Cadtales

General Business Practices

by Jim Rogers,
CADreps

This topic has less to do with AutoCAD and more to do with the thousands of paper drawings that are created, printed, folded, rolled, crushed, torn and discarded in the course of designing and building a project. Far from a “paperless” environment – paper drawings are used for every phase of design, approvals, permits, construction, certification, acceptance and warranty. It is not unusual for even a modest project to encompass 50 or more large-format drawings and 10-25 iterations for some or all sheets. That’s a lot of paper. Note: The comments in this article may apply equally well to electronic files stored on hard drives, CD’s & DVD’s, Memory sticks and/or attached to emails.

The handling and processing of paper drawings should be approached with the same management planning goals that we apply to our facilities (locks and alarms on doors & windows), electronic content (controlled access, fire walls, passwords, file integrity & backups) and company financial information (protections for cash, credit card numbers and checks, need to know & data integrity). If drawing handling and security are not specified in the contract, then it’s up to you to determine what actions are commensurate with good business practice to protect your client’s sensitive information. Obviously, a multi-story banking client will require more rigid rules than a small manufacturing or retail business. Purloined floor plans, communication drawings and other facilities documents could provide useful information to criminals, terrorists and others bent on stealing valuables, company secrets, personal identities or inflicting damage on facilities and personnel.

Drawings from architects and others may also include a statement of ownership, an access limitation and/or a copyright notice. If you are in possession of such drawings you may be assuming a contractual obligation to abide by the stated conditions. Check with your legal counsel.

Here are some elements to consider when formulating a company policy on the production, distribution, handling, archiving, storage and disposal of paper drawings. These suggestions are offered in the spirit of “good business practice” and should be discussed with legal counsel – particularly for high profile clients. All drawing management planning should be done in the context of: a proposed or current contract; city, county and state requirements; construction permits and codes; and, national standards for a particular discipline.

Security – This is probably the most important consideration since it involves content and information technically owned by others. Our first act on the behalf of a client should not be to offend their sense of security by the careless handling of their proprietary information. Drawings should be date & time stamped (with an approved company stamp) upon receipt. For higher security: Provide a signature line for the receiving agent; Log all received drawings and supporting documents; document their return or disposal.

Working – Design, inspection and shop drawings are required for every project. Copiers are generally equipped with “keys” to properly charge costs to a particular person, department or job. This facility can also be adapted to track and control access to drawings with proprietary information. Large format printers do not have cost control keys but software is available to track and apply costs to specific projects. For higher security: Consider numbering each copy and using a signature log book. End-of-use or out-of-issue drawings should be returned to the project office for storage, return to client, or disposal.

Storage – “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” (Unk.) Walk into any engineering or print room and you can instantly tell if the company has a plan for the proper control and storage of paper drawings. It will either look like a library or a paper recycling center. One of the better ways to store project drawings is the hanging print file. See Figures 1 & 2.

Figure 1 Before & After


Figure 2 Hanging Clamp File Example

For more information on sheet hanging fixtures, Google “hanging clamps.” Hanging clamps are available in aluminum/plastic and/or steel. Clamp capacity is about 100 sheets. Clamps are sized for 24”, 30”, 36” or 42” sheets. Hanging clamps are useful during the project life-cycle. At the conclusion of the project, drawings can be stapled, rolled and stored during the warranty period. For added flexibility and lower storage costs: Scan all sheets and store in electronic format. (Note: In the case of a legal dispute or warranty claim these design, shop and submittal prints may be your best defense).

Revisions – Drawings may be revised many times, and for many reasons, during the design/construction cycle. It is important that operations performed in accordance with drawing specifications be done based upon the current or applicable drawing revision. Likewise, drawings submitted for documentation or approval phases and completion ( % Review, % Construction, As-built) are legal documents and should be stored in date sequence. See Figure 3 for an example of archiving progressive sheet iterations by stacking the drawings, oldest on top, folding over the corners of out-of-date sheets, and exposing the current/active sheet on the bottom. This provides an easily accessible history of the drawing’s revision sequence, engineering change requests and the compliance work performed. Print, distribute or post a “Current Issue or Revision list” to interested parties.

Figure 3 Stack & Fold Archive System