Tip: Plan dispatch with iPROT
Distributing plans is always a certain logistical challenge in construction projects. Since the almost universal spread of e-mail, this activity is no longer quite as time-consuming as it used to be when plans were still physically sent to the project participants on paper. But e-mail as a digital plan letter carrier also has its pitfalls.
For example, it can happen that plan files (usually PDF or DWG files) cannot be sent by e-mail or can only be sent with difficulty due to their file size. Some digital mailboxes block emails with file attachments that are larger than 10 MB. And you also need a lot of transmission bandwidth if you want to send or receive such large plan files via e-mail.
When project documents are sent by email, it is not always possible to prove that the email has been received by the recipient and that its content has been downloaded. Although there are digital acknowledgements of receipt, they are very easy to block or bypass.
With iPROT, sending and distributing plans and all other project-relevant documents within the project team and, if necessary, to external project partners is easy and straightforward with just a few steps:
First of all, it is best to create your own log type via the menu function and name it“Plan distribution/sending“, for example.
Then create a Meeting minute with the plan dispatch protocol type you have just created in the respective project and select all those people in the distribution list to whom plans or documents are to be sent.
The documents to be sent can then simply be attached to one or more entries in this plan dispatchMeeting minute using the file upload function integrated in iPROT and structured in topics or chapters. In this case, it is advisable to create the topics and entries as so-called“one-off items” so that they are not carried over to the next plan dispatch as quasi unfinished items. This also keeps the plan dispatchMeeting minute short and clear.
Using iPROT’s dispatch function, you can then send the plan dispatchMeeting minute to the previously defined distribution list and thus also have the option of later tracking which people from the distribution list have already downloaded the Meeting minute and thus also the content – i.e. the sent plans – by clicking on the small letter symbol next to the meeting number in the far left column (this is displayed in the dispatch dialog next to the mail address of the respective recipient with a check mark).
Plan distribution via iPROT also avoids the problem of the sometimes too large file attachments mentioned at the beginning. This is because the plan dispatchMeeting minutes are sent as links to the PDF files, as is usual with iPROT, and therefore the emails generated by iPROT are only a few kilobytes in size.
Finally, it should be mentioned that when this method is used, iPROT’s integrated search/filter function can be used to fully trace and document the dispatch of plans at any time.
Other protocol ideas:
