Figure 3: Engineering Information Management in capital projects – information requirements flow from the Owner into the project delivery organization, while verified engineering and asset information is handed over to the Operator.Hundreds of engineers, contractors and suppliers can be involved. Thousands or even hundreds of thousands of engineering documents and data objects may have to pass through multiple revision, review and approval cycles.

The diagram illustrates this distributed creation of information.

The architect or engineering organization creates design information. Equipment suppliers and OEMs provide technical documentation and equipment data. Construction teams generate installation and completion information. Authorities may require specific submissions and certifications. All of these information flows converge within the project delivery organization.

Consequently, Project Information Management cannot be separated from Project Management.

An engineering deliverable is associated with a responsible organization, responsible role, planned submission date, required review duration, approval status and project milestone.

A delayed drawing may delay procurement. An incomplete vendor datasheet may prevent engineering from completing a design. Missing certificates may prevent mechanical completion. Missing as-built information can delay handover.

Information therefore has its own schedule.

This is why document and data planning should be connected to project schedules, procurement packages, work packages, construction priorities and commissioning systems.

In a mature EIM environment, the project can answer questions such as:

Which information must be available before this equipment is ordered? Which supplier deliverables are overdue? Which documents are required before construction starts? Which data is required before commissioning? Which deliverables are still preventing operational handover?

Information maturity thereby becomes an integral part of project maturity.