End user
needs analysis
This definition shows it is not a single step activity and attention must be paid to precisely what is being made available, by whom and for whom.
Documentation Management, or Information Management if you prefer, is also viewed, but seldom admitted, as a panacea that can paper over skill gaps and high staff turnover. The tacit assumption is that if everyone has access to everything produced in the organisation, then everything the company knows is readily available to everyone. Undertaking a document management program from this position is doomed to failure.
Irrespective of what Document Management System tools are used, the fundamental ingredients for a successful implementation are:
End user
needs analysis
This includes culture, policy and procedure issues. For example, consider a legal firm — would you say it has an inherent document management culture? Yes, it does and it goes back many, many years; it even has traditions just for the colour of the ribbon tied around a folder. Does your company/department have an inherent culture of document management?
Owner
training — teaching the owners of documents the discipline of document management.
End user
training — teaching all users the art of information retrieval.
A document
Management Interface that works for Owners and Users.
A simple,
reliable Document Management System product architecture that does not impede progress when
you have to work to a very tight, cannot be changed, deadline.
Company or
Project Library that holds past and current hard and soft copies of documents. Its
attributes are: labour intensive and accessible by physical exertion.
Directory
Hierarchies with file access permissions that hold release versions of files. The
characteristics are: labour intensive by at least one administrator; requires discipline on
the part of all users; rigid application of rules; readily accessible to the authorised
user.
Configuration Management traditionally a centralised management system for material
that must have a known history of progression from version to version. These systems often
incorporate all or part of the library and directory hierarchy approaches. Its primary
advantage is that it is usually administered independently of the people who produce the
material that needs to be controlled. Its characteristics are the same as for the Directory
Hierarchy.
Lasotell's role in implementing a document management system is to ensure proper attention is paid to all these basic principles during the analysis and planning for implementing the system and to help with product evaluation. This approach enhances the likelihood of establishing a truly successful tool within the organisation.
For further information, please e-mail us or visit the Contacts page for other means of communicating with us.
Our experience in Tender Preparation can directly facilitate rapid progress from the initial idea to Installation and Set to Work of a document management suite.
Our experience in Training Specification and Design can directly facilitate optimal, efficient, training for all the relevant staff.
