What are the basic guidelines when implementing an electronic document management system?

When a company takes the decision to work more efficiently by installing an electronic document management system, there are several factors to consider which can ultimately affect the success of the project.

First of all there must be clear guidelines for all employees to follow, i.e. everyone must play by the same rules. For example, even though the majority of business information is now received electronically, there will still be a need to manage hard copies which are received. Staff should always ask for electronic copies of documents to be sent rather than paper but when this is not possible, the hard copy will need to be scanned and indexed into the electronic document management system.

Ideally all document types and search references should be pre-defined and presented in drop down boxes for users to select from. This reduces the risk of spelling mistakes or people ‘inventing’ terms which are not relevant.

There must be rules for destroying a paper document once it has been scanned unless there is a good reason for retaining it. Prior to shredding any document, however, a quality check must be carried out to ensure that the image is clear and legible.

There are many more elements which contribute to the effectiveness of an electronic document management system and if you would like to discuss the issues in more depth, please call The IPC Group on 08081 45 46 47.