may require team members to spend too much time deciphering systems or learning compensatory practices.
- Search results that rely on busy team members to correctly use complex naming structures lead to errors and inefficiencies.
When team members can quickly find what they need, they’re free to focus on higher value tasks. Forward-thinking companies use document control practices that make efficient, effective search possible. For example, they make sure documents are stored with tags and metadata that closely track the work processes, categories, departments, and terminology specific to the product or company. That way, search terms and browsing behaviors that feel natural to team members are reflected in the way documents and information are stored and made accessible. While it’s critical to make documents highly accessible when team members are actively searching, smart companies also put effort into delivering information and updates proactively. Leaders in the field build in processes like:
- Creating automated alerts for packages of information so that teams get timely updates about project areas relevant to their work.
- Establishing distribution groups whose members receive new documents automatically when set conditions are met.
- ·Providing mobile access to information via smart folders to make sure team members get what they need no matter where they are.
FORWARD-THINKING COMPANIES USE DOCUMENT CONTROL PRACTICES THAT MAKE EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE SEARCH POSSIBLE.
35% of an average 40-hour work is week spent on tasks that don't move the project forward
WASTED TIME
According to a survey by FMI, construction professionals spend 35% of an average 40-hour workweek—14 wasted hours[10] per employee each week—on tasks that don’t move projects forward, such as searching for the latest information, resolving conflicts, and reworking due to mistakes.
FASTER, MORE ACCURATE APPROVAL WORKFLOWS KEEP CAPITAL PROJECTS ON TRACK
Cumbersome approval and review processes are nothing new, especially in capital projects, but the skyrocketing complexity of today’s projects has only increased the degree of difficulty and potential for delays and rework.
- Megaprojects are on the rise. Today, 33% of projects qualify as megaprojects (more than $1B in capital expenditures), up from just 3% of projects over a period of just five years.
- Partnerships drive both excellence and challenges. Successful partnerships and collaborative contracts can drive an average of 15% to 20% improvements on cost and schedule, but many organizations struggle to achieve such success. Complex funding structures for capital projects and carry more requirements for collaboration, reporting, and interconnected accountability.
Larger and more challenging projects – not to mention expanded slates of stakeholders and collaborators – only increase the complexity of document review and approval workflows. The inflexible approval pathways in many document control tools too often require workarounds or slowdowns. On the other side of the coin, some document storage methods fail to incorporate clear approval or review paths – another way to slow things down or allow errors to slip through. Improved search, tagging, and consolidation reduces rework by ensuring teams work from an approved, final document. But just as importantly, the added flexibility of a document control solution with configurable workflows ensures teams have those documents faster. By cutting approval times from nine days to five or even three, in-field contributors have that much more room to focus their efforts on doing the job the right way, the first time.
THE SKYROCKETING COMPLEXITY OF TODAY’S PROJECTS HAS ONLY INCREASED THE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY AND POTENTIAL FOR DELAYS AND REWORK.
FLEXIBLE WORKFLOWS IN INEIGHT DOCUMENT CONTROL DRIVE EFFICIENCY
InEight Document delivers capabilities that allow review managers to set up flexible, highly configurable workflows to keep information moving quickly enough to head off rework and expensive delays.
- Single- or multi-approval automations keep reviews, approval, and RFI processes moving fast, while including all needed participants.
- Configurable routing and escalation processes avoid the need for last-minute research about alternative reviewers or approvers.
- Flexible, inclusive workflows can be set up to cross between teams and even business entities, in any order and with any breadth of participation.
See how InEight Document keeps approvals moving with flexible document control automation.
FREE UP DOCUMENT CONTROLLERS TO WORK STRATEGICALLY
Any good capital project leader knows: Document controllers are no strangers to making project information accessible yet secure, keeping approvals and reviews moving swiftly, and preventing costly and time-consuming disputes. But too many of them spend too much of their time on repetitive tasks or reactive searches, and not enough time keeping an eye on more strategic work. When document controllers are free to work strategically, they make even greater – and more efficient – contributions to project progress. Skilled document controllers can contribute across multiple projects if automation takes repetitive tasks off their plate. For example, automated tagging saves hundreds of hours of document controller time, and can allow for more robust tagging structures. Document controllers do the strategic work of creating project-appropriate key terms and folder structures, and turn to automation to take on the tasks of tag incoming documents according to those terms. As the project progresses, users can filter or search according to the terms they naturally use to find the exact document they need in a matter of seconds.
4 WAYS TRACTEBEL SAVES TIME FOR ITS DOCUMENT CONTROLLERS
Globlal engineering and consulting company Tractebel replaced a legacy document control solution with InEight document and has seen big improvements. “I see project teams coming to me when they have an issue and instead of just saying, ‘I can't do that. It can't be done,’ we’re saying ‘let’s find a way,’” says Eileen McGillivray-Ahmidan, Document Management System Single Point of Contact at Tractebel. Tractebel had made operations more efficient with improvements like:
- Bulk document uploads to reduce manual data entry
- Automated reports for project stakeholders to reduce responses to one-off inquiries
- System-assisted task follow-up to save time
- Document review cycle reduced by 80%
“InEight Document frees up my time to actually do things that are useful for project execution,” McGillivray-Ahmidan says.
LEAN ON DOCUMENT CONTROL AS AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE FOR PREVENTING REWORK
Keeping rework to a minimum remains a top priority for every capital project team, and smart leaders use every tool available – including document control practices and systems. Cross-functional leaders can look to document controllers as natural allies in the effort to improve and streamline practices and reduce errors. A well-supported document controller can unlock efficiencies to:
Dramatically cut the appalling 35% rate of non-productive employee tasks and ensure more accurate work as a result
Speed approval processes and other workflows even as the complexity of both projects and contractual models skyrockets
Increase strategic focus and productivity in the document control function to support more projects with existing staff
ABOUT INEIGHT
InEight is a leader in construction project controls software, empowering over 850 companies taking on challenging projects in industries including construction and engineering; transportation infrastructure; mining; water; power and renewables; and oil, gas and chemical. Uniquely suited to capital construction and other complex work, our integrated, modular software manages projects worth over $1 trillion globally, taking control of project information management, costs, schedules, contracts, and construction operations, and delivering insights with advanced analytics and AI. InEight's solutions adapt and scale to meet the dynamic needs of modern construction, driving operational excellence and successful project outcomes. For more information, follow InEight on LinkedIn or visit InEight.com. © 2025 InEight, Inc. All Rights Reserved