Capital projects · Document Control Everyone builds on the same version.

A project quickly generates thousands of documents. We make sure it is always clear which one is valid.

Get in touch – we will reply within one working day and look at your situation together with you.

Key question: “Is everything up to date and traceable?”
Strength: Version certainty
Register: Master document register
from 0.1 FTE: Starting point, scalable with the project

Why documents are a control matter

Every document is an activity.

Every drawing, every specification and every test report can delay or release an activity. That is why we manage every document like an activity – with a status, a deadline and a person responsible. Anything that affects the schedule goes straight into the schedule.

Drawings, specifications, test reports, variations – in projects there are quickly thousands, and they come from many parties. For everyone to work from the same version, three things are needed: unambiguous identification, a maintained register and someone who follows up open items until they are closed. Then documentation becomes a management tool.

Schematic extract from a master document register with document, valid revision, status and open item.
Document	valid rev.	Status	open item
P&ID	C	approved	–
Plot plan	B	under review	Comment from operations
Piping class specification	A	approval due	waiting for two weeks
Weld inspection report	–	outstanding	Date with supplier
Operating manual	A	in preparation	–

Swipe sideways to view →An example extract from a master document register: valid revision, status and the open item on the same line. The highlighted line is the reason the register exists.

Document control is closely linked to schedule and cost. A missing approval appears as an activity in Project Scheduling, because it holds up whatever builds on it. If it delays a purchase order, for example, Cost Control shows the consequences for the budget. If you need all three disciplines together and in the right scope, you will find them in Project Controls on demand.

Scope of services

What we take on

Document control as a discipline of project control – from the system to the final documentation.

Document management

Structured filing, uniform identification and clear approval workflows in line with the project standard – so that every document goes through its intended review and approval route.

Version & revision control

The valid version is clearly identified and traceable at all times. We make sure everyone involved works from the same revision.

Transmittals & distribution

Controlled document exchange with contractors and partners, suppliers and authorities – with a record of who received which version and when.

Tracking open items

Due documents, comments and approvals are followed up until they are closed – and flagged before they put deadlines at risk.

Master document register

One central register with status, revision and deadlines – the single point of truth that everyone involved can rely on.

Interface with schedule and cost

A missing approval appears as an activity in the schedule. That shows which work is waiting for it – and we take corrective action in good time.

What you gain

Version certaintyEveryone builds and decides on the same, valid version.
TraceabilityComplete documentation for acceptance, audits and the assessment of variations.
Fewer delaysDue approvals are followed up while there is still time to take corrective action.
One reliable sourceStatus, revision and deadlines of every document are in one place – everyone involved works from the same verified version.
ScalableFrom a single document controller from 0.1 FTE up to a complete controls team.

Our approach

Set the standard, maintain the register

Four steps. The third one is decisive: only when open items are consistently followed up does the register become a control tool.

01
Set the standard
We define numbering, revision scheme, approval routes and deadlines at the start of the project – agreed with project leadership, project control, engineering, operations, contractors and partners.
02
Maintain the register
Every document is listed in the Master Document Register with its status, valid revision and deadline. A register is only as good as it is up to date – which is why it is actively maintained, not just passively administered.
03
Follow up
We track due approvals and open comments until they are closed. If an approval is missing, we tell you in good time which activity it will delay – and actively take corrective action.
04
Hand over
The result is complete, well-ordered documentation for acceptance, the authorities and later operation – and a solid basis for claims management.

Context

When we take over document control

Three occasions, one shared question: is everyone involved working from the valid version?

01For a single projectWe take over document control from the idea to commissioning – including handover to operations.

02In document-heavy phasesWhen engineering and acceptance generate more than your own team can handle alongside its other work.

03For entire programmesWhen the document system across several projects should follow the same rules.

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Related services

Further disciplines of project control

A missing approval holds up everything that builds on it. That is why documents, schedule and cost belong under one common control.

Project Scheduling

Planning and scheduling for capital projects, from the idea to commissioning.

Cost Control

Cost tracking, forecasting and variance management across the entire project.

Project Controls on demand

Scheduling, Cost Control and Document Control for capital projects – flexibly scalable from 0.1 FTE.

Questions answered

What does document control do?

It manages the project documentation in a structured way, secures versions and revisions and follows up open items – so that everyone involved works with the current status. A project quickly produces thousands of documents: drawings, specifications, inspection reports, variations. Document control turns them into a management tool instead of an archive.

What is a master document register?

The MDR is the central register of all project documents with status, valid revision and deadlines – the single point of truth for the documentation. Anyone who wants to know whether a version is valid or what an approval is waiting for finds the answer there at a glance – binding and the same for everyone involved.

What does documentation have to do with the schedule?

More than you might think. A pending approval holds up the activity that depends on it – in the worst case, an order with a long lead time. That is why we link open items to the schedule: a stuck document shows up there as what it is, namely a schedule risk.

How does documentation help in a dispute?

It is the evidence. If it later has to be established who received and approved which version and when, the documentation decides – transmittals, revision statuses and approval records. Orderly documentation is therefore the best preparation for a variation dispute that, with luck, you never have.

Do you work in our EDMS?

Yes. We work in your existing systems or bring proven structures if none are in place yet. What matters most is discipline: an up-to-date, complete register that everyone involved trusts.

From what size is it worthwhile?

From as little as 0.1 FTE – we work out the actual scope together based on your project. Through Project Controls on demand it can be organised flexibly and adjusted to your needs at any time.

What does document control cost?

We charge by the hour, by day rates or at a fixed price – we work out together which model fits. The effort depends on the volume of documents, the number of parties involved and the requirements arising from permitting and acceptance. For a first indication, the project volume and duration are enough for us. The initial call is free of charge.

Terms such as Document Control are explained in our glossary – along with 58 other terms from the turnaround and project business.

From the blog

From the field.

Further reading: an article by our specialists on this topic.

Project Controls · Mario Leonhardsberger

Project control from 0.1 FTE: when Project Controls on demand is enough and when it is not

Many smaller projects run without cost and schedule control because a full post per discipline is not worth it. It also works at a smaller scale: from 0.1 FTE.

Read article

Does everyone involved know
which version is valid?

Get in touch – we will tell you how well your document control works today and where a missing approval becomes a schedule risk. The initial call is free of charge.