Part 7 of the series: “Mastering Project Information Management — The ISO 19650 Way”
Introduction: When Scale Becomes a Struggle
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with project heads and digital transformation leaders from some of the world’s largest AEC firms. These are organisations managing hundreds of projects at any given time—across cities, time zones, and even countries. They have teams fluent in BIM, sophisticated document control systems, and processes mapped out to the last detail. Yet even with all this, implementing ISO 19650 for large firms remains a challenge especially when extending those systems beyond internal teams.
And yet, many of them still tell me the same thing: “We’ve implemented ISO 19650, but applying it consistently across all collaborators is a different story.”
The reality is, ISO 19650 for large firms isn’t just about having the right internal systems it’s about extending structured information management across the entire supply chain. And that’s where the cracks often appear.
Why ISO 19650 Still Breaks Down in Practice
For many large firms, the implementation of ISO 19650 has gone beyond compliance it’s embedded in their internal workflows. They have Enterprise-grade CDE platforms, naming protocols, approval gates, and structured file lifecycle stages.
But as soon as they begin working with smaller subcontractors, local consultants, or new vendors, they face three recurring problems:
- Low adoption from external teams – Smaller partners find the enterprise CDEs too complex.
- Unstructured communication outside the system – Important conversations happen over email, WhatsApp, or phone calls, completely disconnected from the project records.
- Missed approvals and version confusion – Because information flows outside the formal CDE, teams still act on outdated drawings or bypass workflows.
This is the core challenge with ISO 19650 for large firms: ensuring that everyone, not just internal teams, follows the same structured process.
Why Collaboration Needs Simplicity
The larger a project becomes, the more it relies on external contributors. And that’s where friction occurs. The systems large firms use internally though powerful aren’t always practical for the extended project network.
Even when access is given to the CDE, smaller teams often:
- Avoid using it due to unfamiliarity
- Upload files late or with wrong naming
- Miss version updates and proceed with wrong documents
- Discuss design issues informally outside the system
The truth is, ISO 19650 for large firms requires not just robust systems—but also tools that make participation easy for everyone.
Arkchat’s Role: Bridging the Gap, Not Replacing Systems
When I began building Arkchat, the goal wasn’t to compete with large CDE platforms. Those are essential for enterprise-scale control. Instead, I asked a different question:
Can we make ISO 19650 principles so easy to follow that even the smallest subcontractor can comply—without training?
Here’s how Arkchat supports ISO 19650 for large firms:
1. Lightweight CDE Layer for External Teams
- File uploads follow WIP, Shared, and Published stages
- Automatic version control without manual naming effort
- Visual clarity on what’s approved and what’s still in progress
2. Files Embedded in Conversations
- Each file has its own chat thread
- Design discussions, comments, and approvals are all traceable
- Conversations become part of the audit trail, not scattered noise
3. Messaging-Driven Approvals and Tasks
- A drawing can be pulled into chat and turned into a task or approval
- Approvals happen where teams are already talking inside the chat
- No more chasing emails or logging into different portals
With these features, large firms can invite collaborators to Arkchat as a lightweight collaboration hub, while retaining their master CDE for archival and compliance.
ISO 19650 for Large Firms: Complementing Existing Workflows
Let’s be clear: Arkchat is not trying to replace tools like BIM 360, Asite, or Aconex. These platforms are indispensable for large-scale control.
What Arkchat offers is a bridge a way to engage small and medium collaborators who aren’t equipped to use enterprise tools efficiently.
Think of it like this:
- Use your existing CDE as the source of truth.
- Use Arkchat to enable fast, structured collaboration with external partners.
- Sync final outputs or approvals back to the main CDE.
This approach ensures that ISO 19650 for large firms is respected across the entire supply chain—not just in documentation, but in daily operations.
Scaling Without Complexity
Most AEC firms don’t struggle because their systems are weak they struggle because their systems don’t scale to non-standard collaborators.
That’s the missing piece ISO 19650 for large firms often overlooks:
- Can your smallest subcontractor follow the protocol without formal training?
- Can approvals happen in real-time, without endless email trails?
- Can your team quickly see which files are ready for use, and which are not?
If the answer is no, then the system isn’t failing you’re just missing a simple layer that makes it usable for everyone.
That’s what we’re building in Arkchat.
Conclusion: Simplicity is the Future of Scale
For large firms, the challenge with ISO 19650 isn’t technical it’s human. And solving that requires tools that reduce cognitive load, not add to it.
When the entire project ecosystem from junior designers to outside consultants can follow the same structured process without feeling overwhelmed, that’s when ISO 19650 for large firms becomes truly scalable.
At Arkchat, we believe in preserving the rigour of the standard, while making it feel invisible in daily workflows. Because when structure feels simple, adoption becomes inevitable.
Coming Next:
In the next article, I’ll break down how to get your entire project team—internal and external—aligned on ISO 19650 without a single training session.
