One source of truth: where the current plan lives and who may change it
The office updates the schedule in the shared system. A foreman still works from the copy saved on their phone last week, and the coordination meeting opens a third copy attached to an email. All three people believe they have the current plan.
Assign one controlled location, owner and update rule to each living project record, including the schedule, drawings, open actions, cost forecast and submittal or RFI logs. Tell users how to recognize the current version and how an offline copy becomes stale. Check that the field and office actually see the same information. A shared folder alone is insufficient if private copies remain the normal route into meetings and work.
Make current status visible at the point of use
- Name the authoritative location. Create a short index linking each living record to its controlled home. Keep commercial records accessible only to the appropriate people; one agreed source does not mean unrestricted access to everything.
- Assign an update owner and cutoff. State who maintains each record, how corrections reach them and when the next update is due. Include absence cover so current information does not depend on one person being available.
- Display version and status. Use the record’s revision or issue timestamp and explain whether it is approved, provisional or superseded. Avoid names such as final-new that tell the reader nothing about authority or sequence.
- Open the controlled record in meetings. Use its link rather than an unexplained email attachment. If a snapshot is required for a decision record, label its date and version so it remains a historical reference rather than a competing living document.
- Plan for offline use. Explain what has been saved, when it was last checked and how users obtain updates after reconnection. Do not assume a cloud update instantly replaces every device copy or gives approval for work from a stale record.
- Check with a field user each week. Ask them to open the information they normally use and compare its status with the office copy. Repair the access, naming or update step that led them to an older version.
Common mistakes
- Calling a folder authoritative while allowing meetings to use private copies.
- Removing all old versions when historical records are needed.
- Assuming an offline user has received a changed cloud record.
Checklist
For each living project record
- One named controlled home.
- A maintainer, cover and update rule.
- Visible revision, date and status.
- A clear rule for snapshots and offline copies.
- A field check that tests actual use.
Check your understanding
A foreman cannot open the controlled link, so they use an emailed drawing. Is the version rule working?
