How to choose a Document Management Solution System
by Annette Schmidt, Docuware, 3/9/2007
Look at the Forest First, then the Trees –
Why identifying objectives before searching for IDMS improves the success of the solution
Researching, choosing and implementing an Integrated Document Management Solution or IDMS can be an overwhelming task. This is especially true if an organization hasn’t taken the time to identify their objectives and define their business processes before looking for a software solution or vendor. It’s the classic blunder of not being able to see the forest for the trees. In today’s competitive market, finding a solution that meets all your needs, while providing a return on investment and that has a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is critical. A low TCO includes not only the purchase price, but also takes into consideration implementation, training, along with on-going maintenance and support costs.
Start Planning with the End in Mind
Start with the end in mind. Identify your objectives by asking yourself what you hope to accomplish by implementing an IDMS. Are you looking to optimize internal procedures to operate more efficiently and increase productivity, or meet legal, security or retention requirements? Perhaps you would like to improve services as a way to separate yourself from the competition such as customer service? Or simply reduce costs? What kind of ROI do you need to realize from a solution? Make sure your objectives answer the question, “How will an IDMS benefit my company or department?” and that you are not automating for the sake of automation.
Involve the User in the Planning Process from the Beginning
Don’t under estimate the importance of user buy-in and adoption in the success of a solution. By not involving the employee, you run the risk that the employee will feel their position is in jeopardy and not be supportive of the solution. By involving them from the start they will understand the objectives you hope to accomplish. In addition, the employees that work with the documents you want to manage understand how your current business processes work and how they could work better. They can also provide you with excellent insight into time saving automation ideas. Keep in mind that user involvement in the planning phase connects employees to push for the success of a new solution once implemented.
Perform a Business Process Audit
Before even looking at a single IDMS, perform a business process audit. Do your processes work smoothly? Are they well defined? Is a document’s workflow path consistent? Could any process be improved or simplified? Remember, automating a poor process only makes it worse, so resolve these issues first. To simplify the audit, start from the bottom-up by identifying each document and follow its process. Ask questions such as: How is information from the document input into the system? How many people are involved in the process? How does the approval process work? How is the document filed? How often is it retrieved? How long is the process? After performing your business processes audit, try to do a little forward thinking and add a few more requirements to your list by asking: What information do you wish you had access to? How much data or how many documents will you need to store? Is there any security, legal or retention criteria that need to be met? Which existing programs or databases will the IDMS need to be able to integrate with?
Now that you’ve taken a look at the forest, by defining your objectives, you can begin to focus on the details and start your search for a product and vendor. A good way to start the orientation process is to attend a trade show or a seminar. It pays to attend with your list of requirements in hand, so that with a few questions you will be able to quickly discern if a proposed solution warrants further investigation.
Choose an Integrated Document Management Solution
As you evaluate various IDMS start with your objectives, and then move onto to other questions. Make sure you know what types of document types, files and images are supported. Can the solution store PDF, TIFF, e-mail, faxes, PC generated documents and files or even output from mainframe applications? Can the solution use MFD (digital copiers) for capturing purposes in addition to document scanners? Does the solution have other means for capturing the document types you need? Look at your own needs; do you need the ability to store documents in their native format? Can documents be changed or are they unalterable? Other crucial questions include: How much will the system cost to maintain (try to look at fees as well as man-hours)?
How easy is it to add functionality or to expand the solution? Can the system be customized to meet individual department needs and still be used company wide? Can users access information over the Internet or intranet? Is custom programming involved?
Choose a Vendor
Evaluating the solution is only one half of the process. Make sure you find out about the vendor. Can the vendor meet your objectives? What kind of training and support is offered? How long has the vendor been in the market and can they supply references? A good vendor will be able to perform an analysis of your situation and provide you with an implementation proposal that includes costs and an implementation timeline.
When evaluating vendor proposals, be attentive for the following indications of poor planning. A detailed analysis of the starting situation is missing or the objectives are not stated. The proposed solution seems to be at maximum capacity when first implemented and has no room for growth or is too rigid and inadaptable to change. Staying focused on your objectives and requirements is the key to finding and implementing an IDMS right for your business.
