"Thinking well is wise; planning well, wiser''
- Persian Proverb
Companies of every type and from every industry are investing in document management systems. These systems streamline the collaboration, version control, routing and approval of sensitive documentation and are invaluable when it comes to saving significant amounts of revenue that otherwise would have been spent on otherwise necessary man-hours and administration costs.
Document management systems have literally changed the way companies from around the world work, but many companies still don't realize what they're missing. Document management systems can't afford to 'be an island' in a digital world. They have to connect with other systems including ERP, PDM and Analytics systems. This may seem complicated to companies that have purchased various systems from various providers but the best providers should now be providing the tools necessary for integration.
Document Management Systems and Analytics
Analytics are the path to a better business future. Like the Persian proverb states above planning is wiser than simply moving ahead without analysis. Analytics functionalities allow companies to analyze and plan more carefully. Analytics can greatly reduce product errors or marketing mishaps and when produced in real-time can do so more quickly.
Analytics to Look For in Document Management Systems
Document management systems should provide integrated analytics functionality so that companies don't have to use two disparate systems. The functionality should include the following:
- Standard Reports
' Should provide a large variety of standard reports that can be customized (or used in their standard form) and used to display real-time data; - Create-it-Once
- once a user has created a template for a report then he or she should never have to do it again. Data-entry and report creation should be automatic;
- Automatic Delivery
' once a user has specified who a specific report should be delivered to (and how often) that report will be delivered automatically;
- Customization
' the document management systems in question should allow for the customization of any report;
- Non-technical Users
' should be easy-to-learn for non-technical users;
- Web-based
' Should provide web-based reporting and graphing capabilities;
- Data Aggregation
' Should be able to aggregate data in terms of COUNT, SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, etc.
- Drill-Down
' should provide drill-down features on all report types;
- Trending
' should provide trending features for all report types;
- Parent to Child
' should provide the capability to connect parent and child reports or datasets;
- Dashboard Capabilities
- should provide dashboard capabilities for consolidating multiple trend charts onto a single page
Document Management Systems, Training and Analytics
The same companies that rely on document management systems very often are also required to manage training processes within their work environment. For these companies, document management systems that provide training capabilities in addition to analytics features are the ideal solution.
Training Management Features to Look For
For companies that want a document management system with training management capabilities, they should search for a solution that can automatically deliver training tasks or a series of training units to specified employees when a document has been revised and requires training. The system should also automate training follow-ups and escalations and should automate the delivery of online training exams and the grading of those exams. The analytics capabilities mentioned above for documentation should also apply to training data.
Conclusion
Document management systems without analytics capabilities aren't providing the benefits that many companies could actively pursue with analytics and training management capabilities.
Marci Crane is the Lifeline Publications Editor at
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About the Author:
Marci Crane is the Lifeline Publications Editor at MasterControl, Inc. in Salt Lake City, UT. For more information regarding document management systems that integrate with training management and analytics capabilities, please feel free to contact a MasterControl representative.
Author: Marci Lynn Crane
Date January 11th, 2010
Filed in Computers