Keeping track of past projects

[P205]

As an EIT just starting out in structural design, I wonder if what other structural engineers do (if anything at all) to keep track of past projects.

I'm toying with the idea of keeping a 11x17 set of structural drawings for all the major projects are work on, and keeping them in binders that I will keep over the course of my career.

Does anyone else do something like this? or maybe you just keep a one-page render of the building and nothing else. Or maybe you go out and snap a few pictures of the building once it's built.

Maybe you couldn't care less once the building is done and you just want to move on.

Thoughts?

 

[JAE]

I think keeping 11x17 copies of everything you do will become a vast storage issue.

I only keep an on-going resume and/or project listing of every project - include project name, address, description, discussion of what I specifically did on it, estimated/actual project cost, size, etc.

I also try to obtain photos of the projects when possible for marketing efforts in the future.

 

[P205]

Hmm, I'm thinking that may depend on the size of projects people work on. Most of my stuff is fairly large buildings (only complete 3-8 buildings in a year). I also have a lot of little stuff in between the larger projects, which I wouldn't include in the binders.

Food for thought.

Also, can I change my Civil/Environmental status beside my name to Structural?

 

[BAretired]

Microfilm is another way of keeping a record. Don't know if anyone is using it these days with computer storage so easily available.

BA

 

[P205]

As far as volume goes, I'm thinking that if one 8 projects a year, at an average of 15 pages per project, for a 35 year career, that's 4200 pages at 11x17. Lets say one can fit about 200 pages (11x17 folded to fit inside standard 2" binder), that's roughly 21 binder for your entire career.

Also I guess you could also purge old/uninteresting projects as the years go by.

 

[BAretired]

I kept most of my records from 1969 to 2008 in a cardboard filing system in a storage room in the basement. It included soil reports, design notes, structural drawings, shop drawings and correspondence for that period. For the first 20 years, I kept microfilm records, which I still have in a small metal box. They take very little space and are really no problem to store.

I did not keep records of projects done from 1955 to 1969 while in the employ of others, but my employers were all pretty careful about record keeping.

When I retired in 2008, I started to dispose of some of the older records, but I still retain a minimum of the last fifteen years. It is surprising how often an old client calls about a job done many years ago where he has lost his drawings and needs a fresh copy.

For the last few years, I have been keeping my Autocad drawings on my computer, but there is always a chance that they could be lost if they are not carefully backed up.

BA

 

[msquared48]

stiman86:

You asked...

"Also, can I change my Civil/Environmental status beside my name to Structural?"

Does your state of licensure differentiate between a PE and an SE?

If it does differentiate, even though you have experience in structural, unless you are licensed as a Structural Engineer, I would not advertise as such.

If your state does not differentiate, then you might be able to. Best to check with your state board on this.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

http://mmcengineering.tripod.com

 

[dik]

I have a massive folder with a whole bunch of sub-directories that I scan *.pdf files into... I'll post a *.doc file showing the sub-directories... I don't use all the subs... depending on the project size... drawing scans are from the original *.dwg file and others are scanned at 400 dpi... disk storage is cheap, and doesn't take up much space on my desk...

Dik

 

[JAE]

I also simply remember in my head every last detail and plan I've done.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Each job gets a drawing number and that data plus name, location, date, etc. etc goes into a database which is backed up every night to a server - along with drawings. I can find anything in a matter of seconds.

 

[P205]

Thanks for the responses so far everyone.

About the Civil/Environmental vs structural, I'm talking about the words in brackets next to our display name on the forum. IS that what you're referring too as well msquared48?

Also, my intention in starting this thread was to ask about keeping records for yourself, out of interest, regardless of whether your employer keeps archives of all the project documents. Of course if I was self employed, I would keep everything.

I find it interesting that people keep digital records of project documents for their personal use.

Thanks for your input everyone!