How to Store Your Construction Project Files

Projects generate a lot of documentation, whether it is a business case, project requirements or status reports. It is sometimes difficult to know where to start when it comes to saving them securely. If you don’t keep on top of your filing system, you will find it really difficult to locate your key documents when you need them. Here’s how to make life easier. Keep track of your project files with these simple tips.

Tip 1: Store your files online

Using an online project management tool or document repository is the best way to file your documents. Online storage means that you can access the files from wherever you happen to be in the world, whenever you want to. Create your own file storage folder within your project records, and use it to store all your documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

You can also store other types of files like document templates. If you record your meetings and presentations why not try storing audio and video files too?

Tip 2: Make them available to the team

Another great advantage of using online software to store your files is that you can make them available to the whole project team. Choose who you want to have access to your documents. You can easily give your team members permission to upload, read and edit documents online.

Tip 3: Keep your files together

It is hard to find an important document if some files are on a shared network drive, some in your online document repository, some on your laptop and some in your inbox. Where do you start looking for the right paperwork?

Keep all your files together by agreeing with the team that you will only use the online project management software to store your documents. That way, everyone knows exactly where to look.

Tip 4: Back up your files

Using online document storage also means that you have a secure back up of your files. Put a reminder in your calendar to back up your files regularly—just in case! Because documents are so important to projects, you need to have the confidence that you can recover anything critical if something happens to your laptop.

Tip 5: Track different versions

There is nothing more frustrating than working on a document only to find that someone else has made changes to it and you are not looking at the latest version. What a waste of time! Online document storage solutions give you the opportunity to automatically capture the version number of the document, and this means you can be sure that you are always looking at the latest copy.