A Document Controller within a construction company is responsible for ensuring that all documents relating to a particular project are correctly collated, maintained and can easily be accessed by employees and management when needed. Let’s have a look at what a document controller actually does and how your career can develop.
Working as a Document Controller: What to Expect
In your career in this field, you will primarily work with technical documents such as plans and blueprints and reports. The role of a document controller is to collate, edit, upload and distribute them to the necessary personnel and ensure they are accessible throughout the lifecycle of the project. On a construction project the document controller is primarily responsible for the following:
- Using document management software to track and safely store documents
- Collating all necessary documents for particular projects
- Creating reports for management and clients based upon existing documentation
- Distributing documentation to employees relating to health and safety
- Distributing documentation relating to project progress to clients and stakeholders
- Converting paper documentation to electronic format and ensuring they are legible and securely stored
- Documenting meetings and events in relation to a project and uploading them to storage area and website where necessary.
Career Progression
A document controller fulfills a vital clerical and administrative role within any construction project of any large scale, and will most frequently interact with the following roles:
- Quantity surveyor
- Site manager
- Architect
- Foreperson
- Estimator
- CAD technician
- Purchaser
- Civil engineer
- Structural engineer
- Civil engineer
- Building services engineer
- Mechanical engineer
- Contracts controller
- QA/QC engineer
Professional Qualifications
First and foremost, familiarity with construction procedures and standard and industry standard documentation software is a must. Many employers prefer document controllers to come from a third-level background such as business, economics or information technology. Your career as a document controller will vary from company to company depending on scale and project so you must be prepared to upskill where necessary, with CPD in terms of new software or industry procedures particularly relevant.
How your Career can Develop
In your career as a document controller, you fulfill a vital function in the overall management and administration of any construction or civil engineering task. There is plenty of scope for professional development, graduating to larger, more complex projects and gaining a deeper understanding of construction and civil engineering methodologies. Some document controllers can make the transition into construction management positions when they have obtained the necessary experience and certifications.