Keep one controlled copy of every drawing and risk assessment and method statement (RAMS) in a single project library, not in email attachments, WhatsApp groups and site cabin folders. Give every document a revision and a status so nobody builds from a draft. Put QR codes on site that open the current version, sync the library to site tablets so it works offline, and record who has been briefed on each RAMS revision. Then withdraw paper copies the day a new revision is issued.
Why do old revisions end up being built from?
Most out-of-date drawings on site aren't a design problem. They're a distribution problem. The design team issues revision C, but revision B is still printed in the cabin, saved on the foreman's tablet and sitting in a WhatsApp group from three weeks ago. Each copy looks official. None of them says "superseded".
RAMS go wrong the same way. A subcontractor's risk assessment and method statement is approved at the start of the package. Then the method changes, a new plant item arrives or the sequence moves, and the revised RAMS is emailed to the office. The operatives on site were briefed on the old one and nobody knows who has seen the new one.
The cost is real. The Get It Right Initiative estimates the total cost of avoidable errors in UK construction at between 10% and 25% of project cost. Not every error is a wrong revision, but working from out-of-date information is one of the easiest causes to remove.
There's a legal side too. Under CDM 2015 (the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations), the principal contractor must make sure the construction phase plan is "appropriately reviewed, updated and revised from time to time" throughout the project (regulation 12(4)), and every worker needs a site-specific induction and the information they need to work safely (HSE). A RAMS nobody can prove was briefed is hard to defend after an incident.
What does good document control look like on a small project?
You don't need an enterprise document management system to fix this. You need four rules that everyone follows.
One source of truth. Every current drawing and RAMS lives in one project library. For most of our clients that's a SharePoint site per project. Email is for telling people a new revision exists, with a link. It is never where the file lives.
A revision and a status on every file. The revision (P01, P02, C01) tells you which version it is. The status tells you what you can do with it. The UK's BS EN ISO 19650 National Annex uses codes such as S2 (shared for information), S3 (for review and comment), S4 (for stage approval) and A codes for information approved for use at that stage. You can use those codes or simpler labels such as "For information" and "For construction". What matters is that "for construction" is a status someone approves, not a folder anyone can drop a file into.
Superseded files are moved, not deleted. When revision C is issued, revision B moves to a superseded folder, visible to the office but not to site. SharePoint keeps the full version history of each file anyway: by default, 500 major versions per file (Microsoft Learn).
Somebody owns it. On each project, one named person (usually the site manager or a document controller) is responsible for issuing and withdrawing revisions. Without a name, it's everyone's job and nobody's.
How do you get the right version in front of the site team?
This is where most systems fail. The library is perfect in the office, and site carries on using paper.
| Problem on site | What fixes it |
|---|---|
| Operatives work from printed drawings pinned in the cabin | Print a QR code on each drawing board and at each work area that opens the live SharePoint folder for that area. Stamp every printed copy with its revision and "Check the QR code before use" |
| No signal in the basement, on the roof or at the far end of the site | Sync the project's "For construction" folder to site tablets so it's available offline. The OneDrive mobile app can keep folders on the device, and the tablet updates when it's back in signal |
| Revisions shared by WhatsApp or text | Share links to the library, never attachments. A link always opens the current version. An attachment is out of date the moment revision D is issued |
| Nobody knows whether a new RAMS has been briefed | Use a short Microsoft Form or a list in the project site to record each briefing: RAMS reference, revision, date, who attended. Link it from the RAMS itself |
| RAMS approved on one revision, changed later | Turn on approvals in the SharePoint library, so a new revision can't reach "Approved" until the named person signs it off |
Shared site tablets make this easier, not harder, as long as each person signs in with their own account. Our article on onboarding and offboarding site staff and subcontractors covers shared device mode and guest access for subcontractors in detail.
The site cabin also needs a connection that can handle it. Syncing a drawing set to three tablets over a weak phone signal is slow. A 4G or 5G router with an external antenna, or satellite on remote sites, turns "the drawings won't load" into a non-issue. Our construction guide chapter on site connectivity explains the options.
Worked example: a revised RAMS on a school extension
Example (an illustration, not a real client): a 40-person contractor is building a two-storey extension at a primary school in Lanarkshire. The steel erector's RAMS is revised after the crane position changes.
Under the old way, the revised RAMS arrives by email on Tuesday. The office prints it and posts it to site. It arrives Thursday, by which time the steel gang has started work under revision 1, which puts the crane on the wrong side of the site.
Under the new way:
- The steel erector uploads RAMS revision 2 to the project library's "Subcontractor RAMS" folder, where they have guest access.
- SharePoint sends an approval request to the site manager, who reviews and approves it on her phone the same morning. Revision 1 moves to "Superseded".
- The QR code on the cabin board already points at the folder, so anyone who scans it sees revision 2 only.
- At the next morning's briefing, the foreman briefs revision 2 and records attendance in the briefing form.
- The site manager checks the form against the gang list before the crane lifts.
Nothing here needs new software. It's Microsoft 365, set up with some discipline, and a named person who owns each step.
What we see
The firms that get this right tend to treat document control as part of site set-up, not something bolted on later. The project site, the folder structure, the QR codes and the tablets are ready before the first drawing is issued. The ones that struggle start with good intentions and a shared inbox, and by month three nobody trusts the library.
How Indigo does this. Indigo Unified Communications supports 15+ construction businesses from our Glasgow office. We set up SharePoint project sites, guest access for subcontractors and Microsoft Intune for site tablets, and we've built SharePoint systems that apply the same structure across hundreds of jobs, as we did for our renewables client Greenversity to track solar panel deployment. For site cabins, 4G or 5G connectivity is usually live within 2–3 working days, and we supply Starlink or Eutelsat OneWeb satellite for remote sites. For a Central Scotland building firm of about 160 staff, we fixed unreliable site cabin connectivity with Cato Networks SD-WAN and Starlink. IT support for construction →
What to do next
- Pick one live project and find every place its drawings and RAMS are stored: email, WhatsApp, cabin folders, tablets, laptops.
- Create one project library with a "For construction" folder, a "Superseded" folder and a subcontractor RAMS folder, and name the person who owns it.
- Agree your status labels (ISO 19650 codes or plain labels) and put them in every file name or column.
- Print QR codes for the cabin and each work area, and sync the library to site tablets for offline use.
- Set up a briefing record for RAMS, and read our construction guide chapter on Microsoft 365 for how to structure project sites.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to share drawings with site teams?
Share a link to one controlled project library rather than sending attachments. A link always opens the current revision, while an attachment goes out of date as soon as a new one is issued. Sync the construction folder to site tablets so drawings are available offline, and put QR codes on site that open the same folder.
How do we prove a site team was briefed on the latest RAMS?
Record each briefing in one place: the RAMS reference, revision number, date and who attended. A simple Microsoft Form or SharePoint list linked from the RAMS works well. When a revision is issued, the site manager can check the record before the work starts and brief anyone who missed it.
Do we need ISO 19650 status codes on a small project?
No, but you do need a clear status on every document. ISO 19650 codes such as S2, S3, S4 and A codes are useful when you work with designers who already use them. On smaller jobs, plain labels like "For information" and "For construction" are enough, as long as only a named person can mark a document for construction.
Can site tablets show drawings without a signal?
Yes. Folders from SharePoint can be kept on a tablet through the OneDrive mobile app, so they open without a signal and update when the tablet reconnects. Keep the offline set small, usually just the current "For construction" folder, so it syncs quickly over a site connection.
Sources: Get It Right Initiative, Targeting error reduction in the construction industry, accessed 30 September 2026 (https://getitright.uk.com/) · legislation.gov.uk, The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 12 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/regulation/12) · HSE, Principal contractors: roles and responsibilities, accessed 30 September 2026 (https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/principal-contractors.htm) · Man and Machine, Understanding Status Codes: BS EN ISO 19650-2 National Annex A, 6 January 2021 (https://www.manandmachine.co.uk/understanding-status-codes-bs-en-iso-19650-2-national-annex-a/) · Microsoft Learn, Set default organization version limits for new document libraries and OneDrive accounts (https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/set-default-org-version-limits) · Microsoft Support, Approvals in Lists and Document Libraries (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/approvals-in-lists-document-libraries-2bd0954d-5797-4be3-b78a-846f26338e17) · Microsoft Support, Read files or folders offline in OneDrive for iOS (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/read-files-or-folders-offline-in-onedrive-for-ios-60ffb5d6-ac87-4bea-b142-01f301b22e4c)
Related: Onboarding and offboarding site staff and subcontractors · Construction guide: Microsoft 365 and AI · Construction guide: site connectivity · Site set-up · IT support for construction companies
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