When do you use a DMS alongside Woub, and when is Woub's folder structure sufficient?

When do you need a full DMS or CDE?

A document management system, or DMS, helps organise documents in a controlled way. A CDE, or common data environment, supports the agreed exchange of project information between parties. Functions overlap, but the question is always the same: can you establish which information is approved for which use?

Larger main contractors in new-build, civil engineering and non-residential construction often have several projects, design parties and assessors involved at once. A structural drawing may be technically complete but still awaiting approval. A new upload must not automatically become the construction version. You need a configured process for status, assessment, approval, distribution and history.

Also distinguish between two needs. Company-wide document management covers contracts, correspondence and project records, for example. Project-focused document management also concerns drawings, models and coordination between independent businesses. These needs may require different solutions within one organisation.

For a small contractor handling straightforward alterations, a consistent project folder in existing cloud storage may be sufficient for storing and sharing working files. The conditions are that someone manages the current documents, the team knows what it may use and no more demanding project procedure is required. Headcount offers guidance, rather than a firm boundary.

Cloud storage is more than a digital shelf. Dropbox offers, for example, version history; SharePoint supports versions and approval settings. The choice concerns the whole workflow and setup, rather than simply the presence of one function.

What document functionality does Woub itself offer?

Woub brings daily project communication to the work. You share a file or photo, discuss what needs to happen with it and turn a chat message into a task with an owner and deadline. This helps when a document is available but the necessary explanation or action is still missing. View the Woub project chat.

De guide to media and documents describes creating folders, uploading files and folders, and searching by filename, among other functions. According to that guide, the ‘Vertrouwelijke documenten’ folder is restricted from ordinary users and accessible to administrators. This is a specific access function; it does not prove a granular DMS permissions model for every document status.

The folder structure is useful for presenting information clearly within a Woub project. Examples include survey photos, practical work instructions and a reference to the current drawing. If the original drawing stays in a DMS, you need not build a second document register in Woub. Check the document functions and add-ons available in your subscription; the Werkbon & Docs page describes the relevant add-on.

From drawing to question, conversation and follow-up action

As an illustration, consider an installer who sees that an opening does not match the approved drawing. In the Woub project chat, they share a photo, location and document reference. The construction project coordinator investigates whether the drawing or work needs changing. Formal assessment and the new revision stay in the agreed document environment.

Calling: if the situation needs explaining immediately, those involved can call from the project chat. Within the available calling functionality, Wouby AI supports capturing information and automatically turns identified agreements into tasks. Check the content and person responsible before the team proceeds with them.

Meetings: if the consequences affect several disciplines, discuss in the work meeting who checks the design, who approves the revision and who informs the teams. With recording meetings, the transcript, summary and action items can be found. A task to ‘have the new opening drawing assessed’ does not automatically approve that drawing in the DMS.

Practical experience: getting changes to subcontractors

In the CIA Bouwbedrijf customer case Bradley and Anne describe client changes not always reaching subcontractors properly. They use Woub to bring chats, tasks, documents and photos together for each project. The case supports the importance of shared explanations and follow-up. It does not describe a technical integration with any DMS product discussed here or prove formal revision control.

How do you share cloud files through hyperlinks?

Share a reference to the controlled file when that is the designated source. The recipient can then open the document there instead of working with a separately circulated copy. Woub has a guide to sharing links from OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox and SharePoint. It describes copying the link and adding it to the project through media and documents.

A useful reference also tells someone what to examine. For example: ‘Check detail D-14 on drawing B-203, revision C, status approved for construction.’ A link to the main folder alone leaves the recipient to search.

Test the route with an external participant on their phone. Can they log in, open the intended file and recognise the correct status? Access to Woub does not itself grant access to the underlying cloud environment.

Also consider the type of link. A file reference may open the current version; a reference to a specific revision may preserve an earlier state. Choose deliberately: for daily site operations, you want the approved working version, while tracing a decision requires establishing which revision was discussed at that time. A hyperlink does not synchronise the systems.

How do you manage access, revisions and source versions?

For each document type, agree where the source is held and who processes changes. Use these five checks:

1. Source: where is the authoritative drawing or instruction managed?

2. Status: is the new version still a draft, under review or approved for the intended work?

3. Access: can site staff and external parties see the right information?

4. Follow-up: who assesses the consequences and informs the team involved?

5. Check: after a change, has it also been established on site that the correct information is being used?

The difference between ‘latest’ and ‘approved’ is essential. Do not leave a site manager guessing whether the most recently changed PDF is intended for construction yet. Also agree how old downloads and printed sets are withdrawn from use.

OneDrive integration: project folders and periodic synchronisation

De Woub OneDrive guide describes an integration available on request, with a selected project folder and mandatory project numbers. Existing folders can be recognised through the combination of project name and project number, or project folders can be created automatically. The documentation states automatic synchronisation every 30 minutes. Manually moving linked folders can disrupt synchronisation.

Use this route when your project folders need to work together in that way. Test changes and archiving with your own files; do not treat the integration as instantly updated document approval.

SharePoint integration: selected site, main folder and project files

De Woub SharePoint guide describes activation through the Marketplace, signing in and choosing a site and empty main folder. According to the guide, the chosen main folder cannot subsequently be changed. The initial upload of selected active project files from Woub may take up to a day.

New Woub files are then uploaded to the project folder, and SharePoint files are visible in Woub. According to the guide, renaming and deletion in Woub are also synchronised. Establish beforehand who may perform those actions. Check with the administrator how this route relates to your SharePoint permissions and approval process; the guide does not prove that all document statuses or permissions are automatically transferred identically.

For the other tools mentioned, we describe an allocation of roles below, rather than a demonstrated Woub integration. You can start with a checked reference and the existing workflow. Custom API development is a separate option only after data flow, permissions and administration have been worked out.

When should you choose SharePoint, Docstream or another DMS?

Start with the process you want to organise. A larger contractor often needs controlled project exchange and company-wide records management. A smaller business is more likely to need a simply managed place for files that office and site teams can open. The applications below are an editorial guide based on supplier documentation, rather than a ranking or practical measurement.

DMS and CDE for larger or more complex construction projects

Dalux — particularly Dalux Box. Worth investigating when drawings must pass through agreed review stages to become shared or published information. Dalux describes file flows between three file areas for this purpose. Keep approval there. Woub can help discuss with a subcontractor what an approved change means for their work tomorrow.

Autodesk BIM 360. For a project already working in this environment, BIM 360 Document Management supports managing drawings, models and other project documents. Retain the agreed project environment and access route. Use Woub, for example, for an unexpected question from the team against a document reference, without taking over model or document management.

Autodesk Build. The current Autodesk documentation also uses the name Forma Build and describes, among other functions, RFIs, submittals and construction tasks. This goes beyond storage. Keep formal questions and assessments in the configured workflow; Woub can support quick coordination about who supplies information and when the site manager receives feedback. For existing projects, check which Autodesk environment is actually in use; BIM 360 and Build are not interchangeable names.

Procore. A candidate where document management forms part of a broader project environment. Procore describes revision control, access rights and links to project information, including RFIs and drawings. Add Woub only where daily conversations still sit outside that configured environment. A quick call agreement in Woub does not replace the required Procore record.

Trimble Connect. Investigate this for sharing project files and collaboration around models. The sharing guide distinguishes access for project members, signed-in recipients and anyone with the link; sharing is subject to licensing conditions. Woub can help reach the technician concerned and follow up their question. First choose which source link is safe and usable for that recipient.

Prostream. The supplier describes automatic version control, permissions and logging, as well as its own messaging module. Do not treat it as a folder without communication. Woub may add value if discussions between the office, site team and external businesses nevertheless take place through separate channels. Connect that coordination to the existing document; do not duplicate the records.

Bricsys — here, Bricsys 24/7.For document management, this is the relevant product, rather than the BricsCAD CAD drawing package. Bricsys describes 24/7 document management, workflows and tasks. Keep document-related tasks in their configured process. Woub can keep an unexpected phone conversation about blocked work with the construction project and organise the agreed feedback.

SharePoint. Relevant for organisations wanting to configure document libraries and collaboration in Microsoft 365. Version history, drafts and approvals require choices in library settings. A small business can also choose this approach. Woub adds daily project communication and has the specific integration described above. Manage and test both access models before letting the site team work with them.

Oracle Aconex. Investigate this for projects where formal document exchange and traceable assessment between organisations are important. Oracle describes document registers, review processes and an audit trail. Woub may be used for quick coordination about which information is still needed. Required submission, response or decision recording stays in Aconex; a Woub chat does not automatically acquire the same formal status.

DigiOffice. Relevant where the issue is organisation-wide: linking documents to files, contacts or projects and applying standard workflows. DigiOffice describes metadata, version control and processes from creation to archiving. Woub can also organise conversations with site teams and external parties. Have final contract documents and correspondence recorded in DigiOffice under company agreements.

Docstream. For teams wanting to organise drawing exchange specifically, Pro4all describes version control, drawing feedback and digital approval stamps. Distinguish it from Prostream: check the product and setup you actually purchase. Woub can organise practical feedback after a drawing change has been assessed; the stamp and revision stay within the document process.

Document and cloud tools for smaller construction businesses

OneDrive is worth investigating if you already work with Microsoft files and share a limited document flow. It supports working on Office files in the online environment. Document who manages shared project files and what happens when an employee leaves. Woub can keep a question about a quotation attachment or working document with the project; use a reference or the separately configured OneDrive integration.

Dropbox suits exchanging files and project folders with a manageable group. There are sharing permissions and links; available version history depends on the subscription. Document which set applies for construction. A site manager can discuss an unclear detail in Woub while the controlled file stays in Dropbox.

Google Drive is an option for teams collaborating in Google Workspace. Investigate a shared drive for team documents: files there belong to the organisation rather than one person. Availability and external access depend on configuration and edition. Woub can organise job-specific coordination, with a checked Drive link alongside the question or task.

NAS is network storage, rather than a brand or cloud subscription. Capabilities depend on the device, software and administration. Synology shows, for example, that NAS software can provide sharing permissions, external access and synchronisation. Choose this route only with someone clearly responsible for availability, updates and recovery. A local network drive reference does not automatically work outside the office. Woub can share the question and action, but does not thereby make the NAS remotely accessible.

A small business therefore does not automatically need to purchase an extensive DMS of its own. But a folder or cloud subscription does not release it from the project’s document agreements. If you work as a subcontractor in the main contractor’s Dalux or Aconex environment, keep the required exchange there. Do not let your own storage quietly become a competing source.

How to avoid another extra system

Use Woub for a recognisable task: daily project communication and follow-up. This can replace WhatsApp groups for that work and a separate task app, and reduce project email. Do not ask people to maintain the same document data in two registers. If the existing environment already supports daily discussions well and everyone uses it, Woub may not be needed for that process.

Test the combination on one project with one revised drawing. Have an external tradesperson open the correct approved version, ask a question and find the agreed follow-up action. Then check whether the new information has actually reached the source and the team.

Also read how Woub works with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and OneDrive and how to prevent fragmented project communication.

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