Investigating project documentation in industrial organizations How documents and checklists can be used to maximize profit and save time.

Abstract

The human mankind have been documenting and reading documents for centuries. It is as common if not more, as knowing how to ride a bike or how to swim. Yet many organizations do not know how to use document to maximize profit and save time. This study was carried out at the Department of applied Information Technology, Chalmers University of Technology in corporation with Volvo GTT, since January 2013. This master thesis is based on a study to find different factors behind documentation and checklist. In order to do so a study was made at the team BF63590 at Volvo GTT, which develops rigs for verifying engines to ensure that they meet the environmental and technical requirements at Volvo GTT. The aim of the thesis was to investigate how industrial organizations can maximize profit and save time when using documentation in projects. To accomplish the thesis aim, data was collected in form of literature study and interviews. There were 67 interviews performed with 20 different people, mainly employees working at Volvo GTT, but also academics and experts within the subject of documentation. A document matrix was developed for the team BF63590 with an overview of the total 117 documents used in their projects. The document matrix narrowed down 117 documents to 57 documents for further use at BF63590 (see appendix 2). The thesis also concludes that there are several factors behind an effective document, these factors are the length, the communication type, deviations within an organization and the time spent on creating a document. Organizations should consider the different factors and depending on the structure and environment of an organization navigate and implement the strategy that will save the organization time and increase profits. The significance of these findings and recommendations on further work should hopefully help BF63590 and other researchers who find the topic of documentation and checklists interesting.