Document Management Systems
Management Control, Preventing Unauthorized Access, Complying With Law,...
Unless yours is a tiny one-person operation, you need documents to know what is going on in your business - like how much you sold during last month, what your expenses were and whether you made a profit. Documents like a list (or folder) of unpaid bills help you recover moneys due to you.
Good document management would prevent unauthorized access to your confidential documents, and leakage of confidential data about other persons that comes into your system. By law, you have to keep such details confidential. If you don't, the affected person could claim damages against you.
There are other benefits, like easier access to needed documents and convenient yet more effective working practices that good document management produces. in the sections below, we look at different document management system (DMS) isssues.
Procedures
Procedure Manuals provide guidance to staff on how to carry out their work efficiently and in a manner that fits in with the overall business operations. It would include instructions like what documents to create and how to work with them. Read in detail here
Work Flow
Well-planned work flows help staff to work without serious problems, and achieve desired results. In addition to improving productivity, it also improves working conditions. More ...
Security Concerns
A good DMS would ensure that only authorized persons see documents, and that the actions taken by each of these persons are clearly documented. Follow to read more here
Collaboration
How could two or more people work on a document easily and optimally? The DMS would consider this issue where collaborative working is involved. More on Document Collaboration
Organizing the Documents
The variety and volume of documents make it absolutely necessary to have a good system for classifying and sorting these into easily understood categories and sub-categories. This is the first requirement for facilitating subsequent retrieval. More reading
Storing the Documents
The issue here is how to keep the documents from being lost or damaged through natural events or human actions. The storage procedures and equipment would be designed to guard against these dangers, at an economic cost. Document storage management
Document Retrieval
Good classification and storage systems would ensure that needed documents can be located easily and retrieved quickly. Read Document Retrieval
Preserving the Documents
We look at the impact of computers on document storage and preservation practices. Document Storage detail reading
Document Management Policies
Management has to sit down, consider and decide how to handle different kinds of documents being used or produced in the business. Without clear policies, things would take their own course with each member of staff making his or her own decisions on what to do in each situation. That could only lead to chaos. Additionally, avoidable costs might be incurred because documents are kept for an unnecessarily long time. Document Management Policy
Document Management Solutions
A look at the development of document management systems from hand processing through desktop and networked computers to Web-based systems. Read in detail here
Government Regulations
Governments regulate that certain types of documents must be kept, and the periods for which they should be preserved. Different laws, such as Employment, Health & Safety, Taxation and Corporation, have such regulations making it necessary for businesses to maintain a variety of documents in specified formats.
A good DMS would actively facilitate the maintenance of these regulatory records.
Conclusion
We have only briefly glanced at Document Management System. The means adopted for DMS are varied. The current trend is towards paperless electronic processes. We would look at each of the management issues in more detail in separate pages.
We would also look at the specific document management issues in different industries and how these issues are handled.