cfta webinar – april 25, 2013 drawing and document management in the campus facilities environment...

CFTA Webinar – April 25, 2013

Drawing and Document ManagementIn the Campus Facilities Environment

Glenn SeehausenPresident/CEOACAD-Plus, Inc.

The Presenter• Glenn Seehausen

• President/CEO• [email protected], 281-205-1300 x201

• ACAD-Plus, Inc.• Founded in 1986 (27 Years)• Document Management Systems (DMS)

• Focused on the campus facilities environment, with customers storing and managing millions of CAD drawings, BIM models, scanned images, and related project documents.

• Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM)• Performed implementations for customers totaling more than

500 million gross square feet.

ACAD-Plus Confidential & Proprietary, © 2013

CFTA Webinar - April 25, 2013

The Agenda• Achieving Quality Metadata: Since the quality of metadata

primarily determines the user’s perception of the solution, how is quality metadata achieved?

• Integration: How does Document management relate to other systems, like CAFM, CMMS, GIS, and Project Management systems?

• Point Forward: Why does a “point forward” strategy work best, BEFORE tackling the archives?

• Security: Why is document security critical (it is for more reasons than you might expect)?

• Workflow: What happens if the configured workflow does not match the business process?

• Questions?



The Case for Quality MetadataThe solution will be judged primarily by whether users can find the documents they need.• The ability to find documents is mostly determined by the

quality of the metadata (or “indexing” of the documents).• The software must be good enough to make it easy to search

and browse; but even the best software can’t make up for bad metadata or for documents being left outside of the DMS.

• Avoid the “Downward Spiral” caused by bad metadata and missing documents:• If the users can’t find the documents they need, they will begin to

avoid the system.• If they avoid the system, they are not contributing their documents

anymore either; now even more documents will not be available to others.

• Now even more users can’t find what they need and begin avoiding the system; thus the “Downward Spiral” to a DMS failure.



Achieving Quality Metadata• Leverage data from other systems to maximize document

“search-ability” with minimal data entry• Project Data from Capital Project Management (CPM)• Location Data (Site, Building, Floor) from CAFM• Equipment and WO Data from CMMS

• Trigger defaults using business logic• Trigger the Location Data from the Project Data• Trigger the Security Level based on the Document Taxonomy

• Limit choices based on the user’s role and prior selections, minimize fields that require typing• Reduces error• Promotes use through simplification

• It must be easy and intuitive• Users want Business Logic, not manual Folder and File Naming• Otherwise they will avoid the system



The Case for Integration• While most CMMS and CPM solutions typically include some “Document

Management” functionality, they come up short…• Many CMMS/CPM vendors call it “Document Management”, but is it really? I do

not disparage them, it is simply not their FOCUS.• Most CMMS/CPM systems only include the notion of “Attachments” and have

little metadata, rudimentary check-in/check-out or no version control, and very limited document security options.

• I have never seen one that is robust enough to handle all of the complexities of CAD and 3D modeling, which are some of the most valuable documents to the organization.

• But it is much more than just the “Best of Breed” concept! Other systems typically have very defined “silos” of users. Yet most documents span across the various “silos”.• Design and Construction uses the CPM system; but many of the project

documents are also needed for years “outside” of the project context by Operations and Maintenance, who use the CMMS and typically do not use the CPM system.

• Space Management/Planning uses the CAFM system; but the Master Base drawings maintained by them are beneficial to Design and Construction, to Operations and Maintenance, EH&S, even Telecom.



The Case for Integration• A robust Document Management System will put all of the

documents that benefit the “larger” organization in one system.

• Spans the silos, allowing the various groups to securely find and benefit from the documents they need.

• The DMS must be capable of bi-directionally integrating with the other systems.• Ensures common values between systems.• Allows searching for related documents directly from the other

systems.



Achieving Integration• Ensure the Document Management System supports flexible

integration options• Must be easily configured for integration with your current other

systems• Perhaps your institution does not own some of these Software

Systems now…but you might someday! So the DMS must be flexible enough to work with many other systems so it does not limit your choices.

• CAFM• CMMS• CPM• GIS

• This flexibility is also critical when these systems are upgraded or replaced, or if your data is restructured.

• Bi-directional: The ability to be completely embedded within others systems, or at least support doing automated queries using simple “smart URL’s”



9

Searching and Viewing Documents from a Web Site, GIS or CAFM Application

http://laptop-011-vs1/ExplorerClient/Home.aspx?VIEWID=DOC_DFC3F&DOCFILTER=9657c0&building=420&NAVSTATE=HIDE&DEFVIEW=THUMBNAIL

10

Searching and Viewing Documents from a CMMS System

T

http://laptop-011-vs1/ExplorerClient/Home.aspx?VIEWID=DOC_DFC3F&DOCFILTER=9657c0&equipment=EQ032980&NAVSTATE=HIDE

Point Forward, Then ArchivesToday’s projects are tomorrow’s archives.• Focus initially on “This Point Forward”, proving that the system

will work well for projects that are being done today. • Initially design and test the DMS using Projects being done now.

• Configuring the DMS while primarily focusing on scanning the Plan Room of old archives will very likely lead to:• either lots of re-work to do, or• a permanent “date line” you have to explain

• If you “prove out” the system using current projects first, then when you load the old archives it will simply look as if you have been using the DMS forever.



SecuritySecurity is critical!• Obviously, we want to expose the documents only to the

people that should be able to view them.• Also, we want each group to know they are “in control” of

their own documents so other groups won’t change them.• But a less obvious reason that security is critical…if we cannot

demonstrate that the documents are properly secured, users will avoid the system, leading back to the “Downward Spiral”.



The Case for Workflow• Encourages more users to use the system, because it HELPS

them do their jobs.• “Feeds” the system with current documents.

• Waiting until the end of the project deprives the organization of many benefits while the documents are being used the most.

• Archiving becomes an automated outcome, not an activity.• Protects the Master Floor Plans using change management

(gate keeper) and preserves historical versions.• These drawings feed critical locations data to other systems!

• Can automate or enforce other downstream processes• Update locations in CAFM• Create downstream GIS or other web published files• Provides floor plan backgrounds and notifications to other departments

• Email: “Your Emergency Egress or Life Safety Plans may need updating due to the Base Floor Plan being modified.”



DEPT ADMIN & STANDARDSOrganized by Dept & Doc Class

PROJECT BUCKETOrganized by “Job” Number and

Document Class (Location is an Attribute)

Project - BuildingProject - Site Infrastructure

Work OrderInitiative

• A “job” or ”effort” with a “start” and an “end” that results in some documents.

• Stores all the documents together that are related to the specific “effort”.

• After the “effort” is finished these documents remain together as an archive and begin to get “stale”.

• These documents are always tied to a specific Asset Location

• Be careful not to put documents here that your group is not committed to “sustaining” (keeping “fresh”)

• If this gets “stale”, the bucket is spoiled!

• Documents about how each Department “does business”, like policies, procedures, standards, templates, forms.

• These documents also need to be kept “fresh”, but they are not tied to a specific Asset Location.

• If this gets “stale”, the “bucket” is spoiled!

SUSTAINING-SITE/BUILDINGOrganized by Location & Doc Class

Schematics

Design

Construction

Masters Templates/Forms

Floor Plan

Standard Form

Schematics

Design

Construction

Schematics

Design

Construction

Schematics

Design

Construction

Schematics

Design

Construction

Schematics

Design

Construction

Schematics

Design

Construction

The “Buckets”



?CFTA W

ebinar - April 25, 2013

Thank You for Attending!

cfta webinar – april 25, 2013 drawing and document management in the campus facilities environment...

Documents

quality of metadata

project management systems

quality metadata leverage

bad metadata

related project documents

missing documents

system acad

wo data