Key Features of Document Management Systems
How should business leaders address document management?
Until organizations move to a completely digital model, leaders must ensure they invest in an ‘integrated document management system’!
Most organizations view a document management system as a place where documents are stored and retrieved — and within time, it becomes a junkyard of documents when not managed and controlled. Such a situation creates wreaks havoc that is worse than manual documentation!
The next logical question is: what should be the capabilities of an integrated document management system?
As companies grow over time, business leaders have invariably invested in different technology applications to improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity — these have led to ERPs, CRMs, HRMS, Accounting, and other applications. The biggest challenge is — islands of applications.
If the organization is serious about documentation, the first step would be to ensure that the chosen integrated document management system becomes ‘the only place’ for all documentation. Business functions must push and pull documents from this central repository.
The problem does not end here! Business leaders must ensure the robustness of the integrated document management system.
The question is — what should one look for in a best-in-class document management system?
Characteristics of a document management system
A solid foundation of an integrated design
The integrated document management system must be the ‘go-to place’ for storing, modifying, retrieving, and collaborating across business functions such as pre-sales & proposals, project management, financials, resources, procurement & inventory, engineering & manufacturing, regulatory & compliance, and others.
Additionally, the chosen document management system must integrate with applications such as ERPs, CRMs, HRMS, Accounting, and others.
A configurable process flow for document handling
The chosen document management system must be capable of being designed/configured in line with the diverse needs of business functions, organizational standards, governance-driven compliance & controls, and industry practices. Configurability should address workflows, views, fields, search, etc.
A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is the first step to disaster!
Facilitate process automation
While the immediate objective may be to create a centralized documentation repository, the chosen document management system must facilitate process automation through workflows, decision points, date & time-stamped approvals, etc.
Ease of information access
Today, technology must be available ‘on the go’ — on desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. For this to happen, the document management system must be available ‘on-premises’ and ‘on-cloud.’
Additionally, living in an age of mobile apps, the ‘general expectation’ is that anything to do with technology must be user-friendly. This implies that a document management system must have a best-in-class user interface and user experience.
Quickly scalable
The growth of organizations cannot be predicted. Business leaders expect that a document management solution should be easily scalable in terms of users, the number of documents, and the volume of the documentation.
Seamless business continuity via swift archival and smooth retrieval
Organizations go bust overnight due to various market factors. Business continuity involves different dimensions.
The need for ‘confidentiality’ is paramount in a world of patents, copyrights, and intellectual property.
The documentation needs of organizations are driven by business functions (finance, legal, etc.) as well as their industries (highly regulated, compliance-driven, etc.).
Analytics, Dashboards, and Reports
Today’s professionals are racing with time with little breathing space. Predictive or time-based alerts and notifications should be ‘automatically pushed’ to those who need it rather than ‘pulling’ them to information.
An integrated document management system is the first building block of ‘data integrity.’ Then, managers can feel confident about their ‘decisions’. When this happens, business leaders may breathe a sigh of relief that the organization is in safe hands that are ably supported by robust systems.
TouchBase Document Management System from ProductDossier is designed and developed with the above objectives in mind. TouchBase is designed to enhance business outcome predictability and thereby its growth and profitability.
