Document Management System (DMS)

The DMS is ORKSTRA's full Aconex-style document control system. It is the canonical home for drawings, specifications, method statements, ITPs, MEP submissions, and every other controlled document on a project.

Overview

The DMS implements the FIDIC-friendly document control patterns familiar from Aconex, Procore Documents, and Asite — coded documents, versioned revisions, transmittals with distribution matrices, status workflows, and full audit trail.

Screenshot: DMS folder tree with versioned documents and transmittal panel

Key concepts

Document. A controlled artefact identified by a project-unique code (e.g., ARC-DWG-001). Documents have metadata (title, discipline, originator, status) and one or more revisions.

Revision. A versioned file attached to a document. Revisions follow the standard naming P01, P02, A, B, C, 0, 1, 2 or any custom scheme defined per project. Once a revision is issued, it becomes immutable.

Folder. A hierarchical container. Folders carry their own permissions and inherit by default.

Transmittal. A formal document distribution — sender, recipients, list of documents (with revisions), required action (For Information, For Review, For Approval), due date, and audit chain.

Status workflow. Documents move through a configurable workflow — Draft → Pending review → Approved → Issued → Superseded. The workflow is configured per project at kickoff.

Distribution matrix. A pre-defined table of who receives what type of document automatically. When a new revision is uploaded, the system creates a draft transmittal pre-populated from the matrix.

Step-by-step: upload a new document

1. Go to DMS → Documents → New document.
2. Pick the folder.
3. Enter the document code (or let the system auto-generate from a numbering scheme).
4. Fill in metadata: title, discipline, originator, sub-contractor.
5. Upload the first revision file.
6. Click Save as draft or Submit for review.

Step-by-step: issue a new revision

1. Find the document in DMS.
2. Click Add revision.
3. Upload the new file, set the new revision code (auto-suggested), and add change notes.
4. The revision goes through the configured status workflow.
5. Once Issued, the new revision becomes current and an automated transmittal draft is created from the distribution matrix.

Step-by-step: send a transmittal

1. DMS → Transmittals → New transmittal.
2. Pick recipients (internal users and/or external contacts).
3. Add documents (revisions are locked at the time of sending).
4. Pick the required action (FI / FR / FA).
5. Set a due date.
6. Click Send. Recipients get email + in-app notifications and the transmittal appears in their inbox.

Common tasks

• Find a document fast: global search by code, title, or content (PDFs are full-text indexed).
• Compare two revisions: Document → revisions → Compare opens a side-by-side viewer.
• Mark superseded: issuing a new revision auto-supersedes the previous; you can also supersede manually.
• Bulk download a folder: Folder → Download as ZIP — emailed when ready.
• External recipient registration: transmittals to external emails create read-only guest accounts with time-limited access.

Troubleshooting

• "I can't see a folder my colleague shared." — Folder permissions are explicit. Ask the folder owner to add you or your role.
• "Upload fails with 'invalid file type'." — The DMS allows PDF, DWG, DXF, IFC, RVT, XLSX, DOCX, JPG, PNG, MP4, and ZIP. Other types are blocked.
• "Transmittal recipients say they didn't get email." — Check the recipient's spam folder and the transmittal's delivery log under Transmittal → Audit.
• "Two users uploaded the same revision number." — The DMS prevents this — only one upload can be in-flight at a time per document. If you see duplicate revisions, file a support ticket.

Limits

• Max file size: 5 GB per file (large files use chunked upload).
• Max revisions per document: unlimited.
• Full-text search depth: PDFs up to 1000 pages, Word docs up to 500 pages.

Permissions reference

Permission	Who needs it
DMS_VIEW	Anyone reading documents
DMS_UPLOAD	Document originators
DMS_ISSUE	Document controllers
DMS_TRANSMITTAL_SEND	Document controllers, PMs
DMS_FOLDER_MANAGE	Document controllers, Admins

See also: API & Webhooks, Approvals.