Document management system are a means of storage, convenient search, accounting, security and prompt access to corporate securities. It is a software package that contains techniques and tools for managing the life cycle of corporate documents. Often, these systems also include multiple tools for managing the business processes of an enterprise.
The volume of information possessed by any large company can amount to hundreds of thousands of files, which includes business contracts, knowledge bases, multimedia content, archives, correspondence etc. It is a fact that every company has to face challenges of organizing and automating document flow eventually. This can happen due to various reasons like the rapid growth of the firm, the need to update management practices, changes in structure and working methods that impede competitiveness.
The Document management systems, in other words, the electronic document management system, can be timely incorporated in any organization. It will help overcome the before-mentioned problems and provide a tool that will allow you to analyze the state of business processes. In addition, it will also allow an organization to adjust strategies, clear bottlenecks, and practices management to improve the efficiency of the company.
Key features of document management systems
Organization and management of documents ensure the growth of a company’s productivity due to:
- easy data retrieval;
- timely entry of data into the system;
- automated comparison of digital media and paper;
- maintaining the relevance of data;
- secure storage of confidential data;
- prevents loss and damage to documents;
- simplification of the exchange of electronic correspondence with branches, associates, clients.
Benefits of switching to a document management system for a business:
- Acceleration of the processes involved in agreement and approval of personnel documents;
- Monitor the movement of documents;
- Decrease the risk of losing documents;
- Speedup of document search using different parameters.
EDMS
Electronic document management systems (EDMS) can accomplish many tasks and can be easily modified according to the needs of a specific business. Its main features can be classified into five categories:
- Affixing metadata. It allows an organization to add user identifiers, dates and other “important values” to electronic document management systems while structuring information which further helps in automatic information retrieval and modification.
- Integration. EDMS can be both a self-sufficient system and part of a common software platform handled by a business to save and process paper records, make informed administration decisions, work with them collectively, and so on.
- Transformation of papers into electronic form. The document management system allows businesses to transform paper media into digital, recognizing text for further automatic processing and safe storage.
- Indexing. A competent document management software allows companies to classify data based on metadata and indices, simplifying and speeding up working with it and searching for information.
- Storage. A software package will always be much more convenient and safer to store documents understandably and functionally than in an office closet.
Organization of document flow
The document management subject is a key element of any business’s overall management.
Using a document management system will essentially reduce processing documents due to document templates and customized routes for their passage. Production scenarios can vary extensively. However, despite the complicated logic of the methods, this system is always clear and easy to use by employees since it sees only his tasks and documents.
Document flow processes can automate:
- Recording of incoming and outgoing messages;
- Scanning records and recording them into the system;
- Production of reports in the system using templates;
- Permission, signing and registration of documents;
- Creation of resolutions on documents;
- Transferring electronic documents;
- Storage of electronic documents.
- Bringing recommendations to the performers and automatic control of their performance;
The corporation’s document flow is divided into several stages:
- Check-in;
- Introduction;
- Distribution;
- Processing;
- Control of transfer;
- Quantity accounting;
- Control over their execution.
Remote access to documents
Nowadays, almost all businesses require control of their business processes and remote access to their documents. It is practically impossible to fit all the features and functionality of a powerful system into a mobile application. In addition, it is almost impossible to edit a document from a phone screen since this kind of work is best suited to a notebook.
With a handy application that can show the status of tasks, documents submitted, and provides viewing documents, you can stay in business. Using an app, a business can start performing tasks, assigning responsible executors of the task or agree on a document, choose the performance of the task, and read an urgently needed agreement.
Modern corporate document management systems
Modern document management systems mainly automate the management of documents and their movement. An organization can have specific software that is embedded in the corporate governance information system.
These system provide a number of advantages:
- Increasing the level of productivity;
- Ability to easily cope with the growth of the scale of work;
- Implementation in all control systems;
- Versatility.
When these document management methods are incorporated in any business, it allows them to effectively monitor all corporate activities, control the movement of documents, and also provide control over them.
These systems can effectively control documents’ implementation and speed up the movement of documents in a corporation.
Implementation of a document management system in an organization
For efficient working of document management systems in an organization, its employees must undergo appropriate training and learn the method of working with documents. This method will mostly depend on what form of office work is used at the company:
- Centralized – Using this method, all the work related to the documents are entrusted to the third parties;
- Decentralized – This method employs its own clerk appointed by the management;
- Mixed – Using this method, a company can divide the responsibilities for processing documents between primary and structural units.
In practice, a mixed form of office work and document management is most convenient as it provides the necessary efficiency. However, it also means that a business must train employees and constantly monitor how they comply with the requirements set by the document management system.
While implementing a document management system in a large corporation, it makes sense to entrust the control functions to a specially created team. It can include representatives from the developer institution, a manager, an annalist, and competent employees.
