Construction drawing is the general term used for drawings that form part of the tender documentation and then the contract documents for the construction works. This means they have legal significance and form part of the agreement between the project owner and the contractor. The main purpose of construction drawings is to provide a graphic representation of what is to be built.
To avoid ambiguity and confusion that could lead to delays, misunderstandings and scope creep, construction drawings should be concise and coordinated. This requires having a formal review of each drawing to ensure that they are complete and coordinated. To ensure a comprehensive review, detailed checklists based on best practices and experience should be created for each project discipline and category. Those would include roads, external works, structural, architectural, mechanical, HVAC, electricity, fire alarm, BMS, and audiovisual among others.
Using Project Management Information System (PMIS) like PMWeb, the project team can implement a formal and comprehensive drawing management and review solution. To start with, the PMWeb Drawing List module will be used to capture the details of all project drawings. This will also include all drawing revisions. This will ensure that there is a single register of all project drawings including all revisions for those drawings.
The original drawing file which could be in PDF file format or any other format will be uploaded and stored on the PMWeb document management repository. Document folders will be created to match the project’s disciplines for which drawings are developed. This will enable attaching the drawing file and other documents to the relevant drawing item. This will also ensure that there is a single repository of all project drawings including all revisions for those drawings.
PMWeb custom form builder will be used to create the many drawing checklists that will vary depending on each building discipline and category. Each checklist will include all possible items that need to be verified and checked. The extent of items included in each checklist details the organization’s knowledge and experience in delivering capital projects. For each checklist item, there will be four fields to be completed, the first is for the drawing originator to confirm that the checklist item had been reviewed and is compliant. The second field will be for the Checker to verify that the checklist item had been reviewed and is compliant. The third field will be used to add any comments on the reviewed item and the fourth field is the proposed resolution of the raised comment.
The review process will include two steps which might include multiple reviewers if needed. The first is for the drawing originator where he/she needs to confirm that the checklist item had been reviewed and is compliant. After completing the review for all checklist items, the review form will be submitted via the predefined workflow to the Checker who will again verify that all checklist items had been reviewed and they are compliant. If there is an issue with any item in the list, the checker will add the comment next to the item along with the proposed resolution. The checker will return the checklist form to the originator to correct the reported comment and resubmit.
Since there will be different drawing checklists for each discipline and category, the individuals involved in the review process could differ depending on the review checklist. In addition, the same review checklist could include multiple reviewers for the different review groups. All these settings need to apply to the permission section for each custom form.
The drawing review dashboard will provide real-time reporting on planned, current, and completed reviews. The dashboard will provide a donut visual to summarize the total number of drawing review checklists by discipline and another donut visual to summarize the total number of submitted drawing review checklists by status. The dashboard will include a bar chart that will display the status drawing review checklists by discipline. In addition, the dashboard will include a table that will detail all design review checklists and their status. The table will summarize design review checklists by discipline.
About the Author
Bassam Samman, PMP, PSP, EVP, GPM is a Senior Project Management Consultant with more than 35-year service record providing project management and control services to over 100 projects with a total value of over US $5 Billion. Those projects included Commercial, Residential, Education, and Healthcare Buildings and Infrastructure, Entertainment and Shopping Malls, Oil and Gas Plants and Refineries, Telecommunication, and Information Technology projects. He is thoroughly experienced in complete project management including project management control systems, computerized project control software, claims analysis/prevention, risk analysis/management (contingency planning), design, supervision, training, and business development.
Bassam is a frequent speaker on topics relating to Project Management, Strategic Project Management, and Project Management Personal Skills. Over the past 35 years, he has lectured at more than 350 events and courses at different locations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South America. He has written more than 250 articles on project management and project management information systems that were featured in international and regional magazines and newspapers. He is a co-founder of the Project Management Institute- Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) and has served on its board of directors for more than 6 years. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), a certified Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP), and Earned Value Professional (EVP) from the American Association of Cost Engineers (AACE) and Green Project Management (GPM).
Bassam holds a Masters in Engineering Administration (Construction Management) with Faculty Commendation, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA, Bachelor in Civil Engineering – Kuwait University, Kuwait and has attended many executive management programs at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA, and London Business School, London, UK.