What is Document Management System (DMS)

A document usually means a piece of written information, printed, or electronic form, for a particular purpose in a structured way. It can be a single or even a collection of papers.

The term document has been changed completely over the last decade. In today’s business, documents are stored as personal computer files and are operated via emails and different sharing tools. Today IT companies provide their on-side and cloud solutions with the possibility to create electronic documents in various types of templates, providing work more quickly. The e-Document can be processed from one to another (in the same or different workplaces) around the world. This solution is easier and more manageable, where documents can be better controlled through the system called Document Management System.

“Document management, often referred to as Document Management Systems (DMS), is the use of a computer system and software to store, manage and track electronic documents and electronic images of paper-based information captured through the use of a document scanner” as described by AIIM.org

The purpose of DMS is to improve, digitalize, sort, and retrieve documents in the business.

A Document Management System (DMS) is useful to track, and controlling large volumes of information, and ensure that employees can quickly retrieve up-to-date information.

Document Management System includes every action taken with a document within an organization, concerning the creation, distribution, and deletion of documents. DMS can be used in companies or departments that are involved with a huge quantity of physical documents, such as Postal Office, Archives, Municipalities, Public Health Services, etc. It is a perfect solution for employees that are working in this kind of job.

5 process steps to consider before choosing the best Document Management System

In case you or your company decide to purchase or develop a Document Management System, make sure to involve the Business Process Team in such a decision.

Document Management System can be a great combo with the Business Process Management team, for the companies with a large scale of documents.

There are some activities that you need to go through them to make sure you are choosing the right solution.

Define the volume and types of documents

Firstly you need to define the volume and types of documents for each office or department separately. An excellent model can be by observing. This way you can see the approximate time consumed for each scanned and recorded file and the total users involved.

Make sure to identify the approximate number of documents for at least 1 year. This will give you an idea of the storage capacity in the servers for the next 5 years, the number of active users, roles, and responsibilities, and the volume of papers in the Physical Archive.

Before you start the second step, make sure that you document the general details of the project. It can be a Business Case Template or other related templates.

Schedule a kick-off meeting with the team

Schedule the meeting with the management of your business. Send and arrange the meeting describing the reason, the purpose, and the objectives of the meeting.

If you will achieve the success that your project is accepted, you can start the next step.

Define the key workflows in the business

The important part is to define key workflows with the highest volume of physical documents.

Design the easy-to-understand “AS-IS” workflow.

• Describe the actual activities of the workflows,
• Time consumed for each type of document by each user,
• Collect the document record lists used by each user,
• The path of the files (sender and recipients),
• Roles and responsibilities of each user,
• Ask for Feedback and advice from each user separately,

To collect all the needed information, the Business Process Team such as the Business Process Analyst (BPA) requires to be assigned for this task.

Collecting the related information in this step will guide you to the general need to seek in the market.

Select the best solution in the market

Many companies give a Document management system in the market. Chose approximately 10 best companies with plenty of references and a minimum of 3 references with the similar nature of work, that they have implemented during the last 3 years. Inform them via email about your situation and the volume of the papers and users. Send a prepared checklist to the vendors for Document Management System your needs and their solution. You will get a response within a week or two.

Complete the Collected information

After you have gathered all the required information internally and through vendors, prepare the presentation. Schedule the meeting and present it to your team. Be creative and specific about approximate startup costs and after-sale costs. This detail is important for the supervisors of the project, nobody wants to throw money and pay an additional fee for every decision made after-sale.

If your project is reasonable and acceptable in this step, you have the green light for the purchase of the Document Management System.

Depending on the business rules of purchase in your company, most likely you’ll initiate the request for Document Management System through the Procurement process.

10 Key Considerations When Choosing the right Document Management System

Different companies in the market, are offering great solutions with so many features that are not so simple to select the right one. There are so many features and functionalities of the DMS that you will be confused during the selection.

Let’s describe some of them:

Scanning Functions

Direct scanning (TWAIN Scanning)

This scanning function describes the integration of the scanner and the system. This is a flexible solution for the employees rather than scanning to Computer, adding to the folder, and uploading to the system. It will decrease the time and confusion in the high volume of the files.

Batch Scanning Separator

This function describes the ability to separate hard-copy documents by barcode, label, page count, or blank page.

Document Compression system

In case there is a large volume of daily hard-copy documents, your server’s storage capacity will be full over time, which will bring you the situation where you need to purchase additional storage and in a long period it can be costly.

File Viewer

This feature reduces the mistakes during the scanning phase. It gives the employee a view of the files whether having been recorded the right one or in the proper way. This feature is good to have the control properties, such as Rotate, Zoom-in/out, Resize, Fit-to window, etc.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

This is full-text indexing and searching for the image file. It can speed up the scanning and recording phase.

Importing functions

Upload or Drag and Drop

This is a standard feature of a DMS. Users can upload single or multiple files through the upload button, or Drag and Drop files in a specific area.

Restrict file extension

This is an important option for DMS. This feature will restrict different file extensions that will prevent any server or database negative impact.

Document registration

Meta-data fields

This is a standard feature of the DMS. The Document Management System provides basic record information that should identify the date, type, title, sort of description, and some general input field.

Customize and Modification of Meta-data fields

This is the administrative option that DMS should include. It is always important to configure and modify the fields based on the requirements. In case the user records the wrong file with the wrong meta-data parameters, the administrator will have the option to update, add a new one, or even delete the case.

Split-screening

This feature provides the screening of the document that can be viewed and details that can be recorded. It is more flexible for active users to record the details of the file while viewing it.

Searching

Full-text search

This feature is related to the mentioned above Optical Character Recognition OCR. This makes the search more simple if you forgot the file title or the file was recorded a long time ago, you can search by ingredient of the text.

Simple and advanced search

A simple search provides the details according to the file, such as title, description, date, etc. While the advanced search gives filters for a deeper search.

Collaboration

Check-in and Check-out

This is also the standard feature of the DMS. This can be explained as an Email sender and receiver. While the sender will send an email (Check-out), the receiver will be notified (Check-in) with the file and description. This collaboration can be looped until the specific task is completed.

Time tracking control

This is also an important function for the improvement of the specific process. This gives on-time or delayed activity between the sender and receiver that gives a clear report of the standard deviation and the importance of the changes in the process or even active users.

Workflow and process management

Dynamic and Automated Workflow

This feature is very important in choosing the DMS. You don’t want to be stuck with several workflows designed by the vendor. There is always an improvement in the specific workflow, or even creating the new one. For every change in pre-defined workflow, there is an invoice that you will receive from a vendor, and believe it or not, you will not like it 🙂

You should focus on this part. The in-house employee must get the proper training from the vendor, and implement the key workflows with different roles, permissions, and parameters that are important in the company. This will reduce time and money and will bring more success to the company.

Reporting

This feature is a critical part and also very important. If you need to cover several areas with different managers, each of them will require a different type of report. If you chose the static reporting system with the general features there is a huge possibility that your DMS project will be rejected. Report for the user performance, delays, pending, and in-time activities, document history, and chronology, document types, load, etc are some of the management requirements. All those features must have the options for exporting to different preferred types such as excel, pdf, etc. The importance is that reporting must be dynamic, meaning that you can change, update, and add new columns and rows depending on the business needs.

Form designer

e-Form designer

This is also a very important feature. It is related to the workflow and the reporting functionalities mentioned above.

There are different types of form designers in the market that you can include as a sample for the development. The form designer is a great tool to design the custom input fields and attributes that will be viewed in the user interface of DMS. It requires the administrative part with the possibility to design unlimited forms with specific fields. Every record field that is designed must be the option in the report part and applied through the dynamic workflow.

Electronic Signature

This is a nice feature if you want to completely remove the paperwork in the front. This feature can be costly, depending on the company portfolio, areas, etc. Before requesting this feature from the vendor, be sure that is legally acceptable to your country (for example court complaint).

Markup and Annotations

This includes writing notes and annotations in the document without damaging the original file. (e.g. area highlights, text annotations, signature stamps)

Electronic archiving

Recycling

Recycling includes a document that ends the years. (example: records that are not needed after 5 years).

This feature will reduce your storage space on servers.

Integration

Active Directory and LDAP integration

In a resignation case, the company should remove the access of employees. With the integration of the Active Directory or LDAP, the access can be discharged in DMS.

Web service integration or API

This feature is important if your company has different platforms (developed internally or purchased), and in the future is willing to integrate for a bigger solution.

Other features

Multilanguage

This feature is great for portfolio companies, with globally related offices.

Mobile version

It is a helpful feature for the users that are the times in the meetings, or outside the offices.

Encryption and security

“Encryption is the process that scrambles readable text and helps provide data security for sensitive information” by Norton

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