Archive Scanning Whitepaper The Design, Planning and Procurement of Large Scanning Projects; what you need to know before you digitise a document

Transcription

1 Archive Scanning Whitepaper The Design, Planning and Procurement of Large Scanning Projects; what you need to know before you digitise a document archive. By Adrian Kougianos Clockwork Print July 2011

2 1.0 The business case for digitising your archive Most organisations have a physical document archive that has grown over the years. This includes filing cabinets, bookshelves, archive boxes or Compactus shelving that store a litany of different business documents. In recent years electronic document management systems (EDMS) are taking over from physical document archives and document controllers will need to decide what to do with the information locked in these archives. These archives aren t always a high priority for office managers, so, putting off the decision to digitise is understandable. Even so, most office managers agree that physical archiving is not an ideal way for storing historical documents and, whilst the decision can be delayed, ultimately they must choose to either destroy, store or digitise these documents. The argument for digitising a physical archive is strong. As you d expect scanning your archive will give you all the benefits provided by your EDMS so the business case is similar to that of installing an EDMS in the first place. We ve gone through some basic reasons why document controllers and office managers choose to digitise their physical document archives: Reason 1: Reducing Storage Costs Perth office space is at an all time premium and it doesn t look like that will change any time soon. Costs associated with filing cabinets include the floor space they occupy, the cabinet itself plus the paper within it. Reducing the number of filing cabinets in your office can reclaim thousands of dollars of poorly utilised office space. Whilst offsite storage can reduce the cost, especially for those in the CBD, it introduces its own unique problems and ongoing charges. Reason 2: Reducing Retrieval Costs A large part of the cost of your archive is the time it takes to retrieve documents from it. Finding documents can be difficult in large, disorganised archives and chew up a lot of labour time. Even the best organised physical archive will soak up hours of your employee s time. Retrieval times and costs can grow considerably when documents are stored offsite. Compared to the time taken to search through an EDMS the long term cost of retrieving electronic documents is considerably lower. Reason 3: Meeting Statutory Requirements Depending on your industry you may have a legal requirement to retain certain documents. Government instrumentalities have a more pressing need to retain documents for longer periods of time. The period can be as long as 20 years once a document becomes inactive. Scanning your archive allows simple access to the documents without having to worry about the safety of the document for 20 years or more. Reason 4: Surviving a Disaster Physical archives are susceptible to fire & water damage. Scanning your archive allows you to create multiple redundancies for these documents in separate locations across the business. In the event of a disaster, business interruption is reduced to the absolute minimum.

3 Reason 5: Maintaining Archive Integrity Physical archives deteriorate over time. Using the archive also can interfere with its integrity; files can go missing and papers can be returned to the archive in the wrong spot making any index less reliable. Digitising the archive halts the process of document ageing and misfiling, preserving the integrity of the archive at the time it was scanned. Reason 6: Future proofing Your organisation never knows what s going to happen in the future. Legal challenges may require evidence of original documentation. Critical design flaws in the future may require reference to original plans. As some buildings are designed to last one hundred years, it s unlikely your predecessor will be able to find those blueprints from 2002 in 2102 unless they re in a safe and accessible place. All office managers and senior document controllers will eventually be faced with the decision to either destroy, store or digitise their ageing physical archives. One of the main purposes of this white paper is to give you a brief understanding of the decisions you may need to make when considering, planning for and implementing a large archive scanning project.

4 2. Planning an Archive Scanning Project If you ve made the decision to digitise your physical archive the next stage is to design your project. Archive scanning is a straightforward process but a lack of preparation results in roadblocks and inconsistent results. Without planning you may end up with an archive that is not fit for its intended purpose. We ve listed below some of the basic elements that you should consider as part of any large scanning project. By reviewing each step and having an answer to the questions posed you ll have created a basic plan for a successful scanning project. Step 1 : Presorting Not everything in your archive is of value. Rather than scan every item, you may choose to pre sort the archive, selecting the important documents and discarding the rest. Presorting can be a difficult and time consuming job that requires knowledge about what is and isn t important so a skilled person from your organisation is required to do presorting. Step 2: Document Transport, Security and Retrieval If you ve got multiple sites or offsite storage you should consider how you ll securely transport your documents. Once you ve got archiving boxes on the go you ll also need to know where they are at any point in time because occasionally you ll need to retrieve a document that s queued in the archive scanning project. Clockwork provides courier services to and from businesses to ensure a complete chain of custody. This makes transport safer and retrieving the documents much easier. Step 3: Disassembly Instructions Your archive will contain loose sheets of paper, but will almost always contain bound items, booklets and folders. Sometimes entire ring binders and even books with spines can be lurking in your archive boxes. You need to know upfront how to deal with each item. For example if scanning a book, you can choose either to guillotine the spine & scan each loose page, or scan the book page by page. The decision has implications for the cost and timeframe of your project. Step 4: Scanning Technology Requirements Different items in the archive require differing technologies to scan them. For a basic project you ll need options for small format scanning including A4 and A3 sizes. Anything larger than SRA3 will need a large format colour scanner. Irregular items or items with high relief may require a photographic service. Finally you may also require specialist services for scanning photographic negatives, microfiche, magnetic tape and other obsolete physical & digital archiving technologies. This becomes especially important when your archive is old. Step 5: Quality Considerations Depending on the reasons behind digitising your archive for you may opt for different levels of image quality. For example if your archive is for legal purposes you may need to scan at the highest quality level that preserves all information, including colour, borders or notes such as PostIt Notes TM. Alternatively if your archive is for information only you may opt for a lower level of quality, for example black and white scanning that ignores information in the margins or handwritten notes. This choice should be made considering your own needs right now and the future needs of anyone who will use the archive.

5 Step 6: Error Checking & Recording In a large archive scanning job you can t make the assumption that every single page will be scanned correctly first time so checking for errors and loss of information is one of the most critical processes in a successful project. It takes special skill and a natural attention to detail to make sure no meaningful information is lost. You will need to determine how much time you wish to spend checking scans. Is missing the occasional few pages from your archive acceptable or is it imperative you scan every single page? Note that archive scanning is a human process, so if you want 100% accuracy you will need to pay for it. Even then exceptions do occur. Coordinating and recording what has already been scanned must occur, to prevent duplications in the archive scan database so look for a system that has failsafe mechanisms to ensure scanning takes place. Step 7: File Processing Instructions Once you ve got the scan data you need to know how to process it. The basic processing rules for archive scanning will require you to: Choose a file format Choose a file naming convention Opt to rotate landscape images, or keep everything in portrait Insert bookmarks Parse information through an OCR engine for search capability Add metadata There are many more settings to consider before you start, but this detail forms part of deeper planning process. Step 8: Exceptions It s rare for an archive scanning project to be just neat bundles of loose A4 sheets. Archive boxes commonly contain older electronic formats like Zip discs, USB storage and CDs and you ll need to provide the operator instructions on how to handle these. Some boxes can include damaged materials, imprinted materials or faded blueprints. You ll need to know what to do with these items when it comes time to scan them. If you don t have a plan for exceptions it s a guarantee that your scanning project will grind to a halt almost immediately! Step 9: Reassembly The scanning process will strip every document to its components so that it can fit through a scanning device. You ll need to provide instructions on whether you want the document reassembled. Choosing not to reassemble can save considerably time and cost during the project. You can choose to reassemble as per the original or stack neatly without reassembly. Step 10: Upload and Storage Methods Archive scanning generates significant volumes data. You ll need to know where this data should be stored, how it should get there and what sort of redundancy is required. Clockwork can help with the process of uploading to a site like Aconex, Documentum, EMC or integrate with your custom document management system on request.

6 Step 11: Treatment of the Originals Once your documents have gone through the entire process you ll need to decide what to do with the originals. You can opt for secure destruction of all or part of the documentation. Alternatively you may choose to retain the physical documents, stored in a method that saves the maximum amount of space. Of course the more thorough the scanning process the less likely it is you ll need to retain these documents. Hint: Clockwork already has a step by step design program for ensuring every question is answered upfront which you may wish to take advantage of.

7 3. Resourcing an Archive Scanning Project You ve got management buy in and a rough plan of attack. You now need to determine a budget and the best way to resource the project. The three most common ways of staffing an archive scanning project are: Option 1: Contract a scanning service The easiest, fastest and best value for money method is to contract a scanning service. Contracting a scanning service: Requires no project management resources Offers the most experienced operators for fastest project execution Provides industrial rated scanning equipment and includes specialty services such as microfiche scanning and photography, fragile document scanning and document repair. Facilitates continuous processing for fastest execution Offers documented processes for Quality Assurance Presents advanced processing options for you to consider Allows integration with MIS or doc management systems on request. This method is recommended if there is no management experience in the project, if the archive is large, complex or old or if the desire to do the work within the organisation is low. Contracting a service means you don t have to worry about human resources, training and QA processes and the smooth and continual operation of the project will require minimum input from you. Typically most medium to large businesses who don t have dedicated document management teams will choose this option. Option 2: Recruiting employees experienced with archive scanning or using existing document management employees Depending on the size of your project and the strength of your management team, you may have capacity within your organisation to run an archive scanning project. Building your own scanning team: Requires project management resources to design, plan, execute and maintain essential project functions. Allows you to recruit experienced operators sourced by your HR department Requires dedicated office space May require an increase in budget to purchase or rent specialist scanners. Note that you still may need to outsource particular documents that are too large or difficult to scan May have an impact on the day to day workload of your document control team Presents advanced processing options for you to consider Allows direct integration with MIS or doc management system.

8 This option is generally considered by large corporations with dedicated document control teams and requires backing from HR and both internal training and also external training from scanning equipment providers. Scanning work is labourious and it can be difficult to retain staff who are dedicated scanner / checkers who also have a high rate of accuracy. Document management staff also cost a company considerably more per hour so it s important that the overall cost of the project be managed. Option 3: Using temping staff and renting or buying a dedicated scanning machine For small projects of low importance temping staff are sometimes hired from the local temping agency. This is the most hands on approach and typically the slowest as temp staff usually don t have the speed or accuracy associated with trained document controllers or reprographic staff. Choosing this method means: Hands on management is required to make all project decisions as temp staff will not have the authority or inclination to make critical judgements Your operator will have little or no experience There is no recourse with the temp staff once the job is complete so if quality becomes a consideration after the scan there is little you can do about it. You ll need office space Basic scanning equipment required, but you may still need to outsource the exceptions. Batch Processing that is slowed down by exceptions Low Capacity equates to long project length Time based charges means there is no incentive to finish the project on time. This method is suggested for small projects where scan quality and QA is not as important. For larger projects resourcing this way is not the best value for money. Hint: Management is the critical component of a successful archive scanning project. If experienced management resource is lacking from your project either delay the project until you have the appropriate management resource or contract a scanning service.

9 4. Procurement Quotes or Tendering For the purposes of this whitepaper we ll assume that you re resourcing this project by contracting a scanning service. Procuring a quote for an archive scanning job is always challenging because of the many variables involved. It s common for large scanning jobs to go out to tender. There are a number of companies in the marketplace who can quote. Below is a list of procurement tips for you to follow: Tip 1 : Have enough information on hand We commonly get clients asking for a fixed price per box without knowing how many documents they have and what state the documents are in. You ll find many companies will just refuse to quote if you can t give them at least an indication of what you have. Be prepared to invest some time so that you can provide counts for an average archive box including the number of A4, A3 or larger than A3 documents. Alternatively commission a survey of the documents so that you know what you re dealing with. Tip 2: Look for value not lowest price Most procurement services already focus on value but this is especially important when it comes to scanning services. Archive scanning projects are labour intensive and require constant management, so a very low scanning quote either means lax management on behalf of the supplier or that the supplier plans to externalise the burden of managing the project onto you. Tip 3 : Know what s not included in the price Unfortunately many clients are not aware of what isn t included in their archive scan quote. To ensure you don t get a nasty surprise once you begin the project make sure you ask what s not included in the price. Less reputable companies will quote impossibly low prices to win your business and lock you into the project. Once the project starts you can suddenly find that things as basic as disassembling and reassembling originals aren t included in the price. Tip 4 : Find a specialist Anyone with a scanner and a sales pitch can sell you an archive scanning project. Your best bet is to find a specialist who can manage the project and provide you a useable archive. Look for someone with experience and references who can provide case studies. No supplier can provide a reliable quote without requesting at least some basic information so be wary of salespeople who fire a price at you off the top of their head. Finally, if a supplier is not prepared to visit you and at least take a look at your archive on site, strike them off your list of potentials. Hint: If you don t have the time you can always commission Clockwork to accurately survey your document archive.

10 5. Clockwork s Approach Clockwork has a systemised scanning process designed to minimize the t time taken, maximize the quality of your scanss and ultimately provide you the most value for your y scanning dollar. The process is designed to be reliable so thatt you know what you ll be getting upfront and what s included in the price. The Clockwork Process includes: : An interview with both the t person who is commissioning thee project andd the end user to uncover what needs to be done A thorough questionnaire to uncover all the basic requirements A site visit and document inspectionn A project plan Customisation of the project to suit your particular needs A scanning trial to provide a refined quote and timeframe Clockwork has proven its archive scanning credentials on a number of o large projects including those below: Verve Energy Scanning Project Muja Power Station Library Scan 2011 In 2011 Clockwork scanned the entire libraryy of documents for Vervee Energy ss Muja Power Station located in Collie Western Australia. This archive included books, manuals, documentation handwritten, typed and word processed documents, transparencies,, blueprints, CDs and discs. Documents dated back from 1963 to currentt date. Challenges for this project included i organisation of transport from Collie to o Perth and back again. RCR Tomlinson Engineering Plan Scanning Project RCR Tomlinson Engineering amassed 15 years worth of printed plans in their engineering Department in Welshpool for various engineering projects. The storage site wass actually a workshop and plans weree at risk of being damaged. RCR contracted Clockwork to scan a minimumm number off plans each month for an agreed value. The projectt continues on a month to t month basis, allowing RCR to accurately budget the costt of their project as a service. Arccon Build and Construct Plans and Specifications Building Archive Arccon contracted c Clockwork to scan their entire building archive. Arccon had no fixed f deadline for this project, so thee plans were scanned at a slower rate than normal forr a reduced price. The archive included blueprints, plans and specifications for all completed construction projects over the entire history of Arccon s construction. Specific benefits of the scan when capacity is available approach saved Arccon thousands of dollarss compared to on demandd scanning.