The first online EDMS solutions were difficult to update, and difficult to use, with problems like low user adoption, clumsy integrations, and inefficiencies in the way files got uploaded and stored because some of the information was still on paper while some were digitized. This made companies hesitate to adopt EDMS systems and of those who did adopt them, many would see lowered employee efficiency as people struggled to learn and get comfortable with the new systems. Another problem was that inaccuracies in drafts and document versions got compounded as the files were shared across team members (and later, across multiple digital devices) and this led to bottlenecks in achieving compliance, especially when teams had to juggle between their old manual systems and the new EDMS systems. In some cases, these bottlenecks even affected safety and data integrity. So it’s understandable why first-generation EDMS was not widely adopted at first. However, all that has changed – today’s EDMS solutions are both intelligent and intuitive, perfectly adapted to the digital world and the way modern engineering teams work. Some even contain built-in document workflows (and are therefore referred to as ‘document workflow management software‘). In fact, NOT having an EDMS nowadays can be considered a deterrent to business growth in a rapidly digitizing EPC landscape.

Let’s zoom in on one specific example of how the modern EDMS dramatically improves productivity – document version control.

Document versioning was one of the gaps in first-generation EDMS systems which has been solved in the current systems, and it is truly a game-changer in engineering scenarios.

Why is version control so important? And what is it exactly?

Document Versioning is the system or scheme that governs how documents and their revisions are named throughout the document’s lifecycle. There are different schemes used, depending on the organization, and can be alphabetical, numeric, or alphanumeric. The most common versioning schemes are numeric and use a decimal point system to differentiate between minor and major changes. For e.g., Version 3.9 means this is the third major revision of the document and so far 9 minor changes have been made to the document. Some companies prefer the alphanumeric method which uses a combination of alphabets and numbers, in which case the first letter will indicate the major revision followed by the number which denotes the minor change. For example, D4 indicates it is the fourth major revision and so far 4 minor changes were made. Major version numbers typically denote a big revision like redesigns or conceptual changes while minor versions denote small changes in a drawing.

So as you can see, document versioning is simple enough on paper but becomes complex because of the volume of documents and the number of people involved. Without a good versioning system, the team may end up using outdated information, and that can lead to delays or even safety concerns. Whereas with a well-designed document workflow management system you will be able to manage all versions of all documents very efficiently and without relying on manpower, and this will maintain the integrity of documents while increasing team productivity at every level.

Let’s consider the other benefits:

Lack of confusion and less rework. In a project, all the project members must be constantly aware of any changes or revisions made to a document/drawing and by automating the workflow, you can eliminate the chance of wrong file naming, and thereby lower the risk of accidentally using an obsolete version.

Time-saving. Automated document version control functionality embedded within your document workflow management software will significantly reduce document handling time. The team will have a clear idea of who made what changes to which document, and when. They will know – without having to check with numerous people via phone or email – which version is currently under review and which version is approved. 

Fewer (or no) errors. By automating the versioning process you are ensuring that no human errors were made during the naming of new versions. Thus, updated versions are easy to find and users can easily pull out older versions if and when it becomes necessary.

Efficient tracking of document changes. With system-driven versioning control, teams can easily keep a record of key decisions that were made, along with the audit trails, so they can document every step of the reviewing process in every detail.

Ready-to-hand handover documentation. Often at handover time, there is a scramble to collect and verify all the necessary documents. With a document workflow management software that has versioning control built in this problem is eliminated and teams are sure of having the documentation ready to hand over whenever needed.

To sum up, document version control is a feature of modern document workflow management software solutions which helps organizations set up automated workflows for a variety of critical engineering tasks. This in turn affects the efficiency of the organization because well-managed versioning expedites most engineering processes and ensures that each user knows the exact status of each version of each document, and so productivity across the entire team is boosted.