In: Civil Engineering
Construction codes and specifications
Discuss the importance of documentation in the
construction and civil engineering industry. What
method(s) are used to ensure proper documentation during
construction?
Importance of documentation in the construction and civil engineering industry
Documentation is significant in a construction project since it gives a "memory" of the task. It is the main contemporaneous record of what was really occurring at some random time over the span of the undertaking. Documentation is the structure on which a claim is built; without it, there is no contemporaneous proof to demonstrate a case and, in this way, the minimal possibility of a reasonable result. Project documents kept on a contemporaneous premise give a lasting record that permits the detailed reconstruction, survey, and investigation of occasions and activities of the project. The pulverization of project documents is the annihilation of proof which seriously cripples the affected party in introducing its case to the trier of truth. Such pulverization "deletes" the memory of project events. This violates industry practice, likely disregards inside corporate approach, and may damage the law relying upon the conditions.
The different documents for the proper documentation of a construction project are:
· Pre-Construction Agreements
· Other Pre-Construction Documentation
· Contractual Agreements
· Contract Change Orders/Amendments
· Contract Drawings and Revisions
· Architect’s Bulletins (information received from design professionals)
· Requests for Information (information requested from design professionals)
· Correspondence (external)
· Memoranda (internal)
· Daily Reports (Field Reports)
· E-mails
· Any other electronic job related documents
Legitimate organization of the agreement necessitates that all communications between the parties be recorded as a hard copy and preserved. Clear communication is crucial to the accomplishment of a task and composed documentation of the communication process frames the basis for the analysis of disputes when a project has gone away from its path. Contemporaneous documentation is basic for reproducing the realities if a dispute emerges.
Methods to ensure proper documentation during construction
1. Creating a Central Document Location
The main tip to improve construction document management is to make a central record or data location. This is one spot where all task documents will dwell. By having all undertaking archives, and reports as a rule, situated in a similar spot it makes discovering them simpler. All documents messaged to somebody must have a duplicate spared in the central location. This implies nobody needs to search through messages to find the document.
2. Accessible Anywhere
While having all records in a local archive area is acceptable, it's smarter to have the option to get to that area from anyplace. There is no assurance that somebody won't need a record or report when they're in the field. It's simpler for individuals to approach that data from anyplace as opposed to being messaged the data. With the expanded utilization of cell phones and tablets at locales, it is presumably advantageous to utilize a framework that works with both cell phones and PCs.
3. Using Unique Codes or Identifiers
It's significant for organizations to assign unique identifiers or codes to each report, particularly if there are different variants. In addition to the fact that this stops long record names, yet it likewise makes it simpler for organizations to look out changed forms of a similar document.
4. Executive Support and Sponsorship
With the implementation of any new platform or technique, guarantee that you have the help and sponsorship of organization officials. They're the ones that will drive the project past its underlying stages and urge everybody to proceed. It is hard to implement another framework or perspective without official help. With official help, any new program is a directive, and it's simpler to urge individuals to utilize the framework as planned.
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