Document Management
Information on Document Management Systems worth knowing
Worth knowing information about the problems of classical Document Management and the possibilities that an electronic Document Management System can offer. The following pages inform on the role, the advantages and disadvantages of electronic Document Management in contrast to conventional Document Management.
Electronic Document Management – the answer to many questions
Do you know how much time is spent on searching for documents and information in a company? Which employee spends how much working time with filing and searching for information? How much does a working hour of an employee cost?
Imagine an employee could answer a query immediately without having to browse documents, records or files. How many documents are lost on their way through the company? Wouldn't more transparency in workflows on documents be desirable? How difficult is it to find a document, which is still "in process" in the company? Who has it at the moment? How many distribution copies get made daily? How much does that cost? How much space is required for the paper storage? How much does this space cost per month/year? How much time is spent on transporting documents through the company? How can you gain control over the wild growth of your filing system on the server? Can the employees' motivation be increased, if the time consuming search for information disappears; documents and information is available immediately?
What does electronic Document Management cost?
In cost-effectiveness considerations, the electronic Document Management is an IT investment, which has benefits for the company after a very short time and then in the long term. At the same time, electronic Document Management has a top position in comparison to other IT investments. Many valuations by independent experts, but also our own customer surveys, prove this.
Examples (*)
- A new firewall is installed. Costs incl. service: ca. 5,000.- Euros. Direct advantage: non. Indirect advantage: security-plus (economic advantage hardly calculable, 100% security does not exist anyway). Economic rating: ~
- A new server takes over from an old server. Costs incl. service: 8,000.- Euros. Direct advantage: Access speed in ERP application increased; wait for programme reaction for only 0.5 seconds instead of 1 second. Indirect advantage: high reliability. Economic rating: +
- Replacement of all old PCs through new hardware and newest Windows version incl. service. Costs: 50,000.- Euros. Direct advantage: fast working in all programmes, new hard- and software applicable. Indirect advantage: Lower maintenance costs, increased employee motivation. Economic rating: ++
- Document Management: introduction of a DMS incl. service. Costs: 10,000.- Euros. Direct advantage: user no longer require an average of 3 minutes but only 5 seconds for searching for all documents and information. Increase of productivity. Indirect advantage: Less lost documents, less lost information. Wild growth is prevented. Transparency created. Controlling improved. Employee motivation and service quality increased. Economic rating: +++
(*) Typical example for a mid-tier company with some document / information occurrence. Depending on the actual state other IT investments can make more sense economically.
