The journey of document management that started in 1898, when Edwin Grenville Seibels designed the vertical file system, has changed its shape over years. Today, the Association for Intelligent Information Management (AIIM) define document management as – the software that controls and organizes documents throughout an organization. It is observed by both academicians and practitioners that document management system is adding value to the journey of digital transformation. They agree that as organizations embark on their digital transformation journeys, the integration of document management system stands out as one of the key components of this evolution. With organizations operating globally, seamlessly sharing, accessing, and updating documents in real time has become increasingly indispensable. [1] This basic requirement of effective document management in business and personal life makes the document management system key to our daily life.
The document management system is an efficient, time saving and easy way to report, view and control the version of a file. It is the process of handling documents in such a way that information can be created, shared, organized and stored efficiently and appropriately. The biggest driving factor for the digital transformation of documents is the ability to access them anywhere. As organizations grow, add locations, add employees, or restructure operations to facilitate more remote or home workers, you need a way for them to be able to be able to work collaboratively on documents.[2] Moreover, document management allows organizations to exert greater control over the production, storage, and distribution of documents, yielding greater efficiencies in the ability to reuse information, to control a document through a workflow process, and to reduce product cycle times. [3] It not only accelerates file processing but also ensures the effectiveness of capturing information and eliminating the need for manual document processing.
The success of the document management system is function of the key activities that includes – index electronic and paper records to a secure central hub, enable access for all, permission-based document access, instant document search and retrieval, automated workflow checkpoints from input to finalization, automated data retention and removal, time-stamp based activity, support governance, internal and external audits and compliance, workflow visibility, assured data and document security, and real-time management reports. These activities empower businesses to streamline processes, protect data, ensure compliance, and drive productivity in the ever-evolving digital landscape. For example, Leonardo – a key global player in aerospace, defense, and security as part of its digital transformation strategy wanted to break down document and data management silos in order to reduce costs and improve both process efficiency and risk management. Xerox’s capture and content services offered efficient scanning, digital archiving, and 3D printing services improved data accessibility of Leonardo that is more secure, auditable and compliant. Xerox helped Leonardo bring its print room, reprographics, technical publications library and distribution, and data control center into a single function.
Transforming document lifecycle
The changing technology landscape is transforming enterprise systems across industries and document management systems is no exception. It has witnessed significant advancements over the years. Implementation of a document management system is now almost a must-have for companies wanting to be competitive in the market and with a desire to digitalize its processes and is also surely a good step in the right direction for the environment. [4] its only apt to say that as your business evolves, your document management must evolve too.
The journey of document management system started as early as in 1980’s, when vendors began pushing solutions to the market to fuel a transformation from paper-based documents to electronic versions with multi-file format support. As these solutions evolved, they became the defacto hub for storing digitized content. [5] The document management system has changed the shape of organization over years from traditional paper-based systems to the digital document-based system. There are many successful document management systems in the play including – Xerox DocuShare, Office 365, Laserfiche, Box, DocuWare, Doxis Intelligent Content Automation, OpenText Extended ECM, iManage Work, Newgen OmniDocsm. This document management system is based on creating, storing, structuring, optimizing, controlling, securing, distributing, and governing document lifecycle.
A typical document lifecycle consists of the following steps: creation, scanning and indexing, storage, access, extraction, administration, collaboration, utilization, distribution, and reassignment. But a true document management system is beyond the realms of just managing documents. It is observed that almost all the leading organizations realize that the effective document management can account for the entire document lifecycle. The document management system delivers full document controls, measurable cost savings, increase efficiency, offers productivity gains, helps in technology integration, improves service delivery, supports implementation of regulatory and legal frameworks, among many other benefits. For example, Volksbank Romania was buried under a mountain of paper. 8.5 million pages of loan contracts, combined with paper-heavy processing, made it difficult to process requests quickly and put a strain on their client relationships. Xerox DocuShare offered Volksbank better control over document management costs, secure and accurate digital storage of sensitive documents, instant access to documents and files, faster and more convenient application processing, and more flexibility to meet client needs.
The document management system is designed to streamline numerous business functions including finance, accounting, human resource, sales, and others. For example, L’Oreal – a leading global beauty company, implemented a collaborative document management system to streamline its product development process. With the new system, teams across different departments and countries can access product information, including formulas, ingredients, and packaging designs, in real time. [6] L’Oreal used the document management system to streamline its product development process. Most of the progressive organizations, just like L’Oreal , have been digitizing documents for decades, and many others have just started to move to document management systems.
Document management system is transforming business.
The document management is the automated control of electronic documents – page images, spreadsheets, word processing documents, and complex, compound documents – through their entire lifecycle within an organization, from initial creation to final archiving. It is designed to optimize all aspects of business from financial records to legal contracts to human resource documentation to customer support interactions to product design documentations. The document management system structures the way business capture, store, manage, retrieve and secure every digital document. In turn, this streamlines document workflows by making people more productive and efficient and saves the business considerable time and money. [7] It is widely agreed that the biggest driving factor for the digital transformation of documents is the ability to access them anywhere. For example, England’s 158-Year-Old HM Land Registry uses Xerox’s Production Workflow Management platform to digitize data and maintain the integrity of the land register for England and Wales and deliver excellent customer service. Xerox has transformed HM Land Registry’s paper-based catalog and document submission process to a digital system, has modernized the entire document workflow, help extract key data including both information and images, and offer secure environment to document management system.
With a digital transformation document management plan, your transition to digital will be faster, smarter, and better. Let’s explore the benefits that document management system brings into the business.
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