Enhancing Hardcopy Document Management with a Digital Tracking and Monitoring System

The study addressed the long-standing inefficiency in the management of hardcopy documents in construction organisations, where manual and semi-digital processes lead to document loss, reduced traceability, and inadequate accountability. Although the construction industry undergoes continuous digital transformation research, there remains a research gap regarding the systematic deployment of digital technologies to manage physical documents, which cannot be neglected in light of legal and operational requirements. The qualitative approach has been followed, including the review of current document workflows, the assessment of available tracking technologies, and the design of a conceptual digital tracking system. The work contributed by proposing a systematic model that incorporates barcode or QR code recognition and identification, a cloud-based database, and secure access controls to manage hardcopy documents. The results showed that the suggested solution minimised errors related to manual operations, enhanced document traceability, reduced time spent during retrieval, and increased coordination and security among staff members and databases. In general, research has shown that a systematic digital tracking alternative can enhance operational efficiency and help construction organisations align hardcopy document management with their digital transformation goals.