Aconex
Documents

Setting up your document fields

Properly managing project documentation ensures information is organized, and easily accessible to everyone.

Projects generate a huge amount of information and document fields help make that information easier to manage, track and find.

Document fields reduce the time spent looking for documents.

Time

60-90 mins

Difficulty

Easy

Project Stage

Plan

Using the Play

The aim is to agree what document fields should be used and when. Having more choices is almost always a bad idea and means people are more likely to make the wrong choice.

Keep it simple and make sure you are managing project documentation clearly and consistently.

 

This Play will...

Get you off to the right start and help you decide what document fields you need and how to get them set up.

 

Why you need this Play

Wasted time finding documents, missing documents, and the wrong documents. These are signs of poorly managed documentation and not having the right document fields.

Teams that spend a lot of time looking for the information they need, often end up doing extra work, missing deadlines and taking longer to get project activities completed.

Its crucial everyone who uploads documents understands what information they need to include otherwise it'll lead to confusion, delays and frustration. 

 

Who needs to be involved?

You'll need different stakeholders involved to get a holistic picture of what document fields are required. Typically, you'll need to understand the requirements of:

1. People creating and distributing documents (e.g. Consultants and Subcontractors)

2. People reviewing documents (e.g. Consultants and Contractors)

3. People managing documents (e.g. Document Controllers)

 

Be mindful of having too many opinions. Groups of 4-5 tend to work best. More people means more discussion and fewer decisions. You can get feedback on decisions made with a wider audience later on. 

 

Preparation

Check if there are any contractual, legal or regulatory requirements regarding how you and the project team are required to manage project related documents. This can help decide on the documents fields you might need which makes this play easier. 

Also think about previous experiences. What worked, what didn't? What caused confusion within the team? Try not to repeat earlier mistakes. 

What you'll need...

You can run this play in-person or virtually. Whiteboards are great and easy to use in-person, but there are virtual options available via platforms like Zoom.

Whatever method you choose, make sure you capture all the decisions and ideas (e.g. photos or screen grabs) as it's easy to forget what was said even a few hours later. 

This play is easy to use and follow, but, sometimes you might need additional help or advice. That's where our Professional Services team can help you get the most from Aconex.

Step-By-Step

  • 1Get familiar with documents and document fields (15 mins)

    Making sure everyone is on the same page. 

    Start by watching this video that provides a simple overview of documents. It'll help the group get on the same page and better understand what decisions need to be made.


    Then spend about 5 mins to get everyone to write down what their initial thoughts are on the document fields they want to see on the project. At this stage anything goes. It can be a big list but it's just an initial take on what you and your team think is needed. You'll reduce it in subsequent steps.

    Remember, fields capture additional information for each document to help you find them later.

     

    Standard Document Fields

    Every project uses a set of standard document fields. Some are system controlled fields that update automatically - e.g. "Date Modified" updates every time the document is changed. Other fields require user input.

    Here are the standard document fields that are available included in every project. For each field you'll see the type of field, its maximum number of characters (i.e. field length) and if the field is mandatory by default. 

     

     

    Label & Description Type Max. Length Mandatory
    Document No.
    Providing a document with its unique number.    		 Text 210
    yes
    Revision
    Giving a document its revision when it's updated (e.g. A, B, C or 1, 2, 3 etc.)    		 Text 15
    yes
    Title
    Adding a description for the document.    		 Text 255
    yes
    Type
    Assigning the relevant document type.    		 Select List (Single) 50
    yes
    Status
    Adding an appropriate status for the document (e.g. Draft, For Review, As-built etc.)    		 Select List (Single) 40
    yes
    Discipline
    Assigning a relevant discipline to the document (e.g. Electrical, Structural, Mechanical etc.)    		 Select List (Single) 50
    yes
    Created By
    Adding the details of the author or originator. By default, the organization name is entered.    		 Text 60
    yes
    Comments
    Adding comments to help with searching and retrieval (e.g. what changed between revisions).    		 Text Area 1024
    no

     

    This is a good set of fields to start with. Most of them are mandatory which means they cannot be left blank or empty. Additionally, most of these cannot be renamed or turned off. What this set of fields does is ensure a solid baseline for capturing additional information for each document added to a project.

  • 2Deciding what's needed (15 mins)

    Here's where you'll get into deeper discussions.

    First, decide what fields you need for your project.

    Remember, all projects have some fields included (see table in Step 1). You need to decide what document fields are needed, in addition to the standard fields. Have a think about:

    ~ Common fields that everyone will suggest.

    ~ Document fields that might be influenced by the project type.
    (e.g. A hospital is likely to have different requirements to a school)

    ~ Documents that may have caused problems on previous projects.
    (e.g. was there confusion due to lots of date type fields?)

     

    Spend a maximum of 5 mins on each of these points. You'll probably end up with quite a few suggestions. Hopefully your list is not too big.

    Think about how you intend to search for documents. That can help you decide what fields are needed.

Consultant Tip

If you're required to use certain types of documents (e.g. via the Contract), a lot of your decisions will be made for you.

Don't waste time discussing things you cannot change or have no real control over. 

Instead, make sure the required types are configured properly and everyone knows why and when to use them.

  • 3Decide field types you want to use for each one (15 mins)

    There are various field types available. You'll need to choose the best one for each of your selected fields.

     

    Field Type Usage
    Text
    		 Single lines of text (e.g. Title).
    Text Area
    		 Multiple lines of text (e.g. Comments).
    Select List (Single)
    		 Single select from a list (e.g. Discipline).
    Select List (Multiple)
    		 Multiple select from a list.
    Date
    		 Date selector in relevant country format.
    Checkbox
    		 Simple yes/no type option.
    Number
    		 No text, just numbers.

     

    The Select List options require a list of values (that you control) that are then selected when adding or updating a document. The only difference between the two is that the single version only allows a single value to be selected. The multiple one allows more than one value to be selected.

    For example, the Discipline field (single select) might have the following values (but only one can be selected):

    ~ Architectural
    ~ Cost
    ~ Electrical
    ~ Fire
    ~ Health & Safety
    ~ Mechanical
    ~ Project Management
    ~ Quality Assurance
    ~ Structural

     

    For each field, decide what type of field you think it is. For those that use a Select List, you'll need to decide what values will appear in those lists.

    Keep those lists as small as possible.

  • 4Reduce, reduce, reduce (15 mins)

    Time to make that list more manageable. 

    Okay. You should now have a list of document fields that you think would be useful. To be clear, there are no right or wrong document fields. Now you need to make sure there is no room for confusion or ambiguity. An incorrect selection can result in delays and mistakes.

    Mistakes that teams often make are:

    ~ Lots of date fields (people will just pick the first date they see)

    ~ Lots of values in select lists (people will pick a value at the top of the list)

    ~ Too many fields (makes adding/updating a document time consuming)

     

    The more fields you have, the more likely that people will take shortcuts when using them. More fields also means more admin.

    Go through the list you have with the group and decide if there are any fields that could be confused with each other.

    For example, if you have AREA and ZONE as fields, could they be confused as serving the same purpose? Why would you need both? 

    A smaller, but well used, set of fields is better than a larger, but poorly used set.

    You should now have a list of agreed document fields.

Consultant Tip

If you're stuck, have a look at documents you already have for the project.

Drawings in particular will have a title block and the information there is a good guide for what needs to be captured with fields.

Just make sure you look at a good range of documents, not just one type of document or those from just one company.

  • 5Checking what fields are available (10 mins)

    Can you have what you want? 

    There are many document fields available in Aconex. But all are limited in number. Follow these instructions to see what fields are available and how change their options.

    Finally, confirm the final list of document fields.

    That's the end of the Play.

    Next you'll get everything set up.

Consultant Tip

If you want more flexibility with fields and document types, have a look at what project fields can offer.

Next Steps

Now it's time to get everything set up. 

  • 1Document your decisions

    Now you've done the hard work, it's time to document it. Yes, we know that's not very interesting, but if nothing's documented, then the project team can easily claim ignorance when it comes to what document fields are being used and their purpose. 

    Here's what it might look like:

     

    Label & Description Type Max. Length Mandatory
    Document No.
    Providing a document with its unique number.    		 Text 210
    yes
    Revision
    Giving a document its revision when it's updated (e.g. A, B, C or 1, 2, 3 etc.)    		 Text 15
    yes
    Title
    Adding a description for the document.    		 Text 255
    yes
    Type
    Assigning the relevant document type.    		 Select List (Single) 50
    yes
    Status
    Adding an appropriate status for the document (e.g. Draft, For Review, As-built etc.)    		 Select List (Single) 40
    yes
    Discipline
    Assigning a relevant discipline to the document (e.g. Electrical, Structural, Mechanical etc.)    		 Select List (Single) 50
    yes
    Created By
    Adding the details of the author or originator. By default, the organization name is entered.    		 Text 60
    yes
    Comments
    Adding comments to help with searching and retrieval (e.g. what changed between revisions).    		 Text Area 1024
    no
    Phase
    To identify the Phase the document relates to.    		 Select List (Single) 50
    no
    For Handover
    To indicate if the document is required for Handover purposes.    		 Select List (Single) 60
    no
    Area
    Identifying the area that the document relates to.    		 Select List (Multiple) 60
    yes
    Revision Date
    Capturing the Revision Date of the document.    		 Date n/a
    yes

     

    NOTE: The mandatory option cannot be switched off for some fields. For other fields, you to decide if a field is mandatory or optional. Keep in mind that optional fields are much more likely to be left blank. If the field is important to your project, make it mandatory.

     

  • 2Getting the document fields set up

    Follow the steps to get your project configured with the agreed document fields. 

    Note: You will need to be a Project Admin to add and manage document fields.

    1. First, check that the required fields are correctly named and available

    2. Then, add the list of values for the Discipline field

    3. Do the same for any other select list field types

    4. Preview the document fields for your project

    5. Lock the fields so they can be used

    6. Finally, configure the project roles so the relevant document types and statuses are available to the relevant people

That's it! You've now decided what document fields are important for you and your team, and set them up in Aconex. 

You're now ready to manage your project documentation clearly and consistently. 

Resources

Some useful and related links to help you with this Play.