The $10M Filing Cabinet

Capital projects generate a vast amount of documentation—drawings, permits, contracts, schedules, invoices, technical specifications, RFIs, QA/QC records, safety logs, and change orders. Individually, each document is just one piece of the larger project puzzle. But when they’re scattered, duplicated, out of date, or missing entirely, decisions start to drift, costs start to climb, and leadership loses the ability to steer with confidence.

In one recent example, a resource operator discovered during an internal audit that over $10 million in capital expenditures couldn’t be fully substantiated. The backup documentation wasn’t there. Some files were saved locally on personal drives. Others were buried in email attachments or misplaced during a system migration. Several approvals existed only as informal notes or someone’s memory of a conversation—there was no formal record.

That gap triggered a broader compliance review, delayed project close-out, and put leadership on the defensive with stakeholders. And while the $10M figure was attention-grabbing, the deeper damage was to trust and governance.

This isn’t unusual. Across mining, infrastructure, and energy sectors, disorganized documentation quietly undermines even well-resourced projects. And the cost isn’t just financial—it’s structural. It erodes control, accountability, and decision-making from the inside out.

Disorganization Doesn’t Happen All at Once

Most document chaos doesn’t begin with negligence. It starts with urgency. Teams are under pressure. Decisions need to be made quickly. A contractor needs a drawing revision, and someone emails it directly to them. Procurement needs a contract updated and saved to their desktop. A scope change is verbally agreed upon on-site but never entered into the system.

These moments feel isolated. But they accumulate. Over time, multiple versions of the same file begin to circulate. Old drawings continue to be referenced because they’re more accessible. Change orders are processed without verifying the latest scope of work. Team members waste time searching for documents they assume someone else has already found. And eventually, no one knows which version is final, or who last made an edit.

By the time it’s noticed, rework is already underway, money has been spent, and teams are chasing a paper trail that no longer exists.

Operational Chaos and Financial Exposure

Poor document control introduces real financial risk. Untracked changes can spark contractor disputes. Ambiguous records create scope misalignment. Missing approvals force decision delays. Each of these issues costs time, and time is money.

On large-scale projects, even minor errors compound quickly. A contractor builds off the wrong drawing. Materials are ordered based on outdated specifications. A permit submission includes the incorrect version of a supporting study. These aren’t just annoyances—they trigger actual costs. Days of rework. Weeks of delay. Months of trust lost.

Worse still, during close-out, the inability to produce consistent, auditable documentation can stall handover, attract regulatory scrutiny, or weaken post-project claims. What began as a disorganized folder structure ends with multi-million-dollar questions no one can answer with confidence.

The Perception Problem

Stakeholders outside the day-to-day execution—especially executives, regulators, and investors—see document control as a signal of discipline. When records are clear, version-controlled, and accessible, it signals that the project is being run with structure. When they aren’t, questions arise.

Can we trust the reported numbers? Are we certain that change orders were correctly approved? Do we have sufficient records to validate claims or defend audits? These aren’t hypothetical concerns. They directly impact an organization’s credibility and operational maturity.

Even when a project performs well in the field, sloppy documentation can give the impression that no one’s in control. And when stakeholders lose confidence in how a project is being run, support becomes fragile and oversight intensifies.

Why Document Systems Fail

Most capital project teams have access to a document control system. But the problem isn’t the technology—it’s the discipline to use it properly. Files are uploaded inconsistently. Naming conventions aren’t followed. Team members store files locally or share them through email and external drives. Training is minimal. Ownership is unclear.

Even the best-designed platforms often end up becoming digital junk drawers—cluttered, redundant, and barely used. As the saying goes, garbage in will always be garbage out.

Technology isn’t the issue. Discipline is. Document control doesn’t work unless it’s embedded in the project’s culture and governance structure. This means clearly defined roles, enforced protocols, and systems that align with how teams actually work. Without this, even the most advanced document management platform becomes just another place to lose track of critical information.

The Cost Isn’t Just Technical—It’s Strategic

Documentation isn’t just about storing information. It’s about protecting decisions. Every RFI, drawing revision, contract clause, and approval log forms part of the official record of how a project unfolded. Without that record, it’s nearly impossible to reconstruct the rationale behind changes, enforce accountability, or defend against claims.

It also makes continuous improvement difficult. Lessons learned are lost because the documentation is incomplete. Post-mortems rely on anecdote instead of evidence. Future teams begin from scratch, rather than building on structured institutional knowledge.

In this way, poor document control doesn’t just affect the project at hand—it weakens the organization’s ability to improve across future projects.

How to Break the Pattern

Fixing document chaos requires more than software. It requires leadership. That starts with acknowledging that document management isn’t a back-office task—it’s a core function of project governance. It needs to be resourced, structured, and enforced with the same urgency as cost control and schedule tracking.

Standardization is key. Every document must adhere to a standard structure, naming convention, and approval process. Access must be clearly defined. Version control must be non-negotiable. Change logs must be maintained. And the system must be built to extend from the earliest design phase through final close-out—one structure, one system, one source of truth.

It’s also critical to integrate documentation into the decision-making process. Every approval, revision, or adjustment must be directly tied to the supporting documentation. Nothing should happen outside the system. And if it does, there must be an immediate process to capture and formalize it.

TMG Brings Structure Where There’s Been Drift

At TMG, we help project teams rebuild discipline where documentation has broken down. We don’t just audit folders. We establish governance frameworks, realign system use, and integrate document control directly into project workflows.

We work with field teams, leadership, contractors, and consultants to create unified documentation environments. Our approach is practical, enforceable, and scalable—whether your project is just getting started or already under pressure.

We understand that document control isn’t paperwork—it’s risk management. When it’s strong, teams move faster and lead with confidence. When it’s weak, even small projects become fragile. If your team is still chasing approvals through email, manually reconciling versions, or unsure where their final documentation resides, it’s time to regain control.