The best way to solve the problem of construction information overload is by adopting the use of a common data environment or CDE. This has been proven over and over in the last few years, as more and more engineering organisations have invested in common data environment solutions and have seen immediate and lasting benefits across all phases of their projects.

The idea behind the CDE is not new. EPC companies have long tried to set up more efficient ways to share data among all the project stakeholders but the nature of construction projects made that difficult (and even impossible) until the evolution of cloud and web-based technology platforms – especially if those solutions were also customised for the management of construction data and documents. Now that the internet is available even on remote locations and worksites, modern digital solutions have made the concept of a single, unified, shared workspace not only possible but advantageous, as such a space can be more easily secured and managed across multiple work entities.

So – why do CDE’s matter?

The simplest answer is that they offer the only proven solution to most of the problems EPC organisations face when it comes to data management.

Before CDEs became available, companies dealt with many problems in project information management, including:

• Lack of a centralised data archive.  As anyone who’s worked on a construction project knows,  project information without a central hub very quickly becomes difficult to control, difficult to predict, and difficult to rely on. A common data environment solution acts as a single source of truth – exactly what project teams have always needed.
• Data loss that occurs as data gets transferred from one team to another. As the project progresses through its lifecycle the risk of inaccurate or outdated data increases, and so does the risk of human error and mismanagement. With a CDE solution this risk is greatly mitigated if not eliminated altogether.
• Lack of standardisation in processes. It’s not surprising that manually-driven processes are very prone to human error, and those errors tend compound over time and lead to serious delays and missteps down the line. Although no process in a project depends on a single individual, the truth is that most mistakes come from a single individual, and if this individual is the one in charge of executing a workflow, the results can be disastrous sooner or later.
• Silo-d software applications that can’t share information between themselves. The lack of integration between various software technologies means that a great deal of manpower is required to transfer data from one application to the next and so the real problem is not resolved. Rather, the dependency on manual data management continues, and the errors and delays increase because now there is one more step added to the already complex process.
• Lack of standardisation. Projects involve multiple companies and organisations and it is only natural that each company comes with its own set of workflows and protocols for managing, sharing, and updating files. A common data environment ‘forces’ everybody to follow the same rules, as it were, and this leads to standardisation in a way that was never possible before CDEs appeared on the scene.

The bottom line is that without a single, reliable, trustworthy source of information a project can run into serious trouble despite everybody doing their best. Common data environment solutions are the only practical way to provide that single source.

Similarly, teams who need to collaborate need to be able to trust each other, and without a common data environment this trust can be difficult to sustain over the course of an entire project. Whereas with a CDE, human errors like unwanted file duplication, out of date information, incorrect updates etc. are reduced or  eliminated and so there is much more scope to establish a trust-based work culture.

In a nutshell, not only does a CDE offer standardised ways to manage how data is stored, shared, and disseminated, it unifies all the workflows and teams into a single shared workspace that is secure and easily accessed. With a CDE, all information about the project can be used with confidence by project stakeholders anywhere in the world, allowing them to monitor and manage the project effectively in real time. A CDE optimises collaboration between project stakeholders and  members of project teams and helps eliminate errors and duplication in the data they use.

To get the best out of your CDE, look for a solution that is easy to use (short learning curve and intuitive), easily-accessible (can be accessed from the office, out on the site, on the road, and via any digital device like a smartphone or tablet), secure (protects sensitive business data), and integrated (talks with other software used by the company like CAD, spreadsheet software, email, ERPs etc.). Then you are sure to enjoy all the benefits of a modern CDE solution and see a positive impact on your business.