At Wrench, we have always known that systematic document management is the key to the smooth execution of modern EPCC and construction projects. Today there are many EDMS and data management systems on the market and some are in my view quite advanced in different aspects of data management but we believe the best system is an integrated one because it mimics the flow and structure of how a construction project works in real life where everything affects everything else and nothing is in silos and the lack of standardized process can have far-reaching and even disastrous impact. So we built Wrench SmartProject to be driven by process, not manual effort, and we ‘automated’ ie baked that process into the system – so the system drives itself, it doesn’t need a human manager to drive it. You could call it a “Schedule-Driven Document Management System” (or a Workflow-driven system) with functionalities that are specially geared towards construction projects, and so far it has been gratifying to see that the usage of this process-driven technology almost doubles the chance of successful on-time delivery with positive figures in the project bottom line. This is a big claim to make – so I will let our customer tell the story:
Customer story1:
“When we first starting using Wrench SmartProject in the year 2014, I was the PM in CPECC, responsible for EPCC Mender Field Development Project Phase I under ADNOC. In this project, site establishment was able to get completed ahead of schedule, which allowed all required staff and workers to be mobilized and accommodated well in time – and this was thanks to the timely submission of relevant documents/requisitions/drawings/etc from within SmartProject. Because of this software, the client approval process was managed well by the team, and the mobilization of resources was deployed on time ie as per schedule. This meant that the first interim payment was submitted on time, and so it was possible to ensure a smooth project cash flow. Engineering was able to complete as per the baseline schedule due to the fact that our team had monitored the progress of engineering deliverables in SmartProject, which allows for immediate rectification of late submission (which had occurred in this case due to lack of manpower and/or other reasons). We were able to quickly identify and mitigate shortfalls and catch up on the delays before they become problematic. Sadly this project did get delayed, but that was due to approval of Vendors’ Documents being neglected by the Client and delays in procurement with the activities under construction and commissioning causing the late arrival of Equipment and Materials. But despite the delay caused by the Vendors’ submission, our team was able to take immediate action to notify the Vendors for rectification (we used the “Reminder” functions in Wrench SmartProject) and were able to mitigate the delays to a great extent. Eventually, CPECC was granted six months Extension of Time (EOT), with costs, by ADNOC. I believe this was possible only due to the transparency that SmartProject provides – I mean that all the transactions that led to the delay in Procurement (due to late approval of documents attributed by the ADNOC) had been captured and recorded in the system along with detailed information about how the Construction and Commissioning were affected. This was a huge benefit – since all this data was captured and ready to hand, the client had to admit the delay was caused by factors outside our control, and hence we were granted the EOT. So, a happy ending I would say. SmartProject really saved the day, in my opinion.”
Customer Story 2:
My second experience in using Wrench SmartProject came four years later, in 2018, where I rejoined CPECC as a PM in the WARA Pressure Maintenance Project for Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) where 50% of the Project schedule had elapsed. Here CPECC was the Main Contractor (CPECC did not procure Wrench SmartProject on this project but their Engineering Subcontractor CPE had done so for Engineering and extended the usage to Procurement under the documentation management of CPE…. so I ended up using it anyway.) What we realized, thanks again to SmartProject, was that due to the fact that Procurement and Vendors’ documents had not been properly managed, a lot of documents related to Vendor submission, Engineering Check, and Submission for Client’s approval had been delayed and after analyzing further we realized that 70% of the delay had been caused by our team (Engineering Subcontractor & Vendors) and 30% by the Client’s late approval, and the 70% delay could be attributed to the Engineering subcontractor and Vendors who did not review/ reject/accept on schedule and ended up submitting the relevant documents late. We were able to drill down to this by looking into the timings recorded in Wrench SmartProject that were derived from the Baseline Schedule in P6. So this was another case where I saw first-hand how a good or standardized document management system can be of enormous value and help to resolve challenges without conflict.”