Automation of document circulation at the enterprise. Document Management and Document Management Program

Automation of document circulation is a measure to which almost all modern enterprises resort. Even small companies work with a mass of various documents, including letters, budgets, invoices, contracts and all sorts of requirements. It is for this reason that practically every modern organization tries to use such a measure as the automation of document circulation, which ensures the completeness and safety of data, the convenience of searching and storing various information, as well as the maximum optimization of the time necessary for its harmonization.

Why is this necessary?

Practically in any company, employees spend a lot of time finding the information they need, and the statistics speak eloquently that it takes about half the time to do this. It also happens that you have to recreate anew instead of re-applying some documents that exist "somewhere." Quite standard is the situation in which the source text of any contract is with a lawyer in the computer, and accounting entries for securities accompanying the execution of contracts are performed in the accounting system, accounts and certificates are kept in the financial department in paper form, and correspondence concerning contractual Works is in the mailboxes of employees. Such a "sprawl" of information is extremely harmful to security, integrity and consistency, it is in such situations that automation of workflow becomes urgent.

Due to the introduction of specialized information systems, most of the problems are solved. For example, some budgeting systems provide the opportunity to create a system of interrelated budgets with the subsequent creation and storage of different versions of such documents, as well as indicating their statuses. Thus, the problem of budget document circulation is partly solved by using such systems.

However, do not forget that modern budget bases, as well as accounting and ERP-systems in the majority of cases work with structured information, that is, data that can be created and stored in the form of a table. According to most experts, only 20% of the total data of any modern business of structured information is given, while the rest includes electronic correspondence, texts of documents, various protocols of negotiations and meetings, images, etc. Quite often, without conducting a study of unstructured information, there is simply no way to make a normal assessment of the context, in which a structured one already exists. Storage, collection and subsequent processing of such data is ensured by the use of such measures as the automation of workflow, or by the management systems of the company's information content.

What it is?

With the help of the electronic document management system, it is ensured that any interaction between employees of an organization is organized on the basis of the documents provided. Again, in 1C, document management provides for the creation of documents, the possibility of moving them around the organization, and also retains control over the execution of documents and processes described with their help. Thus, electronic document management provides the company with a huge number of advantages, translating its work to a virtually new level.

Each separate document in such an electronic system is distinguished by the presence of a whole set of requisites that unambiguously characterize it (it is often called such cards by cards). The card can contain a variety of information, including the type of document, the date of formation and changes, the author's name, as well as the storage location and much more. In the future, the document management system will provide for storage and retrieval of the required documentation in accordance with the requisites specified in this card.

Capabilities

Electronic document management provides organizations not only a lot of advantages, but also opens up a lot of new opportunities, which is also important.

Centralized management

Regardless of how large a particular enterprise is, the document management system allows you to quickly change the forms of documents that are circulating on it. For example, to change the form of an application for any expenses on different responsibility centers, it is enough to make certain corrections to the template of the application that is already stored in the system. After that, employees who fill out such applications will no longer be able to use the documentation of the obsolete form, since the application is completed and transmitted through this system.

Support of the documentation life cycle

Each document that will be surrendered and processed at any enterprise, necessarily passes several established stages. For example, if it is a corporate budget, it must first be drafted, and then approved and implemented at a certain time. After that, various actual and planned indicators of this budget are carefully analyzed and sent to the archive. In 1C, the document circulation provides for tight control over the life cycle of the documentation, taking into account the basic requirements of the corporate environment, as well as the various legal norms and industry standards of the company's business.

Teamwork

The electronic document management system provides much easier organization of team work on documents, and it can involve specialists who are in different offices or even in different cities.

The system stores a sufficiently large number of versions of one document, and in addition to direct editing, they allow you to annotate the data, that is, add certain comments and notes to them without affecting the basic information that it should convey.

Confidentiality

A rather important feature of such systems is that in the same 1C the document circulation can be signed through a special electronic signature with subsequent encryption. Thanks to this, if necessary, you can not only confirm the authenticity of this or that information, but also uniquely determine the author, as well as to achieve the maximum effective security of storing various data.

Routing

If the electronic document management system is not available, then in that case the employee who participates in the creation of certain securities must necessarily understand who is best placed to transfer these papers. Electronic document management at the enterprise allows you to automatically transfer data to the right person.

Routing itself is free and hard. Free allows for the possibility of sending documents to absolutely any addressee, depending on the need, while the hard one provides for the most precise regulation, but in special cases, the action of documents installed in the system of traffic rules may be slightly suspended (for example, if you need to send the draft documents for a review To some outside specialist).

Access control

There are several options for how to differentiate the powers of various employees of the company in terms of document management. Thus, modern workflow automation tools allow you to give a person complete control over the data, limit the ability to edit, or even allow only to view or annotate some files. This greatly simplifies the work with various data, and importantly, it becomes much more secure.

Integration

To ensure maximum integrity of information that is circulated within a certain company, electronic document management at the enterprise provides integration of the established system with other - financial, production, analytical, etc. Due to such integration possibilities, modern document management systems are often used as a kind of a link between several types of software.

Documents from all systems logically connected with this information are usually called context. It can include the contents of paper or electronic correspondence, faxes, payment documents, minutes of events, video or audio recordings and many other information. Context to the document can be added manually or completely automate this process depending on the preferences and needs of the manual.

For example, the modern system of document management automation in the process of forming and subsequent changes in budgets allows using a number of other contextual information:

• All kinds of marketing research of the market, including not only own, but also those that were obtained from external sources;
• Various contracts with counterparties (buyers or suppliers);
• Special normative and reference documentation;
• Additional documentation that reflects any limitations or assumptions (for example, inflation, exchange rates and other data);
• Minutes of meetings held to discuss any versions of the budget, as well as including all kinds of working comments and comments from participants in the process (often such documents are sent between all employees via e-mail and stored separately from files with budget information).

The user who works with the budget, at any time, if necessary, can look through any of the above documents, as modern technologies of workflow automation allow him to do this without any lengthy searches.

What systems do we use?

One of the most common software solutions that can be found in Russian companies is the combination of Microsoft Outlook utilities together with Microsoft Exchange Server. The first application is basically installed on almost every computer, while Exchange Server is often used to be used as a full-fledged e-mail server. Despite the fact that in companies where the implementation of electronic document circulation has been carried out for a relatively long time, such programs are used only as a platform for working with e-mail, after some centralized settings, even this software can be used as a fairly functional means of automating workflow for virtually any organization .

At the moment, the Russian market is filled with dozens of different systems, through which automation of document management is provided, and such support is offered not only by Western but also by domestic developers. Even Microsoft, in addition to the above programs, offers more tools such as Content Management Server or SharePoint Portal Server.

The most powerful among all existing systems is considered to be Documentum, but basically only large companies use such an automation process. The document circulation of some companies is automated due to the software package Lotus Notes, but many call it a kind of "designer for programmers", since it is quite difficult to create a full-fledged system on its basis.

What are the differences between Russian and Western systems?

If we talk about the main differences between domestic and foreign utilities, they consist in the available scalability. For example, if the systems from Western developers can function in virtually any operating system, the domestic ones are mainly developed for only one of them, and naturally, that often is Windows. Western systems are configured to use any DBMS. Such limitations of Russian systems can greatly complicate the possibility of building cross-platform integrated solutions.

Regarding functionality, the main difference lies in the fact that in the West automation of document production and workflow is carried out by several programs that can be produced under a single brand, but at the same time it is intended for different purposes. For example, Documentum offers several separate products that are used for full automation, as well as integration with ERP-systems, support for design and workflow, etc. The majority of software developed in Russia is aimed at solving a specific problem.

It is also worth noting that the principal difference lies in the approach of both sides to what the workflow automation system is. Western systems are aimed at ensuring full automation and subsequent support of various end-to-end business processes occurring within the organization, while the majority of domestic programs automate only certain functions.

The cost of Western systems ranges approximately from $ 400 to $ 1,000 for each workplace, not including the costs of implementation, programs and equipment that are required in order to ensure a normal electronic workflow. Implementation itself often costs about half of the usual cost of licenses, since more often programs for automation of workflow are implemented with different shares, but in some situations the price is an order of magnitude greater. One of the most difficult is always the project of financial documentation automation, because for such projects the implementation price is approximately 2-3 times higher than the cost of licenses.

Domestic programs are sold at a price of $ 200-600 for each workplace, and in addition to this, the cost of additional programs and various equipment is taken into account. In the final analysis, the calculation of comparative cost is carried out in much the same way as in Western systems.

Features

In the predominant majority of cases, the processes related to the harmonization of documents, for example, the process of initial compilation and further implementation of budgets, are priorities for automation. However, many teams now use office automation and document management, that is, with the procedures for registering outgoing and incoming documentation.

The introduction of the electronic system does not differ in principle from the implementation of any other automated systems, so it is worthwhile only to highlight the distinctive features of this project.

Creating corporate storage

The introduction of a document management automation system in any case provides for the creation of a corporate repository in which all documentation will be stored. The logical structure of such a repository, the development and further implementation of the security policy, as well as the hierarchy of document storage, requires maximum care and must be carried out at an early stage of the project.

It should be taken into account that the storage function can be deployed at the beginning of the design, therefore, at the initial stage it is possible to move all documents from the current storage locations to a single corporate storage. Due to this, users can familiarize themselves with some basic functions of the system, and parallelize with its use. To speed up the adaptation of employees to the implemented systems, it is possible through the use of service functions such as notification of changes in the documentation, the appearance of new documents, etc.

Thus, automation of workflow is required by any modern enterprise, which seeks to develop and improve its work.