Construction site document management: 10 Essential Questions

Document management on construction sites represents a major challenge for the success of construction projects. Between regulatory obligations, traceability and team coordination, controlling this administrative dimension is crucial to optimize planning, quality control and the progress of work. Here are answers to the 10 most frequently asked questions from industry professionals looking to improve their project management and customer communication.

1. What are the mandatory documents on a construction site?

French regulations impose several essential documents on any construction site. These documents guarantee legal compliance, the safety of the work and the quality control of the work.

Mandatory administrative documents:

• The Construction Site Opening Declaration (DOC), which must be sent to the town hall as soon as the work begins
• The building permit and its annexes, to be displayed visibly
• Decennial and civil liability insurance certificates for all stakeholders
• The logbook of works

Safety documents:

• The General Coordination Plan (PGC) for projects with several companies
• The Special Safety and Health Protection Plan (PPSPS) (put a link to the new PPSPS article) for each company
• Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for dangerous products
• The prevention plan during simultaneous interventions

Identification documents:

• BTP professional identification cards for all workers
• The register of personnel present on the construction site
• Safety training certificates (CACES, electrical certifications, etc.)

2. How do you organize construction documents effectively?

A methodical organization of documents avoids wasting time and improves project productivity. The key lies in setting up a structured and accessible system that makes it easy to manage tasks and allocate resources.

• Structuring by categories: Create separate folders for administrative, technical, financial, and security documents. This segmentation makes it easy to research and analyze data and ensures that each stakeholder quickly accesses information relevant to their tasks.
• Consistent nomenclature: Adopt a consistent naming convention that includes date, document type, and batch. For example: "2024-01-15_Plan_Gros-Oeuvre_V3.pdf”. This approach makes it easy to monitor and monitor progress.
• Versions and history: Maintain strict version tracking to avoid using outdated documents. Archive older versions while maintaining access to the history of changes. This traceability is essential for risk analysis and problem solving.
• Physical and digital centralization: Designate a dedicated space on the construction site for paper documents and create a digital mirror directory accessible from mobile devices. This dual approach optimizes communication between teams and facilitates work planning.

3. What tools or software should you use for document management on a construction site?

The choice of technological tools is radically transforming the efficiency of document management and project planning. Specialized solutions for construction offer functionalities adapted to the specificities of the sector, integrating planning, progress monitoring and data analysis.

Alobees: the reference solution

Alobees is one of the most complete solutions for document management in the construction industry. This French platform, used by more than 25,000 companies, offers an integrated approach that goes well beyond the simple storage of documents by including project management, planning and communication.

Key features of Alobees:

• Unlimited document storage with mobile and web access
• Real-time synchronization between all project stakeholders
• Integration of planning and management of teams and resources
• Intuitive interface adapted to field uses
• Integrated task management and quality control
• Customizable site forms to standardize information collection

The strength of Alobees lies in its ability to centralize all aspects of site supervision: document management, Scheduling, Timesheets, photos and communications. This holistic approach avoids the multiplication of tools and simplifies coordination between field and office teams.

Other solutions on the market:

• Dropbox Business or Google Drive for simple cloud storage
• Autodesk BIM 360 for projects that require a BIM approach
• Microsoft SharePoint for large organizations

4. How to ensure the traceability of documents on a construction site?

Documentary traceability is a pillar of the quality and regulatory compliance of construction projects. It makes it possible to trace the evolution of decisions, to analyze the problems and to justify technical choices to the customer and the contracting authority.

• Validation circuit: Establish a clear validation process with electronic signatures or receipts. Define who can modify, validate, or distribute each type of document according to their role in the project. This approach improves quality control and limits risks.
• Backup and archiving: Implement a daily backup policy with preservation on multiple media. Plan a long-term archiving system that respects legal retention periods. This preventive data management protects against the risks of information loss.
• Documentation of exchanges: Keep records of important communications: meeting minutes, validation emails, service orders. These elements are often crucial evidence in the event of litigation and facilitate problem resolution during coordination meetings.

5. Who is responsible for managing construction documents?

Documentary responsibility is divided between several actors according to their role and contractual prerogatives in construction projects. This clear division of tasks optimizes management and limits risks.

• The project owner: He retains the final responsibility for the project documentation and must ensure the completeness of the file. It provides the basic documents: permits, preliminary studies, specifications. He participates in validation meetings and ensures communication with external stakeholders.
• The project manager: As a technical coordinator, he centralizes and distributes implementation documents. It validates implementation plans and coordinates interfaces between bodies of state. He oversees documentary planning and ensures the quality control of deliverables.
• The general contractor or pilot: It ensures the operational coordination of documentation on the construction site. It collects and distributes subcontractor documents, keeps the documentary schedule up to date and manages documentary resources. She organizes coordination meetings and facilitates communication between teams.
• Every entrepreneur produces and keeps its specific documentation up to date: PPSPS, batch execution plans, technical instructions, test reports. He proactively shares updates with other stakeholders and participates in progress monitoring meetings.
• The SPS coordinator: It centralizes all security documents and ensures that they are updated. It validates PPSPS and coordinates secure interfaces. It analyzes documented risks and proposes corrective actions during safety meetings.

6. How do I manage the plans and their updates?

The management of plans represents a particular challenge in construction projects because these documents are constantly evolving and have a direct impact on the execution of works and the planning of tasks.

• Rigorous versioning: Adopt a clear numbering system (V1.0, V1.1, V2.0) with an indication of the changed areas. Each new version must have a clearly identifiable revision index. This approach facilitates the control and analysis of project developments.
• Controlled distribution: Establish an accurate mailing list and keep a record of the versions given to each speaker. Recover old versions systematically to avoid execution errors and coordination problems between teams.
• Summary plans: Maintain summary plans that incorporate all validated changes. These reference documents avoid inconsistencies between batches and optimize resource management and work progress.
• Consulting support: Provide consultation devices on site: waterproof billboards, reinforced tablets, laminated prints for humid areas. This accessibility improves communication and reduces the risk of error.
• Traceability of changes: Systematically document the origin of each change: customer request, technical constraints, regulatory changes. This traceability facilitates the management of additional costs and the analysis of impacts on the schedule during follow-up meetings.

7. How to guarantee access to documents for all those involved in the construction site?

Documentary accessibility conditions the effectiveness of coordination, the quality of work execution and the optimization of resources in construction projects.

• Collaborative platform: Deploy a cloud solution that is accessible 24 hours a day from smartphones, tablets, and computers. Alobees excels in this field by offering instant synchronization between all devices, facilitating communication and monitoring progress in real time.
• Gradual access rights: Configure access levels according to responsibilities and tasks: consultation, modification, validation. A contractor does not need the same level of access as a construction manager or the contractor. This approach optimizes safety and quality control.
• Team training: Organize training sessions on the use of documentary tools and management procedures. An investment in training prevents numerous subsequent malfunctions and improves the analysis of project data.
• Physical consultation points: Maintain physical display points for essential information: planning, safety instructions, mass plans. This mixed approach ensures that all stakeholders, regardless of their level of technological proficiency, have access to critical information for their tasks.

8. What are the retention periods for construction documents?

Documentary preservation is subject to strict legal obligations that vary according to the type of document.

Contractual and technical documents:

• Contracts and endorsements: 5 years minimum, 10 years recommended
• Implementation plans: 30 years (10-year warranty period + 20 years)
• Technical instructions and DTU: permanent conservation
• Test and acceptance reports: 10 years minimum

Safety and training documents:

• PPSPS and prevention plans: 5 years after the end of construction
• Safety records: 5 years
• Training certificates: validity period + 5 years
• Accident declarations: 40 years

Administrative documents:

• Tax and social declarations: 6 years
• Invoices and accounting documents: 10 years
• Administrative correspondence: 5 years
• Authorizations and permits: permanent conservation

Good conservation practices: Systematically scan all paper documents with a secure electronic signature. Organize progressive archiving: active documents, intermediate archives, final archives. Regularly test the readability of digital media and plan for technological migrations.

9. How to secure sensitive documents (plans, contracts, DOE, etc.)?

The protection of sensitive documents requires a multi-layered approach combining technical and organizational security.

• Access security: Implement strong authentication with complex passwords and double authentication when possible. Define granular access profiles that limit consultation to authorized persons.
• Encryption and protection: Use solutions that offer data encryption in transit and at rest. Platforms like Alobees natively integrate these protections, in accordance with European RGPD standards.
• Secure backup: Organize multiple backups at remote sites with regular restore testing. Plan a business continuity strategy in the event of a major disaster.
• Print control: Limit and track the printing of sensitive documents. Use custom watermarks to identify the origin of potential leaks.
• Team awareness: Train employees on security risks: phishing, infected USB keys, consultation of documents in public places. Document security is largely based on individual behaviors.

10. What should a DOE (File of Executed Works) contain?

The Executed Works File constitutes the technical memory of the work and conditions its future maintenance. Its constitution represents the culmination of the construction project and a major challenge for the client and the project owner.

h3/ Regulatory composition of the DOE: 

The DOE gathers all the information necessary for the operation and maintenance of the structure. Its constitution meets the requirements of article 1792-4 of the Civil Code and the applicable DTU. It is an essential deliverable whose quality reflects the control exerted throughout the work.

Mandatory technical documents:

• Plans in accordance with the execution (inventory plans) validated during the end-of-work meetings
• Operating and maintenance instructions for all installed equipment
• Technical data sheets for materials and equipment, with performance analysis
• Test and quality control reports
• Network diagrams (electricity, plumbing, heating, ventilation) updated
• Service books and preventive maintenance schedules

Maintenance documentation:

• Procedures for operating technical installations with task planning
• Contact information for suppliers and installers for resource management
• Spare parts references and maintenance cost analysis
• Preventive maintenance schedules integrated into the operational schedule
• Guarantee conditions for each element with associated risk management

Support and organization: 

The DOE must be submitted in a structured digital format allowing easy updates. The use of software like Alobees simplifies this constitution by gradually centralizing all the elements during the construction site, facilitating data analysis and communication with the customer.

Establishment responsibilities: Each contractor contributes to the DOE for his set of interventions according to the tasks defined contractually. The coordinator (prime contractor or general contractor) ensures overall compilation and coherence during summary meetings. The DOE delivery generally conditions the lifting of guarantees and is a critical deliverable for customer satisfaction.

The digital revolution in construction: when document management becomes a strategic asset

Document management on construction sites is rapidly evolving towards increasing dematerialization. Software like Alobees is revolutionizing practices by offering integrated solutions adapted to the specificities of construction, including planning, progress monitoring and analysis of project data.

Investing in rigorous document management generates substantial gains: reduction of non-conformities, improvement of coordination between teams, reduction of disputes and optimization of deadlines. In a sector where the slightest error can have major consequences on the work and customer satisfaction, controlling your documentation is a decisive competitive advantage.

Success is based on three pillars: clear procedures that define tasks and responsibilities, appropriate tools that facilitate communication and control, and trained teams that can analyze risks and solve problems quickly. By respecting these principles and by organizing regular follow-up meetings, document management becomes a performance driver for all construction projects rather than an administrative constraint.

‍