Electronic Document Management System Specification Checklist

Transcription

1 Electronic Document Management System Specification Checklist Your existing computer systems, number of users, applications and processes greatly influence the selection of a suitable electronic document management (EDM) system. We ve created this checklist to help you look under all the right rocks when assessing your records management needs, allowing you to determine which features are required and which features are optional for your company s EDM. Current Work Station Operating System Computer/operating system you use: Windows 8 Windows 7 o 32 bit o 64 bit Mac ios Android Preferred IT Architecture Which IT architecture does your company already have or do you prefer? Existing SQL database Existing Oracle database Distributed processing Local storage Cloud storage Software as a Service (SaaS) Preferred Licensing Model Software systems offer many different licensing models. Selecting the right licensing model can save your company thousands or maybe even millions of dollars. The mix of document storage requirements, number of users accessing those records, number of workstations that will be authorized to access the documents and other factors can influence which licensing model offers the best value for your organization. How many of each do you expect? Users Concurrent users Sites

2 Documents or images Gigabytes of storage Existing Hardware and Software Systems to Integrate Existing hardware and software systems will need to integrate and communicate with your document management system. Identify software and hardware currently in use. This could include Microsoft Office, applications, any line of business software or ERP software such as SAP Great Plains. o Microsoft Office Suite o Exchange server o Mobile devices o ERP or line-of-business software (Which one? ) o Multifunction copier/scanner (Qty? ) o Desktop scanners (Qty and models? ) o Central imaging lab Support and Training Resources Selecting the right support and training resources, and the availability of those resources, is important to the success of your implementation. Training large numbers of users in remote locations could favor the need for YouTube videos and webinar training over in-person training or just hard copy manuals. Which forms of support do you prefer? o Phone o o Live chat o FAQs o Manuals o Video o Webinar o In-person training Features Document Input or Capture Methods Evaluate the different sources, capture and input methods for records you will be managing in your electronic document management system. The source, format and hardware used to input these documents are important factors when selecting a new EDM. Where do your documents come from? o Fax o o Multifunction copier/scanner o Desktop scanner

3 o ISIS o TWAIN o Productivity software o Printer driver o App extensions Which formats? o PDF o Office Word, Excel o TIFF o JPEG o CAD o COLD o MP3 o MPEG o Others Security/Auditability Understanding the security requirements for your organization is an important factor when selecting an EDM. The level of security and granularity required in managing the security permissions for your documents and your users is the distinguishing characteristic of many EDM systems. This understanding is crucial to selecting the correct EDM. Additionally, auditability can drive EDM purchases. Are your documents subject to audits by outside agencies? Do you require audit trails to know who has seen what, when and for what reason? Which of the following do you need? o Same document multi-user access o Multiple security levels o Department-level security o Version controls o Retention scheduling o Retention locks o Audit trails o Workflow history o Document grants Document Imaging

4 In this section we ask you to outline your requirements for any documents that are being scanned from hard copy to electronic records for entry into the EDM. Here we ll consider your need for PDF conversion, full text OCR, bar code reading technologies and/or higher levels of quality control functions that are managed inside your EDM. Some EDM systems manage only documents that are manually entered, while others have full suites of imaging functionality that cover indexing accuracy, quality control of the digital images and more. Select everything you need: o PDF conversion o Full-text OCR o Nuance o Open-text o Zonal OCR o Bar code decoding technology o QC functions o Data entry statistical checks o Management of redundant keying o Software QC Deskew Despeckle Text orientation Productivity Do you need your document management system to be a driver of productivity, or just a basic repository for the management of your documents, their retention and their disposition? In the productivity section we will determine if you need document templates to be managed, workflow management, online forms, high levels of customized searchability or more. o Document templates o Workflow o Forms management o Web forms o Web access to records o Metadata search o Boolean search o XML import/export Storage Here, you are asked to evaluate your document storage requirements and preferences for the documents to be stored in their native format. For example, do you prefer that Excel spreadsheets be saved as Excel documents, or will all documents be converted to a neutral or semi-neutral format such as PDF or TIFF? Do you require automated backup and restore capability for your document management system? Do you have lots of IT resources, thereby

5 making local storage inexpensive, or do you require cloud storage? Do you need only a document repository, or are you interested in being able to move documents from the EDM s active management to inexpensive offline storage? o Store documents in native format o Backup/restore o Cloud storage o Local storage o Document repository o Cold/inactive/offline storage Data Validation In order to create the most accurate document database possible, we need to validate our work. For example, are there primary source databases that can be used to aid in indexing your documents or verifying indexes when scanning vendor files, or does your accounting system have a list of all your approved vendors that can be used to correct or validate vendor names that are entered for all vendor payments and invoices? What is the source of these tables? Is it your ERP, your accounting software, your HR management software or something else? Do you have a list of all the invoices your company has created: the amounts, dates, customer names, part numbers, etc.? This type of information can be used with the appropriate electronic document management system to update indexing data on scanned invoices. Are dynamic indexes required for your company? In HR databases, we often find that people s names change due to divorce, remarriage, etc. Do you need these indexes to automatically update in your electronic document management system based on information in your employee management software or payroll software? o Primary source tables? o ERP o Accounting software o Other o None o Dynamic indexes required This EDM checklist is a high-level checklist that we use when asked by customers to help them evaluate what type of electronic document management software they should consider for their company. We are often hired to evaluate the records management policy and needs of the company in order to assist them in selecting the correct EDM. Regardless of vendor selection, these questions are important to ask within your organization before approaching electronic document management software vendors and service providers. If you have any questions, give us a call at or drop us an at [email protected].