Document Veteran Offers Reasons for Improved Data & Information Management

Roger Poole, vice president at Barclays Capital, said on AIIM's website that he has been a long-time proponent of record and document management.

Poole said one of the reasons he advocates for records management technology is because it allows companies to reduce the amount of lost files and data, which thereby improves overall operational efficiency. He said document management also helps businesses reduce costs, improve existing practices, obtain consistency and enhance their ability to measure performance.

Companies thinking about implementing an electron

ic document management system may benefit from following a few of Poole's suggestions, such as:

♦ Senior management sponsorship is essential for the program's success.

♦ The more effort put in, the better the program will work for the company.

♦ Regular interaction is necessary to help keep the document management program running as smoothly as possible.

♦ With everything in place, a company can see its liability lowered.

The University of Washington's office of Records Management said the basic objective of record and document management is to be able to quickly and economically access files regardless of what format they are in. The college said a good program will allow people to have quick access to information.

"Files management is integral to records management," the university said. "Records Management is the application of systematic control to recorded information. It is a logical and practical approach to the creation, maintenance, use and disposition of records and, therefore, to the information that those records contain. Files management applies records management principles to both paper and electronic records created and used by a single office. Files management ensures the use of information. It ensures that records are able to be retrieved when needed."

A well-designed system can enable an office to run much smoother and make things less tedious while working. The University of Washington said there should be high productivity and lowered costs with the right system due to less frequent purchase of supplies, less time spent on filing, less costly recovery of lost files and less likelihood of litigation. Companies looking for these benefits should research an electronic document management program to see what benefit it can bring to their business.