Data Categorization

A typical building project requires managing several types of data such as 3D Models, 2D Drawings, Specifications, Email communication etc. Such project information for building related offices is typically categorized into 4 types.

Work in Progress

Work in progress (WIP) is the set of data ( models, drawings, documents etc ) that is being developed by the staff for a specific project. These files are used only for internal discussions within the team to further develop the project and the information is always considered as a draft only.

Published

Published is the information shared or ready to be shared with anybody outside the office environment including design consultants, branch offices etc. WIP information should go through proper review, quality check and approval procedures before considering it as a fit to publish. The main aspect of published data is ensure that it is accessible by the required parties.

Received

While working in a collaborative environment involving multiple stake-holders, every office receives information from different parties in different formats. Information received should be further categorized based on the sending party and also on the type of information ( models, drawings etc). It is important to maintain received information in an organized manner as this will be used to create the WIP files.

Archived

Archiving information at all project mile stones is important for every project. Design process very commonly requires the team to refer back or even sometimes to roll back to the previous design options. Archiving provides a well documented history for the project.