Implementing document management strategy can add efficiencies at every level of an organization. Document management enables a company to share important data and information saving time and eliminating the misfiling of all-important documents. Adding automated workflow eliminates bottlenecks and speeds up common processes such as insurance claim resolution, purchase order approval, and time off requests, with built-in notifications and routing. With electronic document management, organizations can dramatically reduce operating costs by eliminating faxing or mailing paper copies, automating escalation and out-of-office assignment of responsibility, and shortening cycle times. Here are 8 factors to keep in mind as you define youur strategy.
1. Establish an enterprise-wide approach
Knowledge workers once accessed information from neat assemblage or disorderly piles of paper on their desks, or from alphabetized folders. Information management techniques varied with each individual. Without an enterprise-wide strategy, employees may demand the same perspective to electronic documents, data and images – filing them away in folders on computers, often forgetting where they put them. Ideally, an enterprise-wide system will facilitate your staff to find a particular document or piece of information immediately – for reference, to kick off a business process, for collaboration, an audit, or for discovery in a lawsuit.
A well-designed infromation and document management strategy improves business processes, helps organizations perform compliance mandatesand promote effective collaboration. it requires a comprehensive way of thinking that looks beyond categorize, archiving and sharing data, documents and electronic files. An IDC study showed that an enterprise with 1,000 knowledge workers wastes $48,000 perr week ($2.5 million per year) due to an inability to locate and retrieve information. Moreover it is estimated that 80% af vital business information resides in unmanaged repositories, making effective utilization nearly impossible.
2. Make process re-engineering part of the plan
Creating a document management strategy often identifies the issues that are driving your operational and keeping youur organization from running efficiently. Many business units, including order management, accounts receivable, accounts payable, human resources, and risk management having great potential for producing quick ROI from streamlined processes.
Automating workflow requires a lot of planning. The mostcomplex aspect is not in determining how to automate a manual process; it’s getting everyone to buy into whiat the process is and should be. We estimate that at least 30% of total project time should be spent defining current business processes and gaining consensus in the proposed new process. Once that’been done, implement the new process, test, adjust, retest, and roll it out.
3. Identify champions among stakeholders in each department or functional group
Implementing new technology means that there will be changes to everyone’s day-to-day work life. Organizational change is easier to accept if there is enthusiasm that runs from the top down. Define the organization’s information and document management objective and then empower the key stakeholders to create the path to accomplishing it.
4. Plan for line-of-business extension and integration
You have invested in your legacy systems and should continue to benefit from that outlay. You dont have to change what already works well or disrupt ongoing efforts. Understand where your business information flows in and out of your systems and identify consolidation points. Look for solutions that provide non-invasive data exchange. The line between structured and unstructured content is blurring. Organizations need meta data and content search that are effective accross systems.
5. Encourage collaboration but control access
Your system should be highly auditable and flexible. Plan to carefully track user and administrator activities to assure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, state records management rules and other industry-specific regulations. Audited user activities sh?uld include indexing, modifying, deleting, viewing, faxing, forwarding, emailing and printing data and documents. Your document management strategy should include the ability to record versions, audit system changes, and protect intellectual property from unapproved access.
6. Provide remote and mobile access
According to Tech Republic study of 370 IT and business professionals, 75% viewed extending business applications to mobile and remote workers as a high priority. Remote workers are also coming to require the same access as local employees to applications and internal resources. Internally, IT professionals feel the strain of having to support the complex requirements of a growing mobile and remote workforce. Look for applications that provide secure and easy access from remote and mobile workers accross a range of environments-satellite offices, home offices, and customer sites.
7. Don’t forget to measure incremental process improvement and track ROI
Executing your information strategy involves continuous analysis, planning and measurement. Decide in advance what activities you plan to track, set benchmarks and celebrate progress.
8. Develop a strategy with the flexibility to accommodate change by enabling integration with emerging technology
Your information and document management strategy must be built to favor change. Invest in technology that is well positioned to take advantage of new platforms and services. Look for solutions situated on Web services which are designed to support richer, more interactive Web applications. Cloud computing is the most innovative and secure solution that will not only dominate the web but our lives, for years to come. Almost all applications will be developed and deployed in the cloud. Businesses that advance their cloud based platforms will have the opportunity to compete and stay ahead of their competitors. Cloud computing will allow business to better manage and analyze their clients needs and habits, collaborate with a low cost of entry and enable offsite and outsourced collaboration in a completely secure environment.
Filocity is a website that offers online document management, file storage, online word editor, document records management, online file sharing, pdf editor and a lot more using secure cloud computing. Check out Filocity at www.filocity.comSafe, Effortless Organization, Instant Retrieval
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