How to Ensure a Smooth Document Management Transition
By Mark Zecy
In order to implement document management strategies, you need to
make the transition a smooth one. Professional firms that deal with
office automations can be of great help.
Once you bring them on board, they will first examine your needs. Out of this, they will be able to develop a number of solutions. Finally, the onus will be on you to implement their recommendations.
This involves investing in equipment such as scanners and servers. They will also undertake training to sensitize your staffs on processes such as document scanning, storage and retrieval. You should also create policies to manage the process.
Identify and determine users:
Identify which units use paper documents most. Assess the entire organization and identify one or several units whose operations are paper intensive.
In most cases, human resources, accounts payable, credit control and reception areas are such places. Many documents pass through these areas.
By starting the implementation process here, you can observe the areas that need fine tuning before expanding to the whole organization. You can also map these areas for workflow automation.
Determine who to grant access to scanned documents. Some documents are sensitive in nature. That is the essence of document management.
You cannot afford to leave them in the open for everyone to read. This calls for a plan on how to secure such documents. For instance, the people doing billing should not have access to staff records at HR.
Therefore, with consultations, decide who sees what. You should also make a decision as to whether these documents can be accessed at any time of the day or night. You can limit this to working hours only.
Map your workflow against available resources:
Map your company's workflow. Make a decision on whether to centralize document scanning or not. In case of a big organization with branches across town or in other regions, determine how they will access the documents that will assist them carry out their daily functions.
Workflow automation is another important area. Instead of users making decisions on how to route documents, create rules and place ceilings for example using invoice amounts.
Consider if you have enough staff to do document scanning work. Remember, they have their regular day-to-day duties. However, in situations where you have a fully stretched team, the best thing is to outsource the service. Alternatively, you can have the document management solutions provider create for you a hybrid system.
Implement: The outsourced team can start with those documents in the back office, that is, the ones in filing cabinets and document boxes.
On their part, your team scans what is currently coming in as per the workflow automation rules. After resolving all the above issues, you can now enter into negotiations with a potential provider.
Provide them with a flow chart detailing your business process.
Discuss your shortcomings, if any and the measures to resolve them. Electronic forms (E-forms) are an essential part of this project. Always go for a customized solution not the one that company A or B is using.
Once you bring them on board, they will first examine your needs. Out of this, they will be able to develop a number of solutions. Finally, the onus will be on you to implement their recommendations.
This involves investing in equipment such as scanners and servers. They will also undertake training to sensitize your staffs on processes such as document scanning, storage and retrieval. You should also create policies to manage the process.
Identify and determine users:
Identify which units use paper documents most. Assess the entire organization and identify one or several units whose operations are paper intensive.
In most cases, human resources, accounts payable, credit control and reception areas are such places. Many documents pass through these areas.
By starting the implementation process here, you can observe the areas that need fine tuning before expanding to the whole organization. You can also map these areas for workflow automation.
Determine who to grant access to scanned documents. Some documents are sensitive in nature. That is the essence of document management.
You cannot afford to leave them in the open for everyone to read. This calls for a plan on how to secure such documents. For instance, the people doing billing should not have access to staff records at HR.
Therefore, with consultations, decide who sees what. You should also make a decision as to whether these documents can be accessed at any time of the day or night. You can limit this to working hours only.
Map your workflow against available resources:
Map your company's workflow. Make a decision on whether to centralize document scanning or not. In case of a big organization with branches across town or in other regions, determine how they will access the documents that will assist them carry out their daily functions.
Workflow automation is another important area. Instead of users making decisions on how to route documents, create rules and place ceilings for example using invoice amounts.
Consider if you have enough staff to do document scanning work. Remember, they have their regular day-to-day duties. However, in situations where you have a fully stretched team, the best thing is to outsource the service. Alternatively, you can have the document management solutions provider create for you a hybrid system.
Implement: The outsourced team can start with those documents in the back office, that is, the ones in filing cabinets and document boxes.
On their part, your team scans what is currently coming in as per the workflow automation rules. After resolving all the above issues, you can now enter into negotiations with a potential provider.
Provide them with a flow chart detailing your business process.
Discuss your shortcomings, if any and the measures to resolve them. Electronic forms (E-forms) are an essential part of this project. Always go for a customized solution not the one that company A or B is using.
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