Importance of Electronic Document management systems in the Oil and Gas industry

Introduction

The documentation of the Chennai Terminal, Indian Oil LNG project has been handled by me ., I have also helped Meg Energy with Christina lake project in Fort McMurray Alberta , Canada as an Information and record management Supervisor. I have also worked with CNRL at the albian sands shell project. Having dealt with the project, I know that the Oil & Gas project is a large and complex organization that requires documents/information throughout its lifecycle that is crucial for its operation, especially the documents that can be demonstrated and studied. Therefore, having an Electronic Document Management System in the Oil and Gas project had various benefits. I created documents and maintained that they fit for the industrial purpose, maintained in line with installation and operational changes, were easily accessible, and productivity soared among the workers.

If your organization is new to the Electronic Document Management System, let me tell you what it is and how it can help you in the long run, especially in an industry like Oil & Gas. But you will require an experienced Information management specialist to help with the digitization process and effectively manage the documents throughout the project.

H2: What is an Electronic Document Management System?

An Electronic Document Management System is a single, coordinated management process to control documents to help the organization provide continuity from the project and operational phase to preserve throughout its life cycle. It is a system that is implemented to store, organize, manage, circulate, edit and track the files and documents within the organization. In addition, it provides capabilities for structuring and indexation, integration and workflow, search and retrieval and versioning of the documents. It ensures that all the documents are managed that are fit for the organizational purpose, accurately reflect installation and the operational changes. In addition, the documents are easily accessible that are required by the operators. You will especially need an experienced Document Control Supervisor to facilitate this change in your industry.

How can EDMS Comply with the Oil and Gas Industry?

Compliance

Maintaining proper oil and gas records is a good business practice and a law. Oil and Gas project teams constantly need to consult procedures, policy documents, and other compliance reports. Hence, the project team is required to modify, update, and circulate the updated data. Storing documents like contact and proposal files in this centralized location makes it readily available for consultation and modification by the members. And the version created by the team members is saved in the exact location for future inspection. The compliance solution helps manage mountains of records and cut down on the administrative efforts in managing records retention schedules. In addition, it helps with the planning, collaboration that is required to meet the industry standards. If you find it challenging to use the EDMS in your industry, hiring a Document Controller can also be helpful.

Effective Communication

The oil and gas industry needs to have complex communication needs as the employees in this sector are placed at different geographical locations. They must interact with the contractors, suppliers and other groups to share information. EDMS eases the mode of collaboration by file and information sharing procedure. With EDMS, you can integrate with the existing business application to ensure the consistency and reliability of the automation of the process. It helps create, modify, publish, and issue the project documentation quickly. EDMS is a cloud-based system that allows the project managers, subcontractors and engineering teams to effectively collaborate from different locations by effortlessly sharing plans, documents and drawing right from conception to disposition.

Data Security

An EDMS helps keep the organizational data safe and secure in its system. It begins with the user-based sign-in to access any data. The data can only be granted to those who have the designated permissions. That means some employees have the documents to edit and comment on, while others will have the permission to view, and some employees will have no permission to view them. With this system, you can protect sensitive data as those requiring it can only access the information. Even if any disaster occurs, the data will remain safe as it will always be available over the internet.

Streamline, Efficient and secure

In the oil and gas company, the most document-intensive functions in the back office are Human Resources and Finance. Issues like searching documents and information they require need more than 20 minutes, paper-based documents stored in the cabinets are challenging to find, and information in the industry is scattered in diverse locations. Besides, hand signing, scanning and printing of the documents are a major challenge to the industry, and these arise various issues in the industry. In addition, a mountain of paperwork affects the teams like collection, maintaining and organizing the vast information in paper-based forms. It reflects how the company’s time, resources and employee security are at risk. EDMS captures all these documents into its cloud-based system, making it more streamlined, secure and efficient.

Conclusion

Like other industries, the Oil and Gas industry documents will get piled up over the years, and if not dealt with properly, it may have risks of losing it or revealing the company’s sensitive data. You might also have difficulties retrieving the data that reflects the operation of the industry from the previous years. I believe you already know how important an EDMS can be for an industry like Oil and Gas. You can also relieve yourself by knowing that it will help you secure sensitive files, track changes and assist in collaboration and communication among the team members. As a Document Controller, Information management specialist, Document Control Supervisor, Field/Site Document Controller in various industries, I would suggest enterprises implement a single-centralized system for better management, access, and preservation and effortlessly share documents among the team.

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Sunny Dhunna