A new trend that we've seen with some of our larger General Contractors is the attempt to purchase sophisticated Project Management software which purportedly offers robust Document Management tools.
We've seen this with programs like Prolog, Buzzsaw, Timberline and now CMiC. GCs are under the impression that these programs will allow them to simply and easily store ALL project documentation, provide access to team members and essentially use reprographers as simple output nodes.
The previously mentioned programs are great, and do have incredible value for many parts of the Construction process, but I believe that GCs are a bit deluded in thinking software alone will solve the issue of rampant documentation.
Value of Experience
What I think most in the Construction Industry fail to realize about Reprographers is the inordinate amount of time and work put into coordinating, categorizing, and checking. It requires many smart people to be able to handle the growing amount of documents on construction projects and I would bet that all GCs do not have the required staff or time to fulfill this need. On top of that, Reprographers have the benefit of experience and knowledge around the Construction document process that it will take most GCs years to figure out.
This reminds me of the last push by the General Contracting community to cut out those pesky reprographers. Years ago, Architecture firms and GCs went to great lengths to buy production-level printers for their offices to save costs by removing the "markup" by having a Reprographer print the drawings. What most found out what that even basic reproduction is not as easy as simply pressing the 'Print' button. That there was much more detail and expertise needed to ensure an efficient process. Those same firms went back to their Reprographers and sold off their machines, understanding that some things are better when they are outsourced.
This circles back to when I wrote about "Business Process Outsourcing". Even if GCs decide to centralize on a product to manage their documents internally, they will still likely require the expertise and experience of a reprographic firm. The Reprographers value proposition may change, but they will remain valuable.
Those in the Construction Industry should keep this in mind when making decisions about company processes. Do you have the human power to manage this process? Can it be done externally for less money? What's the true cost of your employee's time?
I imagine that if you asked those questions about construction document management, you would come back to your trusted local Reprographer as the solution, not the problem.
Jared Willis
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