Services
Platforms
Industries
Customers
Insights
About
The right drawing, the right revision, with the right person.
Design and project document management means keeping the revisions, approvals and sharing of CAD drawings, specifications, calculation reports and other project documents under control throughout a project. M-Files manages them in one structure, with project, discipline and revision details.
In engineering, the costliest mistake is working from the wrong revision.
Revision confusion
Different revisions of the same drawing circulate in folders, emails and on site, and nobody is sure which one is valid.
With M-Files: Each document keeps a single version history, and the valid revision and its status (draft, in review, approved) are the same for everyone.
Review and approval loops
When cross-discipline checks and client approvals run by email, nobody can see what is waiting.
With M-Files: Review and approval flows start automatically by document type, and who is waiting on what, since when, is visible.
Physical and scattered archives
Finding the right information among drawings, tracings and scanned documents built up over years takes time.
With M-Files: A metadata-based central structure and OCR make even scanned documents searchable.
Sharing with stakeholders
Exchanging documents with clients, contractors and suppliers creates uncontrolled copies.
With M-Files: Sharing with external parties is permissioned and logged, and the document stays at its source.
From CAD drawings to the project file, documentation under control.
Project-based structure
Documents are classified by project, discipline, document type, revision and status.
Revision and version control
Every document, CAD files such as DWG included, keeps its version history; check-out prevents conflicting edits to the same drawing, and superseded revisions are withdrawn.
Approvals and workflows
Review, check and approval steps are tracked by owner and deadline and completed with digital and mobile signatures.
Search and OCR
Search by drawing number, project name or content, with full text even in scanned documents.
Secure external sharing
Permissioned sharing with clients and contractors through a portal, with every access logged.
From office to site
Access the current document from the office, the field or the construction site through web and mobile apps.
“One of M-Files’ biggest advantages was how quickly our teams adapted to the system and how fast we could roll out new processes.”Elif FidanSenior Manager, ATAŞ
Organisations managing design and project documents with M-Files
Design and project document management: common questions.
What is design and project document management?
Design and project document management covers the revisions, approvals, distribution and archiving of documents such as CAD drawings, models, specifications, calculation reports and test and inspection records throughout a project. It is also called CAD file management or engineering document management (EDMS).
How are CAD files managed in M-Files?
CAD files such as DWG are stored like any other document, with project, discipline, revision and status details. Check-out ensures only one person edits a drawing at a time, each save is added to the history as a new version, and the approved revision is the same for everyone.
How are drawing revisions controlled?
Each drawing is kept as a single document with its version history. Revision number and status are captured as metadata, and when an approved revision is released, earlier ones are marked superseded and no longer surface in searches.
How are documents shared with clients and contractors?
Documents are shared with external parties through a permissioned sharing space. Who viewed or downloaded what, and when, is logged, and the document stays current at its source rather than being copied.
What about old drawings in the physical archive?
Scanned drawings and documents are made searchable with OCR and brought into the same structure, classified by project. Prokon digitised millions of drawings and documents this way.
Can people access documents on site?
Yes. With M-Files’ web and mobile apps, field teams reach the current document within their permissions and can complete approval steps on mobile.
Let’s bring your design and project documents into one structure.
Let’s review your projects, disciplines and approval processes together, and see M-Files with your own documents.