Document Management: Workflow Issues
- Date: 2007-01-23 - Word Count: 962
Share This!
What Is Workflow?
In the context of documents, workflow means moving the documents. Goods Delivery Notes accompany merchandise and come back to the seller duly acknowledged by the buyer; Invoices have to be sent to the buyers; Checks have to be sent to suppliers; Letters have to be sent to many persons and organizations; and so on.
In addition to the external communications illustrated above, there are internal movements of documents. Attendance cards have to be sent to the payroll clerk; Pay sheets have to move to accounting and treasury departments; Memos have to move from person to person.
Need for Workflow Control
Unless the flow of documents is controlled through carefully developed policies and procedures, the result would be chaos. Goods Received Notes acknowledged by customers could be misplaced leading to disputes about invoices. Intended recipients of official memos might dispute ever having received the document. Employees might not get paid correctly or on time.
The issues of confidentiality and business interests might also be compromised unless the flow of documents is controlled properly. Legal regulations require you to keep several kinds of data confidential. Business interests might require that you keep certain sensitive data accessible only to a restricted few. If you have inadequate control over the document flow, confidential and sensitive data could easily fall into the wrong hands.
Kinds of Documents
Before we look at how document workflow is controlled, let us take a quick look at the kinds of documents that arise in a business organization.
- Text documents: Letters, Reports, Statements, Contracts
- Drawings: Blueprints, Organization Charts, Workflow Charts
- Images: Photographs
- Printed materials: News articles, Reference materials
- Forms: Invoices, Orders, Attendance cards, Bin cards
Almost every one of these documents involves some kind of workflow. Information has to be gathered from other documents for preparing a letter or report. Contracts have to be reviewed before signing. Information from other documents, collected from other persons or departments, have to be summarized for preparing statements like a sales analysis.
Controlling Workflow
Policies and procedures, carefully developed and properly implemented, are the key to document workflow management. Implementation would also involve adequate training to personnel who handle the documents.
The policies would seek to identify opportunities for saving costs while meeting different requirements. In the absence of such policies, it is quite easy to incur unnecessary costs. For example, documents could be kept for unduly long periods, or in perpetuity, because no one knows when a document can be destroyed, or how to destroy it.
Procedures would implement the policies on the ground. Documents would be routed efficiently to all concerned persons. Access to sensitive documents would be controlled through such means as passwords and permissions. Needed actions would be flagged as they become due.
Workflow Patterns
The basic functions are summarized by three words: Capture, Manage and Distribute.
Data has to be captured at the best point considering convenience and cost. The captured data has to be managed effectively to serve intended purposes while keeping the data safe. Data and documents would have to be distributed to concerned persons in a manner that ensures their safety and minimizes the cost involved.
And the basic workflow pattern is summarized by: Creation, Updating, Review and Approval.
When data is captured, a record or document is typically created. The creation process must be designed for ease and error-free operation.
Created records and documents would typically need to be updated - changed, worked on further or deleted. This must also be an easy and error-minimizing process.
A single person rarely has complete control over a document or record. Proper authentication and prevention of errors and frauds would typically require that one or more persons, not involved in the creation or updating, review the created/updated documents.
Another typical practice is that while the creation or updating is done by operating level personnel, it has to be approved by a supervisor or manager before it is put to intended use. Thus, approval is usually the last process before the workflow moves to the next stage.
Processes Involved in Workflow
If you observe the operations in an office, you would typically find the following processes taking place:
- Writing or typing
- Making copies
- Getting written or printed originals or copies
- Moving these documents to another person, either inside or outside the organization. (This might involve some preparations like putting a document in an envelope or other protective packing)
- Communications
- Monetary transactions based on documentary authorizations
- Storing documents away, safely and in an organized manner
During earlier times, all documents involved paper (including carbon paper) and paperboards (for folders and tags).
The Modern Workflow
Document management systems have undergone a radical change since the appearance of computers and Internet. So has workflow.
In a modern computerized and connected office, workflow typically involve
- Creation of digital records on computer disks
- Sending records to other persons using digital means
- Getting printouts at the points needed (instead of sending printed documents by hand to various places)
- Scanning to convert printed materials into digital format
- Using OCR technologies to make the scanned documents editable
- Making copies as needed instead of preparing the maximum number of copies at the stage of document creation itself
- Using fax and email for mailing documents
Modern Workflow Tools
With the change in the practices came new tools.
- Fax machines
- Computers
- Desktop printers
- Copiers
- Scanners
- Internet connectivity
The modern workflow consists of typing at computer terminals or scanning printed materials, printing needed documents at your desktop or a central printer and emailing or faxing the documents to concerned persons
The appearance of digital signature protocols is eliminating the need for paper documents even further.
And content management systems, where many people access a central database and work collaboratively on documents, have made the document workflow and its management far more productive.
Author About
Dustin Baker of Ademero, Inc. invites you to learn more by visiting his Document Management Software site. Browse the Ademero resource section which includes the largest collection of posts from real users reviewing ALL of the most popular DMS systems available, free and commercial.
Sign up for a live demo of Ademero's Document Management System now!
In the context of documents, workflow means moving the documents. Goods Delivery Notes accompany merchandise and come back to the seller duly acknowledged by the buyer; Invoices have to be sent to the buyers; Checks have to be sent to suppliers; Letters have to be sent to many persons and organizations; and so on.
In addition to the external communications illustrated above, there are internal movements of documents. Attendance cards have to be sent to the payroll clerk; Pay sheets have to move to accounting and treasury departments; Memos have to move from person to person.
Need for Workflow Control
Unless the flow of documents is controlled through carefully developed policies and procedures, the result would be chaos. Goods Received Notes acknowledged by customers could be misplaced leading to disputes about invoices. Intended recipients of official memos might dispute ever having received the document. Employees might not get paid correctly or on time.
The issues of confidentiality and business interests might also be compromised unless the flow of documents is controlled properly. Legal regulations require you to keep several kinds of data confidential. Business interests might require that you keep certain sensitive data accessible only to a restricted few. If you have inadequate control over the document flow, confidential and sensitive data could easily fall into the wrong hands.
Kinds of Documents
Before we look at how document workflow is controlled, let us take a quick look at the kinds of documents that arise in a business organization.
- Text documents: Letters, Reports, Statements, Contracts
- Drawings: Blueprints, Organization Charts, Workflow Charts
- Images: Photographs
- Printed materials: News articles, Reference materials
- Forms: Invoices, Orders, Attendance cards, Bin cards
Almost every one of these documents involves some kind of workflow. Information has to be gathered from other documents for preparing a letter or report. Contracts have to be reviewed before signing. Information from other documents, collected from other persons or departments, have to be summarized for preparing statements like a sales analysis.
Controlling Workflow
Policies and procedures, carefully developed and properly implemented, are the key to document workflow management. Implementation would also involve adequate training to personnel who handle the documents.
The policies would seek to identify opportunities for saving costs while meeting different requirements. In the absence of such policies, it is quite easy to incur unnecessary costs. For example, documents could be kept for unduly long periods, or in perpetuity, because no one knows when a document can be destroyed, or how to destroy it.
Procedures would implement the policies on the ground. Documents would be routed efficiently to all concerned persons. Access to sensitive documents would be controlled through such means as passwords and permissions. Needed actions would be flagged as they become due.
Workflow Patterns
The basic functions are summarized by three words: Capture, Manage and Distribute.
Data has to be captured at the best point considering convenience and cost. The captured data has to be managed effectively to serve intended purposes while keeping the data safe. Data and documents would have to be distributed to concerned persons in a manner that ensures their safety and minimizes the cost involved.
And the basic workflow pattern is summarized by: Creation, Updating, Review and Approval.
When data is captured, a record or document is typically created. The creation process must be designed for ease and error-free operation.
Created records and documents would typically need to be updated - changed, worked on further or deleted. This must also be an easy and error-minimizing process.
A single person rarely has complete control over a document or record. Proper authentication and prevention of errors and frauds would typically require that one or more persons, not involved in the creation or updating, review the created/updated documents.
Another typical practice is that while the creation or updating is done by operating level personnel, it has to be approved by a supervisor or manager before it is put to intended use. Thus, approval is usually the last process before the workflow moves to the next stage.
Processes Involved in Workflow
If you observe the operations in an office, you would typically find the following processes taking place:
- Writing or typing
- Making copies
- Getting written or printed originals or copies
- Moving these documents to another person, either inside or outside the organization. (This might involve some preparations like putting a document in an envelope or other protective packing)
- Communications
- Monetary transactions based on documentary authorizations
- Storing documents away, safely and in an organized manner
During earlier times, all documents involved paper (including carbon paper) and paperboards (for folders and tags).
The Modern Workflow
Document management systems have undergone a radical change since the appearance of computers and Internet. So has workflow.
In a modern computerized and connected office, workflow typically involve
- Creation of digital records on computer disks
- Sending records to other persons using digital means
- Getting printouts at the points needed (instead of sending printed documents by hand to various places)
- Scanning to convert printed materials into digital format
- Using OCR technologies to make the scanned documents editable
- Making copies as needed instead of preparing the maximum number of copies at the stage of document creation itself
- Using fax and email for mailing documents
Modern Workflow Tools
With the change in the practices came new tools.
- Fax machines
- Computers
- Desktop printers
- Copiers
- Scanners
- Internet connectivity
The modern workflow consists of typing at computer terminals or scanning printed materials, printing needed documents at your desktop or a central printer and emailing or faxing the documents to concerned persons
The appearance of digital signature protocols is eliminating the need for paper documents even further.
And content management systems, where many people access a central database and work collaboratively on documents, have made the document workflow and its management far more productive.
Author About
Dustin Baker of Ademero, Inc. invites you to learn more by visiting his Document Management Software site. Browse the Ademero resource section which includes the largest collection of posts from real users reviewing ALL of the most popular DMS systems available, free and commercial.
Sign up for a live demo of Ademero's Document Management System now!
Related Tags: ocr, document management software, document management solution, dms solutions, dms software, optical character recognition, content central, ademero, doculex, laser fiche, docuxplorer
Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Improper Way Of Marketing Reflects Poorly On A Company.
New business, product or service everything requires visibility, awareness in order to come into the - Replacing Paper Prints With Online Versions
Nowadays saving out on resources and being additionally informative are both aspects that are in. In - Stop Smoking Effectively
If I told you of a way that you could stop smoking harmful tobacco would you believe it? Most people - What Is Runtime Error 182? And How To Fix It
Are you finding an effective way to fix runtime error 182? Do you think fixing runtime error 182 is - Do You Know How To Fix Runtime Error 87 In Minutes?
Are you finding an effective way to fix runtime error 87? Do you think fixing runtime error 87 is to - Knowledge About Avi, Avi Player, Avi Converter On Mac
Knowledge about AVI, AVI player, AVI Converter on MacWhat is an AVI?AVI, an acronym for Audio Video - Buy Your Highly Successful Email Survey Software Today
Email Survey Software- Boost Your Business and Increase ProfitsAn email survey software could be one - Xrm - The Anything Relationship Management Solution
I recently attended the Microsoft Dynamics West Region FY11 Sales Planning Retreat. This year's meet - What Are The Benefits Of Working With Electronic Medical Records
Recording medical information is a vital part of health care services. These records are necessary f - Basic Factor To Make Website Business Oriented
Internet is home for millions of websites. The online business is becoming more and more competitive
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Parental Control Software
Parental control software is software that can help parents protect their children when they are onl - Digital Asset Management Software
Managing and organizing your organization's documents is a critical component to your business's suc - AdobeRGB vs. sRGB
Understanding color spaces I'll try to explain it very simplified, but understandable for everyone - Confessions of a Prankster
I wanted to get a jump on April Fool's Day, partially because of the long, cold winter blues, and pa - Malicious Thoughts About The Spyware Ills Of My PC
Who would think I was capable of such revengeful thoughts about the parties responsible for inflicti - Recover File and Recover Deleted File Tools
Data recovery software is a very effective way of retrieving data from a worn or damaged hard disk d - Life without Windows
Ubuntu, a user-friendly version of Linux, has been running so nicely on my home PC that I decided to - What Benefit Does an Online Software Download Site Offer You?
Are you having a problem that where you find a good softeware when you consider to have a try or wan - Maintaining A Website
There was an era when people were talking about how to create a website using html coding or some ea - Benefits Of Proper Time Tracking
Have you ever written down time when you have started and finished your work? Maybe you have had mul