ASSAI: Controlled document management

At the start up of a project, there is one thing you want to do: you want to focus on the actual work. You want to get started; you want to get your project moving, fast. You do not want to worry about sideline issues related to the project. One of these issues is document control. Neither do you want to have long discussions on project standards and business processes.

However the reality is harsh and you have to address these issues as well. And if you do not address them directly and completely, they will come back to you during the project, again and again. There will always be somebody asking for a new standard or claiming that the current way of working is not acceptable or does not meeting corporate ISO standards and procedures, etc. During the execution of previous projects the thought might have popped up ‘Why did you not organize it at beginning of the project?’. In many cases the answer is simple: you did not have the time to get it organized. Often you had problems on the previous project as well, so copying the standards and procedures of your previous project was not an option.

Standard optimized working environment

ASSAI offers an environment that invites to work with standards and work according to procedures. The system can be implemented fast and offers the integrated vision on how to organize communication between the different parties within your project. In ASSAI you define your own numbering structures, your own reference lists for document types, disciplines etc.

ASSAI gives you dedicated screens for data entry, web based metadata and content search. Drill down facilities on discipline – document type and asset structure are directly available. ASSAI supports transmittal based distribution and web based collaboration. Engineers can see each other’s comments. On the web-interface engineers always have the latest revision directly available.
The system covers document creation, numbering issue, correspondence, technical queries, email storage, document distribution and data management.

Why it really works?
There are a couple of reasons for the success of the ASSAI system. First of all the system is based on user requirements. Many systems are built based on technical possibilities or new technological developments. ASSAI is driven by questions from real users on real projects. Questions concerning improved data entry support, easier document retrieval, improved search facilities, improved communication processes between contractor and project organization, etc.

The second reason has to do with background of ASSAI. Out of the two, document management and document control, document control is technically and functionally the most complex. ASSAI, having its roots in document control, was confronted with the demanding requirements of document control from the very beginning. ASSAI could therefore base its foundation on these more complex requirements. This has resulted in a very robust structure of the system.

ASSAI is based on a vision where you have one single repository containing all your data. All departments are working on this same repository, while they have the feeling that they are working on their own data. This concept has delivered major benefits on communication and cost saving. This can best be illustrated by an example. When your organization receives a document revision for review, document control registers the incoming transmittal and forwards it to the relevant engineers. The engineers directly have the document available in their web-based inbox. Engineers can comment and specify their return code. Document control is informed automatically and generates the return transmittal. The transmittal codes and return codes can automatically change the status code. The status code is of importance to the planner. He now can recalculate document progress based on the updated status code and roll up document progress and export it to the planning system.

This example is just one illustration where several user groups can be working on the same item (the document), providing each other the required details, without additional communication needed.

ASSAI has invested heavily in building to the requirements of the different user groups. This has resulted in another key factor in the success of ASSAI: its user friendliness. Users can find the required information quickly in a way that feels comfortable. Document controllers have dedicated screens for loading documents, generating transmittals and, of course, reports. The system offers a direct benefit to all major user groups.

This very basic aspect is the key to gather all project information, from documents to correspondence, to technical queries and asset information

Working with ASSAI will result in a much better documented system at the end of the project phase. It is quite common that at the end of the project phase companies complain that just a marginal part of the asset is documented. Typical examples are that the item was never registered or that the latest revision was stored on somebody’s laptop (and he left the organization). Working with ASSAI will give you a much better documented system, without any additional effort: staff members use the system and register the information.

ASSAI has proven its success at oil majors and large civil projects. You can benefit now of the knowledge these companies have invested in the ASSAI system.

ASSAI takes care of data management; you can focus on your project.