Are you aware that you are carrying out document management in your day-to-day activities?

We all perform, to a greater or lesser extent, document management tasks when working with documents in our daily activities. The simple act of creating a document and deciding whether to save or delete it are document management activities. The minimum document management is already imposed on us by the computer systems we use: we have to give each document a name and we have to save it, but how far should we go with document management? 

Document management is the set of rules, techniques, and practices used to manage the flow of documents in an organisation. It includes management of access, preservation, and destruction of documents. The document is the main unit of document management (a document serves as evidence that an act has occurred). By managing documents appropriately, information retrieval is made easier. 

The main objective of document management is for all personnel in an organisation to be able to find any document with a simple search

Have you ever been unable to find a document or taken too long to find it? 

An affirmative answer to this question is a clear indicator of inefficient document management. In organisations, this action has become a necessity. 

The main objective of document management is for all personnel in an organisation to be able to find any document with a simple search, without having to know the logic used for its storage. Document management must be done thinking about the future and the entire organisation, not just the content producers or their regular consumers. We must be aware that when information is organised efficiently, communication is improved. 

In some organisations, primarily in the public sector, there is still a challenge to complete the transition from paper document management to electronic document management. This is a key factor in the organisation's digital transformation process. In a public administration, in addition to electronic document management, there is a need for electronic file management and interoperability between public administrations (ENI). 

Document management is the set of rules, techniques, and practices used to manage the flow of documents in an organisation

Achieving the implementation of electronic archive management is a challenge that cannot be achieved without the help of experts in the field. Managing the classification table, with its document series, and applying conservation schedules is simpler with the use and configuration of a document management product. 

Document management system

In order to achieve an adequate document management, it is necessary to move from theory to practice: 

Theory

Document management policy is the set of rules, techniques, and practices used to manage the flow of documents in an organisation. It includes managing access, preservation, and destruction of documents, and enables document management to facilitate information retrieval. 

According to the definition provided by the R.D. 4/2010 ENI, an electronic document management policy establishes "guidelines or directives that define an organisation for the creation and management of authentic, reliable, and available documents over time, according to its functions and activities". 

Practice

Materialising the theory in use cases, it is necessary to follow a series of guidelines: 

• Define the life cycle of documents within the organisation. 
• Define the procedures and processes for scanning paper documents. 
• Define access policies. 
• Define preservation policies. 
• Implement document management policies. 
• Publicise document management policies. 

Izertis has many years of experience in document management projects and implementing document management products. They have a team of qualified professionals experienced in various projects in all areas of public administration (administrative, judicial, and healthcare) and the private sector. 

In summary, an organisation is more effective when its document management is well structured. A document that cannot be found cannot add value to the organisation. Documents must be kept as long as they add value and be eliminated when they no longer have any value for the company because they only will create confusion. Thanks to efficient document management, information will always be available to those who need it at the right time. Do you need help implementing this change in your organisation?