Enterprise Document Centric Deployment

Document Management software is going to be the next pillar of the corporate desktop. Readers who have read some of Imagines previous articles have seen the justification for Document Management joining email, Internet access and MS Office as a core desktop tool regardless of industry or corporate function. Knowing that within the next 5 years most companies larger than ten people will be using Document Management technology, the question becomes “how do companies get there?” The answer is Enterprise Document Centric Deployment – regardless of whether you are going with a hosted or installed Document Management solution.

Companies who are ready to launch their Document Management initiatives must be aware of two potential implementation challenges. The first potential pitfall is “The Island Problem.” Under this scenario, the Document Management solution is bought at and implemented at the department level. For example, a Controller or AP Supervisor might identify the need to manage invoices and purchase a Document Management solution to scan, route and manage accounts payable information. This is an effective deployment strategy (focusing on a particular business problem), but once the single application is up and running, the project is considered complete. There is no corporate vision to expand the solution, nor is there a senior management initiative for further management of corporate documentation. The result is a success in one area, but no expansion beyond that department (this is how companies end up with multiple systems doing the same thing).

The second potential pitfall is the opposite of the “The Island Problem.” Let’s call this “The Universe Problem.” In this case the organization understands that it needs a single solution to manage all corporate documentation but no particular details have been established for each department. A grand vision for Document Management exists, but there are no specifics. The project is vague and it becomes difficult to assess the magnitude of the effort. Budgeting is complete guesswork. The result is that the organization opts to postpone the decision and do nothing.

The most successful strategy for deploying a Document Management solution is to combine the two methods to create a hybrid strategy – “The Enterprise Document Centric Strategy.” Specifically, it is critical to have senior management support of the Document Management vision. There must be executive level sponsorship and a willingness at the senior level of the organization to manage corporate documentation. Once established (the vision, as well as a sponsor), it is important to define the projects. Specifics as to what Accounting, HR, Legal, Marketing, Operations etc. needs, are required. The projects don’t need to have a complete set of specifications, but identify the issues to be addressed, the desired end result and evaluate each area’s readiness for an implementation. Once done, rank order the initiatives and communicate these to the organization.

This Enterprise Document/Department Centric approach will enable the Document Management team to work towards the enterprise vision, while delivering value to each area of the business in a modular way. Budgets and timelines are able to be realistic and the team won’t run into the pitfall of needing to ‘re-sell’ the solution every time they finish a project. The organization will have a plan.

To provide some assistance in looking at Document Management from an enterprise perspective, some applications for a variety of departments/business functions are listed below. The purpose is to create perspective beyond a single application. Human Resources

Employee Files
New Employee Hire Workflow
Requests eForms (vacation, insurance changes etc.)
Evaluations/Reviews

Accounting
Accounts Payable Invoice Workflow
Journal Entries/Month End Reports (COLD)
Accounts Receivable Supporting Documentation
Purchase Order Request Form/Workflow
Capital Expenditure Project (Forms/Workflow)
Client – Self Serve Invoice Review (over web)

Operations
Drawing Management
Contract Management
Client File Management
Health, Safety & Environment (Forms and Notifications)
Project and/or Facility Files

Sales/Marketing

Proposals
Materials
Agreements

Clearly, the list goes on beyond what’s been presented. The point is that even though the organization may have identified a specific need, there is a big picture and many areas a Document Management system can provide value.

The Enterprise Document Centric approach to solution deployment is a proven methodology for building an enterprise Document Management system. This approach enables the organization to receive value at the department level while building towards an enterprise vision for information management. If senior executives support the enterprise vision and detailed needs analysis is done at the document/department level, the initiative will deliver value and become a success.


Article written by:
Sean Halliday

Sean Halliday is the President of Imagine eDoc Solutions Inc., a Calgary based Document Management, Imaging and Workflow solution provider. 

To learn more about Imagine’s solutions, please contact us at 403-245-6625 or visit www.imagineedoc.com for more information.