GED (Electronic Document Management): what the project manager needs to know about this tool to avoid letting unapproved drawings circulate on site — and losing contractual traceability of approvals
The contractor is working from version B of a drawing. The GED holds the approved version C. On site, a tradesperson printed version B from their phone. Three weeks of work on the wrong version. The GED isn’t just another piece of software — it’s the site’s documentary source of truth.
Type | Phase | Actors | Impact | Stakes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Document | Execution | MOE (project manager), Client (MO), Contractor, Architect, Inspection body (BC) | High | contractual | “Document distribution and issue/sign-off tracking” section of the CR |
1. Operational definition + common mistake
Gestion Électronique des Documents (GED, “Electronic Document Management”) is the centralized digital platform used to upload, distribute, index, sign off on, and archive every document on a project: execution drawings, technical data sheets, calculation notes, inspection-body documents, CRs, tracking tables. On large commercial projects, the GED replaces paper drawings and the plan cabinet: it’s the single source of truth.
In this CR, the GED platform used is IODE. It includes a structured sign-off workflow (upload → MOE sign-off → inspection-body sign-off → distribution), a document coding grid, a list of users with access, and issue tracking. The CR lists the roll-out actions: “GED system set up 2 weeks after appointment,” “GED training organized on 02/04,” “distribution principle confirmed: digital only for the inspection body.”
Many assume the GED is just a file-storage tool — in reality, on modern commercial contracts, the sign-off workflow in the GED has contractual value: a document not signed off in the GED isn’t authorized for use, and a sign-off in the GED is dated, traceable proof of the MOE’s and inspection body’s approval.
2. Where it appears
In a commercial site meeting report — in a “Document distribution and issue/sign-off tracking” section, with operating rules, document coding, and sign-off workflow tracking. It can also appear in appendices. In this CR:
“The GED system will be set up no later than 2 weeks after appointment”
“The MOE sign-off workflow grid for approval / The EXE design coding principle”
“For the inspection body, distribution is digital only, and the inspection body’s opinions must be transcribed into IODE”
3. How to read this entry in the CR
If you read “GED sign-off workflow” → check that all relevant parties actually have access to the GED and have been trained. A sign-off issued by someone without access doesn’t enter the official workflow.
If you read “IODE tracking – EXE design distribution and sign-off tracking” → this is the reference appendix for sign-off status. Consult it before every meeting.
If a document is distributed by email or on paper outside the GED → this is an anomaly. Require it to be uploaded to the GED before use on site.
4. Who does what
Actor | What GED means to them | Concrete action |
|---|---|---|
MOE | Administrator and guarantor of the sign-off workflow | Configure access, coding, and workflows; check that every document is uploaded before use |
General contractor | Primary uploader of EXE design documents | Upload all documents to the GED per the coding scheme; only distribute approved versions on site |
Inspection body (BC) | Issuer of opinions within the workflow | Submit their opinions in the GED or have them transcribed there |
Client (MO) | End user of the approvals | Access the GED to check statuses; don’t request changes outside the GED workflow |
5. What this changes in practice
A project manager who masters the GED can produce, at any time, a complete status of documents approved / pending / rejected. A project manager who lets email exchanges, paper drawings, and partial GED uploads coexist creates uncertainty over the reference version — and risks the contractor arguing at handover that they were working “per the latest instructions received.”
Failure scenario: the inspection body sends its opinions by email without uploading them to IODE. The MOE forwards them to the general contractor by email with no GED update. At handover, there’s a dispute over the inspection body’s opinion on the fire doors: the GED shows no trace of the opinion, and the email can’t be found. The inspection body is exposed in the dispute.
6. Example of real wording
“The MOE sign-off workflow grid for our approval — DONE”
“For the inspection body, distribution is digital only, and the inspection body’s opinions must be transcribed into IODE”
7. Points of caution
The GED is not an email inbox: every document must be uploaded with the correct coding to be findable and traceable.
A sign-off in the GED must correspond to a named person with a date — access must be individual, not generic.
GED training for every party is mandatory, not optional.
Inspection-body opinions must always appear in the GED, even if the inspection body prefers to work by email — transcribing them is the MOE’s obligation.
Don’t confuse “uploaded to the GED” with “signed off in the GED”: an uploaded but not-yet-signed-off document cannot be used.
8. Not to be confused with
Related term | Key difference |
|---|---|
Plan cabinet | A physical storage unit for paper drawings — the GED is the digital version with an integrated sign-off workflow |
Distribution email | An informal exchange — a GED upload is the official, traceable act of distribution |
Sign-off (visa) | The act of approval — the GED is the medium for that sign-off, not the sign-off itself |
Collaboration platform | A generic term — a construction-industry GED includes a coded sign-off workflow |
9. Related terms
Same phase (EXE studies): Sign-off (visa) · Electronic approval workflow · FTM · First-of-series · Hold point
Same actor (MOE/general contractor): Coordination drawings · Coding scheme · Issue tracking
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