A guide to Electronic Document Management Systems

Words by Jithesh Panthalil, Thursday 20 September 2018

In this blog, BSBG QA/QS Manager Jithesh Panthalil provides a guide to Electronic Document Management Systems; an integral component of greener operations for any business, regardless of sector.

Going green is not only a popular trend, but it’s a necessity for the modern world. Businesses everywhere are taking steps to lower their impact on the environment, and within the construction industry it is no different. However, like many other sectors, construction has received criticism in certain quarters for not being green enough in its standard working practices. A key aspect to reducing the carbon footprint of a construction company is to work on reducing the huge amounts of paper documentation, but knowing how to make the transition from paper to digital documents can be difficult. A great place to begin is with the implementation of a well-designed Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). In the case of BSBG, we use a number of different documentation systems, dependent upon the client and project requirements. We also have our own standard EDMS when no alternative is specified by the client for a particular project - but more on that later.

An ‘Electronic Document Management System’ refers to software that allows you to store and keep track of electronic documents. However, it is more than just a file manager. Most document management systems allow users to modify and manage systems, and typically incorporate many physical filing procedures, such as storage location, security and access control, and version control.

A solid Electronic Document Management System helps organisations to make certain that security of the document is not compromised and can ensure compliance with legal regulations. With an EDMS, you can restrict user access, thereby controlling who has access to which documents, irrespective of their location.

Electronic Document Management Systems can be useful for every department within a construction company. The accounts office can better track revenue and expenses, with the ability to pair order forms with invoices from suppliers and store receipts, while project managers can share updated blueprints instantly with on-site supervisors. According to a recent study, a design engineering and project management company was able to reduce its manual data entry by 85 percent and save up to 50 staff days per year by eliminating its paper-based systems.

The goal of an Electronic Document Management System is to enable information sharing, whilst keeping documents secure, accessible, retrievable and interchangeable. Highlighted below are some of the benefits of using an Electronic Document Management System:

Reduced storage space

Paper is expensive, and so is the cost of storage. A software-based document management system reduces the need for filing cabinets, boxes, and storage space. This can result in a potential net reduction in costs.

Enhance security

With an Electronic Document Management System in place, organisations don’t have to worry about security being compromised or important data getting lost. Additionally, making backups of electronic data is simpler than making photocopies of physical files.

Easier retrieval

An Electronic Document Management System allows users to search for documents by name, keyword, content or any other variable used to file and track an individual file. An employee with a computer can locate a document in seconds, making the process both quick and efficient.

Better collaboration

Information sharing and collaboration can be a lot easier too. Documents captured from different sources can be accessed from multiple locations. Electronic imaging makes sharing documents over a network via email or the internet possible. Electronic Document Management Systems provide greater visibility to business processes and can allow for better workflow monitoring. Authorised access by external users can be allowed and monitored, while Version Control allows for older versions of the same document to be recovered if needed. This feature is important if several parties work on the same document and there are changes made that were not authorised or intended.

Better backup and disaster recovery

Any document management solution should include a data backup and disaster recovery plan. With digital archiving as a backup, paper documents are protected from fire and flood and other disasters. With an EDMS, documents are easily traceable and can be tracked within a range of criteria. Also, because imaged documents are centrally stored they cannot be lost or misplaced after viewing. Documents are less likely to be misfiled, and if they are, it’s easier to locate them with cross-indexing. Documents can be digitised and archived at their point of entry onto the system.

Workflow

There are two basic tasks in Electronic Document Management Systems from a user perspective: adding and retrieving documents. Adding documents involves first creating an electronic version of the document to be uploaded. In some cases the document may already exist on the user’s computer. When paper documents need to be entered onto an EDMS, they must first be scanned to create electronic copies.

Once the document is created the user goes online and uploads the document. There are usually data fields which must be filled in by the user. The completed data fields provide the metadata, or indexing tags, that are associated with the specific document, facilitating simplified retrieval. At the time of upload, the user also assigns which user groups have what kind of access (eg: rights to view the document, rights to add a new version, etc.). At this stage, naming the document correctly by using the correct naming convention is critical, so the document is easy to retrieve after it is uploaded.

The user begins the retrieval process by logging into the EDMS and either searching by entering information in the appropriate property criteria and executing the search, or browsing through the repository. If the user has the right to view the document or its properties, the document will appear in the search results or during browsing.

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