Document Lifecycle & Workflow
These days, most documents and records are first created on a computer by word processors, spreadsheet applications, design software, CAD and dozens of other software formats (as opposed to typewriters and photos from times past).
While records start out electronic, almost all of them end up being printed at some point.
This requires that the documents are stored through a records management process and often requires document destruction with a mobile document shredding company.
The printed copy is called the ‘record copy’, and storing these records, depending on the project, can result in warehouses full of documents.
Another factor which can make managing documents complicated is that government mandated document retention schedules can be confusing and require interpretation by legal experts, or at very least a specialist on staff. The reason is, laws make the fines for improper document management a liability.
Some records may need to be kept over 75 years.
The result is that companies can have a hard time finding and deploying an efficient document management system that covers the complete document lifecycle.
Managing the ‘document flow’ is one of the major challenges companies that deal with large amounts of paperwork face today, and computer systems can help speed up and smooth out the process dramatically.
Here are a few things to consider when finding a new document management system or upgrading an existing one:
- Control of records from creation until time of storage
- Compatibility with laws and retention procedures
- Quality of search features – Can it quickly produce good responses when user’s request information on documents?
- Superiority – Is it quantitatively better than the current system?
- Will upgrading your CMS be worth the cost and hassle?
- Risk: Is there any chance you could implement the system and find major problems later?
Many document management systems will work excellent for one stage of the document flow process, but will either fail at another important stage, or be incompatible with other technologies that are needed during the document lifecycle.
A document management consultant with successful experience deploying systems in similar environments can be of great assistance.
Check our category on document management consultants for more information.
