Capturing Information "As it happens" is by far and away the easiest way, but:

• This means that staff have to be "proactive" and do it as part of their job.
  • Document controllers are the key - everything must pass through them
  • Often beaten by the "its in my brief case and I need it" syndrome.
• Senior staff must be involved in indexing - registration is a document control function.
  • Allocation of drawings to Work Packages or Tasks
  • Allocation of a letter to a "Subject" (the file where it resides if paper)
• Copies have to be made for "operational purposes" as the master is now "filed"
  • On completion of use, copies of documents should be destroyed
  • Electronically of course, the "master" can also be used operationally.
• Staff cannot "leave things", otherwise the action becomes "in arrears".
  • No holidays for Document Controllers
  • The necessary discipline must be maintained.

• It is much more difficult to file a large quantity of paper which may be piled and strewn around the office,
• There are often "duplicate copies". Many of these may have been scribbled on and may thus contain vital information
• During the wait for filing, documents may be lost, e.g. removed by someone for another purpose such as a meeting.
• Under pressure, the risk is that filing is left and so becomes an "after the job ends"

• Lose the element of "at the time knowledge" for indexing , e.g.
  • What was the Date, & Place of photographs and what is being illustrated ?
  • What specific task were the notes about ?
• Things tend to be forgotten e.g.
  • record drawings may be left in a site vehicle,
  • an email of a decison is deleted
• It is often a case of "put everything into boxes, and store the boxes"
  • But was everthing actually collected ?

• Capturing information is the process of storing it - not indexing it
• Indexing information is most easily done "at the time"
• It must be possible to do more indexing "at any time"
• Archiving is pointless unless items can be quickly and simply retrieved.