With the recent rise of software solutions addressing the engineering procurement construction process, organisations involved in large-scale infrastructure projects are under pressure to replace age-old traditional and/or manual methods with newer digital-driven methods. The challenge is in finding the best fit for their needs. The mind-numbing array of products on offer – from EDMS to DPMO and everything in between – add even more complexity to the already stressful task of finding a software robust enough to be effective in the real world yet flexible enough to cater to the organization’s u ..read more

The best way to solve the problem of construction information overload is by adopting the use of a common data environment or CDE. This has been proven over and over in the last few years, as more and more engineering organisations have invested in common data environment solutions and have seen immediate and lasting benefits across all phases of their projects. The idea behind the CDE is not new. EPC companies have long tried to set up more efficient ways to share data among all the project stakeholders but the nature of construction projects made that difficult (and even impossible) until th ..read more

Common Data environments or CDEs have become popular with engineering companies in the last few years, but choosing the right CDE software for your project can be daunting. In this post, I will lay out the top three things to keep in mind while selecting a CDE software solution. First of all, a CDE solution must check all the boxes when it comes to functionality. What do I mean by that mean? I mean, the CDE solution must contain all the functionality YOU require in YOUR project. Not all CDEs are created equal. Most CDE software comes with certain basic functionalities, and it is tempting to ju ..read more

The Conventional Project Monitoring How do we ensure that projects are completed as scheduled and within the defined budget. We monitor and control the project schedule, cost, quality, safety etc during the execution phase to ensure the same. How effective is the monitoring & control? Every project execution is a journey from start milestone to finish milestone. We have defined where we want to reach and when we will reach there. Once this side is defined, we will plan how to reach there and what resources we need to reach there. Also, we define intermediate stops or milestones for gaugi ..read more

What role does a CDE play in construction projects and how does it align with BIM? Let’s find out. First of all, what is a CDE? CDE stands for common data environment. It is nothing but an online/digital/cloud-based space to store information. The ‘common’ means shared, as in, a space that is common to all its users. In the context of BIM, and especially BIM for construction, the information in question would be the information about the project, like its drawings, reports, schedules, timesheets, work logs, memos, correspondence, and so on. But a BIM common data environment is more than a data ..read more

In the dynamic landscape of Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) projects, the pursuit of success hinges on the ability to monitor both lead and lag indicators. The significance of this multifaceted approach lies in its capacity to provide a holistic perspective on project performance and blend foresight and hindsight. Lead indicators offer early insights and predictive measures and empower project managers to proactively navigate potential challenges, optimize resources, and mitigate risks before they crystallize. Conversely, lag indicators retrospectively assess past performance ..read more

In the dynamic landscape of modern technology and project management, the parallels between donning a smartwatch and utilising a digital project management information system are more than coincidental—they’re deeply rooted in the principles of real-time monitoring, proactive management, and the seamless integration of data for informed decision-making. Much like a smartwatch serves as a personal health companion that offers real-time insights and encourages proactive well-being, a digital project management information system acts as a vigilant overseer of project progress. Let’s explore the ..read more

Over the last few years, the way we manage engineering documents has changed. EPC organizations are coming to rely on cloud-based document management software systems rather than human expertise in the hope that digital technology can solve the crippling problem of how to manage complex workflows and huge volumes of data across many stakeholders and locations. That hope has not been in vain; today’s document management software is indeed an effective way to improve efficiency, reduce costs, strengthen security, and ensure compliance. Cloud-based document management software allows you to store ..read more

Anyone who’s worked on an engineering or construction project is familiar with the Master Document List or MDL (sometimes called a Master Document Register (MDR) or Master Deliverable Register.) As the name suggests, it is a list of all the documents that have to be delivered to the client in an engineering capital project. This includes all documents/deliverables across all project phases. What makes the MDL/MDR so vital? In a nutshell, the fact that it is essentially a snapshot of the project’s key documents at any point in time, or to put it another way, a list of vital statistics about e ..read more

These days there is a popular shift to ‘engineering workflow management systems‘ in the EPC market and software developers are stepping up with a variety of tools and systems addressed specifically to the EPC project lifecycle. Being highly specialized, such solutions offer notable benefits, including savings in costs and time, and also help ensure quality by creating a connection between ‘planned’ and ‘actual’ works and enabling engineering teams to track work in a proactive manner. In this post, I will explore what we mean by digitized engineering workflow management and why it is so critica ..read more