Document Retrieval Shouldn't be a Paper Chase
By Maureen Federchuk
Property and Facility managers spend as much as 25-30% of their time simply locating
and handling paper based office documents. On average, 10% of all documents are
misfiled, with 7% becoming lost completely. Add drawings, specifications and equipment
manuals to the list, and the situation is even more alarming. A document management
strategy can resolve these issues. Managing technical information can be particularly
difficult due to the lack of a filing system that effectively manages a wide variety
of document types and sizes. Setting up racks, drawing cabinets and banker boxes
in a "plans room" is a commonly accepted solution to store and manage this information.
Unfortunately, the room often quickly becomes the place to store everything and
new problems arise. Despite good intentions, these rooms almost invariably become
unorganized and inefficient over time. The task of locating the most current documents
becomes challenging when new renovation and tenant improvement drawings are filed
but the outdated sets aren't removed. Uncontrolled access to the room virtually
guarantees that no one assumes responsibility over its contents. Long gone are the
days when mail clerks were charged with ensuring that materials removed from the
plans room would be returned where they belonged. Meanwhile, managers and building
operators typically do not have the resources or time to dedicate to the upkeep
of the plans room.
Who hasn't dedicated a Saturday to straightening out the filing of drawings, manuals
and technical information related to the property? Unfortunately, the restored order
is frequently short lived. As a consequence, it can take anywhere from a few hours
to several days to find, retrieve and copy technical information from the plans
room. This translates to a cost of hundreds or even thousands of dollars per request.
If a document such as a CAD drawing goes missing altogether, it may cost upwards
of $2,500 to recreate it. Imagine the cost if the entire base building and tenant
fit-up sets have to be replaced. It is therefore important to identify which individuals
in the management team have knowledge of where and how technical information is
stored and retrieved. If it is only one person, what happens if that person is on
vacation, sick, or has moved on? A proper document management strategy will not
only assist the management team, but contractors, consultants, tenants and corporate
management will benefit as well. Contractors and consultants face many challenges
when dealing with retrofits, renovations and tenant improvement projects. Waiting
for technical documents shouldn't be one of them. If managers are not sure the documentation
being handed over accurately reflects the current property conditions, they may
actually be handing contractors an opportunity to claim for additional fees and
project costs.
Leasing brokers are continually becoming frustrated waiting for technical information,
with wait times sometimes measured in weeks to obtain an as-built set of drawings.
By this time the prospective tenant may have gone elsewhere, resulting in a loss
of income for the property. To assist brokers even further, a document management
strategy should include the creation of building, floor or suite summaries and certificates
in accordance with BOMA's Standards. Over the past few years, properties have been
changing hands at an unprecedented rate. Some buildings have been bought and sold
two or three times in one year. Each time a building goes on the market, the seller
gives potential purchasers access to information relating to the property including
lease files, contracts, invoices and base building drawings. If the property does
not have a full set of current base building and tenant fit-up drawings, or if these
drawings are not readily available, a document management strategy is necessary.
Major disasters can happen to anyone so building operators need to be prepared to
respond to many types of emergencies that can range from hostage taking and kidnapping
to fires, floods, biological agents and bomb threats. To what extent are you prepared
to deal with these situations? A comprehensive emergency strategy that includes
a fire plan, evacuation plan, building security measures and emergency procedure
manuals is critical. Emergency Response Plans are used in conjunction with the fire
safety plan and the architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical drawings.
Where are these drawings being stored, and are they secure? Is there a backup copy
should the documents be destroyed in a fire, flood or explosion? Could you retrieve
the drawings from off-site should the need arise to assist in an emergency situation?
Without current, accurate technical drawings, strategic decisions are made without
the best information at hand. Would you be able to provide accurate information
to authorities? There is an option to store documents digitally offsite. By doing
so, the building data is protected from disaster, is no longer degraded due to constant
referral, and is accessible on-line at all times from any location. In the event
of a flood, fire or other building emergency, response teams can gain access to
the information without having to enter the building.
When developing a document management strategy, it is important to consider all
of the above. The strategy should increase efficiency, save money, improve tenant
relations and reduce risk and liability.
Maureen Federchuk is a Senior Consultant with Cion Corp., an Ingenium
Group company. For information on how you can put your document strategy in place,
contact Maureen at maureen.federchuk@cion.com.