How is document imaging used?
Planning the workflow
A document management workflow follows a fairly recognizable path. When planning your workflow, there are a few factors to be addressed so as to make the process run as smoothly as possible. These include:
- File format — The format you choose should be both convenient for your current needs, and sturdy enough for the future. Smooth integration with other forms and data used by your organization is another consideration.
- Security policies — Document security encompasses both accessibility — who can or can’t open it — as well as guarding against any unauthorized editing.
- Reviews, markups and approvals — If your documents go through any form of approval process, any stakeholders and users must be managed for optimal efficiency. Does your business support the use of digital signatures?
- Vertical workflows — Depending on size, you may have other departments (such as finance, legal or creative) that need to be integrated, and may have workflows of their own.
Most document management begins with the gathering of information in the form of a document. A document may be an actual physical piece of paper that is electronically captured or a form that is filled out through electronic means. The most common method of document capture is via a piece of equipment such as a document scanner. This is called a hardware capture. The second most common method is from a customer filling out an electronic form on a Web site, which is a form of software capture.
Hardware Capture
The use of hardware to capture documents is quite common, and the equipment used typically varies only in the scale at which documents need to be captured. The generic term "document scanner" refers to the wide array of document imaging devices available, from small-department flatbed scanners to larger paper-fed scanners that are capable of handling dozens or even hundreds of documents per minute. Multifunction devices that combine the roles of printer, copier, scanner and fax into one device are useful in small department settings, such as a personnel office or customer-service department, that don’t handle a large volume of documents and can most benefit from a small, relatively inexpensive document-capture solution.
Usability
One of the biggest document management concerns is that of usability. Beyond capture and storage, the documents that enter into the system are eventually going to be used by someone or at the very least indexed so that, should a need arise, the documents can be found.
As stated previously, documents enter into the system through one of two primary means — either as paper that is digitally captured through the use of hardware capture devices, or through software such as a form filled out on a Web site. Once a physical document has been captured, it is a digital document that can be stored, manipulated and managed through software.
Beyond the capture of documents through electronic means, software capture includes the process of converting the image of a document into a format that can be indexed, edited and used in electronic form.
Document Formats
Documents can be captured and stored in a variety of formats, each with their own benefits. At the most basic level, document capture involves the imaging of documents into a digital format. A software capture may simply be a graphic image file, such as a photograph of a document, which is useful at a basic level if you ever need to recall and reprint a document, but does little for an organization that needs to work with the information contained within the document.
Outside of printing, these images are relatively useless because none of the information contained within the document has been indexed. Once the information in the document is read and recognized either through optical character recognition, DMS input or user intervention, that data can then be indexed.
Indexing
Indexing is the process of converting a collection of data into a database suitable for easy search and retrieval. Automating the capture and indexing of document data is important to improving the efficiency of the process. It’s during indexing that the document tags are created that will enable the search for documents within Maxxvault. This allows you to define indexing priorities to help minimize disruption to existing document filing procedures. If your traditional document filing system includes a combination of date, time and a user identification number for the file name, you might want to index documents based upon these familiar qualities at first, to ease the transition into the new system.
Portability
Once the documents have been imaged and entered into MaxxVault, you might need to transmit them to other departments, agencies or individuals that don’t have direct access to your document management system. MaxxVault includes features that easily allow for the export of documents for transmission via fax, e-mail or other means. When transmitting documents, there are a few key points that need consideration
- Portability — It’s important that the person receiving the document be able to access and use it without any special hardware or software configuration.
- Security — When sending a sensitive document, it’s important to protect the document from tampering. MaxxVault has security features for documents that limit users’ ability to edit or modify the document content.
- Compliance — Many compliance issues are raised in the transmission of documents. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), for example, sets forth policy on who may receive personal health-related information and, depending upon which compliance your business needs to adhere to, there may be requirements for auditing who received what information and when.
MaxxVault makes it easy to store and find documents based upon a wide range of criteria. Management of the system involves determining the types of files being stored and searched for, as well as how often this operation occurs. For example, if you work for a medium-sized manufacturing firm, you might have a fair amount of documents (invoices, purchase orders, bills of material, engineering change orders and reports) that need to be searched frequently by staff. For the most part, these are documents that are changed or updated infrequently. In this situation, a document repository may be what is most warranted.
Regarding document access, there are two universal maxims in document management:
- Documents that cannot be accessed when needed cost the business money.
- Documents accessed by non-authorized personnel represent a liability and definite threat to the business.
Here, you must be concerned about security, control and compliance.