document control systems
document control systems
(OP)
Do any of you work in engineering offices that use a computer-based document management system? I heard a presentation on them once, and have checked out some vendor's web sites, but I wonder how practical these programs are for an engineering consulting office. I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who uses or has tried such a system.





RE: document control systems
For example, a final report might be placed in the same container with detailed analyses along with annotations about what the analyses pertain to. The container would also capture older versions of the same analyses, perhaps.
For the most part, it's not necessarily anything that can't be done with a shared drive and a little discipline.
TTFN
RE: document control systems
RE: document control systems
TTFN
RE: document control systems
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: document control systems
Likewise, DOORS incorporates functionality that is not available in Winchill or Matrix and so those documents must remain in DOORS.
This all raises another ugly spectre, which is that a complete data management system also needs to retain copies of software that generated the non-Office documents as well as somehow capturing the computer environments that allowed those programs to function. For example, if you retain 5 yrs of design data, that potentially means maintaining or otherwise archiving 3 or 4 OS versions and hardware platforms for 5 yrs. The converse is to incur a huge data migration for every change in OS, design program or hardware platform.
TTFN
RE: document control systems
The product data can be found at: ht
RE: document control systems
RE: document control systems
All project documents come through this program, ingoing as well as outgoing: design drawings, submittals, all official correspondence, some of this is standarized i.e. comments on received revisions of drawings, delay notices and so on.
After you customize document coding system, it runs automatically and cannot be altered, all document issues and receipts are "carved in stone" - logged.
You also give logging authority to different acters in engineering process: construction manager/designer/inspector/client. Each of them receives authority and responsibility according to project contract documents, so you fully enforce contract this way.
One very nice feature is overlaying drawing revisions. When you receive new drawing revision, you can overlay it over older revision and program will mark in red all differences so you can check whether designer forgot to "cloud" something. This is very usefull during project execution.
Of course, there is no any problem with interface to scanner although you can simply make almost all needed documents by typing within program.
That makes this software perfect automated project administrator!
RE: document control systems
RE: document control systems
you can easily find it on web
RE: document control systems
RE: document control systems
comp.doc.management
which has some pretty good discussions.
(Also available on Google)
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.doc.management
Jay Maechtlen
http://home.covad.net/~jmaechtlen/
RE: document control systems
New copiers have scanning to a network folder built in. You simply call up a destination folder on the copier, put the paper in the feeder, push scan, and it copes it to a pdf file in the selected folder.