Hagerman Connection Blog

Efficient Document Management for Industrial and Campus Facilities

Written by Matt Lane | Apr 14, 2025 7:40:55 PM

Editor’s Note: This blog is dedicated to the topic of facilities document management including both industrial facilities and campus facilities such as higher education, corporate, healthcare, etc., and will cover both internal document management and external project collaboration. While it is designed to be non-product specific, Hagerman & Company sells and implements different industry leading tools including Autodesk Vault, Autodesk Construction Cloud (Docs), and Accruent Meridian and Redeye products which will all be covered. 

Are You a PDF?

My mission at Hagerman & Company is to help all types of organizations that manage large facilities better organize and manage the thousands of drawings and documents they need to run their facilities, associated equipment, and projects efficiently and safely.  These drawings and documents may be used internally or shared with or received from outside consultants, contractors, and equipment providers. In working with our clients, two simple questions are paramount: 

  1. Do you have all documentation necessary to safely and efficiently operate and maintain your facility?  
  2. If so, can everyone easily locate it when they need it? 

If you can answer “Yes” to both questions, then you are a rare exception to the norm and can consider yourself to be a “PDF” or “Premier Documented Facility.” 

What is a Premier Documented Facility? 

A “Premier Documented Facility” has systems and information in place to ensure that all employees in engineering, operations, maintenance, purchasing, and all other departments have quick and easy access to the correct documents and drawings needed to safely and efficiently perform their work functions. With a “Premier Documented Facility,” every operation, every asset, and every piece of equipment are fully documented, and the correct, current version of all drawings and files can be located within minutes by anyone who needs them. With a “Premier Documented Facility,” you are assured of operating the safest, most productive, and most compliant facility possible. 

Simply stated: When your employees have easy access to all up-to-date information for your facility and every asset or piece of equipment in it, you have a “Premier Documented Facility.” 

Attributes of a Premier Documented Facility 

Other attributes of a “Premier Documented Facility” include: 

  • Systems are in place to prevent employees from using outdated or unapproved versions of drawings and documents 
  • Drawings and documents are stored in a single secure repository rather than being scattered in multiple insecure locations 
  • Users do not have access to multiple redundant or differing versions of the same file 
  • All end users are well trained and comfortable using and navigating your in-house document storage systems 
  • The electronic document storage system is fast, reliable, bug-free, and well supported 
  • Employees in all departments will agree that they can easily find any drawing or document they need 

For more details, contact us about our 25-point “Premier Documented Facility” self-survey, or ask us about our “Premier Documented Facility” one-on-one reviews and needs analysis. 

What are the benefits of being a Premier Documented Facility? 

Owner-operators of Premier Documented Facilities achieve all the following benefits: 

  • Reduced downtime 
  • Greater efficiency in maintenance operations 
  • Reduced risk/cost of buying incorrect parts and equipment 
  • Improved employee safety 
  • Reduced compliance costs and risk of non-compliance 

Having inaccurate, incomplete, or inaccessible facility information leads to “Information Incidents,” where faulty information is a major identifiable cause of problems. According to industry analysts ARC Advisory Group, losses caused by Information Incidents amount to 1.5% of annual revenue in a typical facility. This is $1.5MM annually for every $100MM in revenue.  When you are operating a “Premier Documented Facility,” these “Information Incidents” are dramatically reduced or even eliminated completely. 

With 30+ years of experience implementing and supporting document management systems in all types of industrial and campus environments, Hagerman & Company has everything needed to help you become a “Premier Documented Facility” including: 

  • Operational surveys and audits 
  • System review, needs analysis and consulting 
  • End user and administration training on your current system 
  • Automated import and correction of documents and document search data and properties 
  • Improvements to system configuration, organization and structure 
  • Implementation of new state-of-the-art systems from Autodesk and Accruent 

If you’re ready to become a “Premier Documented Facility” or would like a copy of our 25-point self-survey, please contact us ASAP. We would love to be of assistance!