Information management is much more than archiving!
Document management is a term used to designate a methodology. Ideally, this management methodology should be simple, short, duplicable, and adoptable to be respected by all employees of the same company. It ensures efficient and uniform administration of incoming and outgoing information. The term “information management” is more appropriate since it encompasses all types of information, including documentation, but “document management” is the most common in the industry.
Organizations of all sizes, no matter their sector, must create, manage, share, accumulate, archive, and destroy thousands of documents and information every year. The larger the institution, the more complex the document management challenge usually is. For a construction and infrastructure manager, this task can become challenging as information is sometimes processed on a job site, sometimes in the office, and most of the time from cell phones, tablets, and computers.
For legal matters, to follow up on a project or respond to a client’s request, it is necessary to have quick access to information across all departments of the same organization (on the construction site and in the offices).
Tons of Uniques Solutions
There is no universal recipe, and each company and industry has its constraints, challenges, procedures, and internal cultures. To better understand your reality, CREO Solutions’ creative team will evaluate your specific needs. Then, they will accompany you in developing your unique procedure and advise you on the choice of technological tools.
Implementing new methodologies within your teams is a complex and painstaking task, but one that offers positive long-term results. To simplify our approach, we developed a digital document management solution in three key steps.
3 Key Steps
STEP 1
We start by analyzing your system and the methods in place. This audit allows us to create a map of all your usual procedure steps. Then, our experts evaluate with you the time, added value, and extra expenses generated by each action in terms of resources and efficiency.
STEP 2
Our team develops a new procedure adapted to your reality and needs and that of your employees. The integration is planned gradually to promote the adoption of this approach throughout all levels of your company. Implementing a simple, effective, and practical management method is carried out in parallel with each department.
STEP 3
If needed, our consultants can advise you on the choice of technological tools, the optimization of your existing platforms, or the complete overhaul of your infrastructure in support of the new procedure implementation.
Be careful! An information management software can be powerful and have superhuman capabilities, but without a thoughtful and integrated work process, it is a worthless system. Be sure to use a team of experts to establish a protocol tailored to the reality of your organization and your employees.
Why does the use of a document management tool and software require personalized support?
Time and space savings
Consider the space occupied by paper files accumulated in your office filing cabinets or your warehouse. Think about the time it takes to do the inventory manually. Consider the risks of alteration due to predictable or unpredictable elements of the environment (water, fire, light, weather, etc.). Digitizing information will save you money in every way.
Support and digital tools
The use of software can be part of a digital document management solution if an integral methodology is also adopted. The situation becomes more complex if each employee operates under their own classification structure or if no such structure exists. Your team can spend valuable time searching for information that has been deleted, not properly filed, or not shared. The space occupied by outdated files and the destruction of personal data after a prescribed time are also elements to consider.
Calling on the expertise of an information management team can help you avoid many headaches: multiple classification structures, lack of standards in the nomenclature, files not saved or deleted by mistake, accumulation of duplicates, previous versions mixed with updated versions, poor security, lack of confidentiality, and non-compliance with your legal obligations.
In collaboration with Aurélie Sottiau and Marilou Nadon, information management specialists.