What is a Transmittal? At Assai, we have received this question many times. As a Document Management System provider that supports transmittals in engineering, effective communication and the efficient transfer of information are crucial to the success of a project. Whether between engineers, contractors, or clients, transmittals ensure everyone is on the same page.
What is a Transmittal?
‘Transmittal’ in engineering refers to transmitting or sending technical drawings, specifications, and one person or entity to another. It is an essential part of the engineering design process and can be physical or digital. The transmittal typically includes a cover letter or transmittal form, often based on a company template, that explains the following:
– The purpose of the transmission
– The recipient
– The sender
– Any other relevant information
Therefore, transmittals ensure that all parties involved in the engineering project have access to the latest information and can communicate and collaborate effectively. We will discuss its benefits further in the following sections.
Types of Transmittal
- Physical
Physical transmittal refers to transmitting or sending engineering documents and information in physical form, such as by mail or courier. However, this type is less common in engineering due to time consumption, cost, and risk of loss and damage.
- Electronic
Electronic transmittal refers to transmitting or sending data in a digital form, such as via email, DMS, or cloud storage. It has become the preferred method of document transmission in many industries due to its speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. This transmittal type is typically done using specialized software to manage and transmit large amounts of data securely.
The methods of transmitting information have undergone significant changes as organizations increasingly adopt electronic means like emailing and document management systems (DMS) implementation. Many organizations choose to use DMS due to its ability to address various challenges. A DMS lets stakeholders access, track, and manage all project documents in a centralized repository. Hence, it ensures that all stakeholders involved in the project have access to the most up-to-date and accurate information, leading to easier, faster, and higher-quality project deliverables.
Benefits of Transmittal
- Improved Communication: Transmittals help to enhance communication among all parties involved in the engineering project. With information accessibility, all parties can access the latest data and communicate more effectively.
- Increased Collaboration: Transmittals promote increased collaboration among all parties involved in the engineering project. Access to the latest information allows all parties to work together more effectively and efficiently to achieve the project’s goals.
- Efficient Sharing of Information: Transmittals enable efficient sharing among the project’s stakeholders when implementing a document Management System (DMS) tool to transmit data electronically. All parties can share large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. Tools such as DMS reduce the time and resources required to complete the project.
How can Assai support you?
- Incoming transmittals
The external company sends in the first document revision for review. The internal document controller registers this in an incoming transmittal.
- Internal transmittals
The document revision is sent for review with an internal transmittal and reviewed by the engineers.
- External transmittals
The document controller creates the external transmittal and sends the document revision with comments back to the external company.
