Document Control for the 21st Century

Managing an organization’s documents takes more than creating a file on the computer and then electronically categorizing it for later use. You need real “corporate wide” document control that allows you to access and make best use of documents from creation through use by multiple individuals and ultimately storage, archiving and retrieval for further use. Data mining is also very important.

With exceptional document control, a company can enhance productivity, tighten security and exert more control over the full life of their organization’s documents. That’s a pretty big return on investment in technology.

What are the key issues solved by a good corporate document control system?

• Organizations with multiple locations each running their own, independent document control operation.
• Multiple tools and programs in use that are not integrated together to accomplish company goals and objectives.
• Poor security: With multiple programs and ways of handling information in use, it is nearly impossible to oversee and control information and keep it secure.

An effective document control system should offer a number of key features that make communication and control both easier and more secure. These include such things as:

• Full security — A company must be able to limit access to only those persons, inside and outside the company, who should be able to view documents.
• Audit “time trail” — Document control must include virtual time stamps that indicate when the document was last used and who last modified it.
• Convenient access — Eliminate the fiery hoops many systems make you jump through to access documents you have every right to see and modify.
• Reports and analysis — Exceptional document control requires the ability to analyze data stored in the system and generate reports quickly and easily.
• Document history — The company should be able to track the status of a document that is in process or complete.
• Search ease — The document control system should make it super easy to quickly locate the exact file or document you need. No wild goose chases, no wasted time!
• Easy integration with other applications — If you can’t use your document control measures with applications already entrenched in your corporate culture, you have a problem. Document control should not be like forcing a square peg into a round hole!

Chosen carefully, with a full understanding of the breadth of features available in the marketplace today, a document control system will expedite communication throughout your organization and raise productivity enormously. It is well worth the investment of time researching document control options and the funds for purchase.

By Bill Thomas
From my “DocuBLOG” column
Bill works for USA-ONE Interactive

Document Management — Bringing Organization to Today’s Fast-Paced Office

Document Management is a science that has come of age with the advent of the 21st century. What once was housed in huge, space-consuming metal file cabinets and even sprawling warehouses is now contained far more efficiently on servers, disks and hard drives.

Today, document management is largely a paperless operation. That’s good for the planet and it’s also a sanity saver for office staff as well. While today the infamous “file search” for the missing hardcopy document may be a thing of the past, we can’t say all lost document problems have been resolved for all time with the arrival of the computer age. However, a well-organized and carefully thought out document management system will eliminate a lot of cyber-searching for missing documents.

The key is to set up your document management system the smart way, taking into consideration the most logical and practical ways information can be categorized and also the myriad ways it will be used. Any time invested on the front end of the process of choosing and setting up a document management system is time well spent. Get it right and your document management system will be a thing of beauty that will serve your organization well for years to come. Choose poorly, or do a half-baked job of planning and you’ll be gnashing your teeth and maybe even cussing every time you approach the cyber beast you’ve birthed.

For starters, you need to ask yourself and your key players some basic questions:

• Do you need to be able to store any type of file format including not just word documents, but faxes, images, applications and more?

• What are all the potential ways information in your document management system will be used?

• Do you need different levels of accessibility for different employees in your company?

• How long should documents be retained and how easily do archived materials need to be able to be retrieved from document management?

• If documents must be passed from person to person, what is the ideal way for the document management system to control work flow?

• What security threats will information in your document management system encounter?

• Where do you want your document management system to house files — within your firm or at an off-site location?

These are just a few of a number of questions to consider when beginning the process of selecting a document management system. There’s a lot of choice out there, but some document management systems are decidedly better than others. The important thing is to choose a system that is user friendly, secure and convenient to access. Don’t be afraid to ask your potential supplier a lot of questions. And don’t settle until you get the features and support you want and need. Document management is too important to your company’s functioning and success to do anything less.

By Bill Thomas
From my “DocuBLOG” column
Bill works for USA-ONE Interactive