Document management has been an integral part of every company, business and organization since each business started operations. Some have been in existence for well over 100 years, while others have only come into existence recently. To protect each organization, there has to be rules regarding the filing and storage of all documentation.
For the purposes of this article, the term "business" includes businesses, organizations, companies and all other establishments needing to keep records. Every business is different in many ways. Structure, location, responsibilities, size, accountability and nature of the business being conducted are all different facets of any business and have to be taken into consideration when creating any document storage and filing system.
Regulations are created by whatever governing body the business has to answer to, whether it's in legal terms or with regards to personal privacy laws or policies. As an example of the latter, a hospital has a duty of care to ensure all patient records are kept confidential. At the same time, however, information needs to be easily accessible. Decisions may have to be made very quickly sometimes with regards to a patient's health and the decision may be a matter of life or death.
Some businesses that may have been in existence for fifty years or more could have millions of records and most of them would be paper based files. This means there would be very large storage areas full of important information that may not be easily accessible because the information is pre-computer age material. Such businesses would need to facilitate a more modern approach to a document management system in keeping with current, ever changing regulations.
Rules regarding methods for record keeping can be made by Federal, State and Local governments, hospitals, universities, schools, places of worship, defense forces, major corporations, social and sporting clubs and so the list goes on and on. Because businesses interact with each other, the most sensible approach would be to use a standardized style of document indexing system.
The document management system should offer great flexibility, be easily accessible to anyone needing information, be user-friendly and reduce the amount of space necessary to maintain permanent records. It shouldn't be a tedious time-consuming task.
Record keeping in the past has been generally alphabetical, numerical or a clumsy combination of the two. Because of new technology and ever-changing rules, an intelligent document management software is really the best choice because of its versatility. If files can be located by simply conducting a 'Google-like' search from your computer, it will be much easier to comply with all relevant rules pertaining to your specific business.
A thorough understanding of the rules and regulations of records management that govern your particular business is vital. Any business has to comply with rules set down by various controlling bodies. The only way to ensure you comply fully is to use an indexing system that will enable you to keep total control over all records and yet have them readily locatable and accessible if required at any time.
Some laws are complex and can sometimes be intentionally vague to allow for new technology developments. There can be stiff fines and even jail time applicable for serious breaches of document management retention guidelines. CEOs, managers of large businesses and other enterprises are more frequently turning to companies that specialize in storage of document management and filing systems to help them maintain the increasing amount of information that they receive.
It's also necessary to know how to dispose of records permanently and correctly once they're no longer required. If this isn't done properly, there can be serious repercussions. A certain bank discovered this the hard way when some of their old computers containing hundreds of confidential customer files went up for auction on eBay. Needless to say, there were heavy legal penalties imposed.
Businesses have different lengths of time for which records must be kept. A standard figure for most businesses is seven years. If your business operates in different states or countries, then the way you set up and maintain your document management system will be forced to comply with the rules of those states and countries.
Any system you decide to use must be able to cope with these extra complications. Technology will continue to improve and more reliance will be placed on utilizing it to replace older, more archaic systems.
Ensuring you're following the rules regarding the filing and storage of all documentation is a mandatory part of every business and using a smart document management software will enable you to have the greatest amount of flexibility to cope with this enormous job.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Get the Most Productivity Out of Each Work Day
Productivity in the workplace is a key factor in controlling labor costs and getting the most out of your company's resources. We all know that time is money and every minute wasted is hurting your bottom line.
When it comes to surfing the Internet there is no exception. Are your employees wasting valuable company time surfing non work related web sites, sending/receiving personal email, chatting to friends or family?
A Gallup poll recently showed that the average employee wastes 75 minutes a day or more doing non-work related things while on the clock. That's over $6000 per year, per employee, in productivity loss. You are paying them and the work isn't getting done. In a company of 500 employees that could add up to more than $3 million in lost productivity just from Internet misuse.
This problem can be even worse for companies with remote or unsupervised employees. According to The Society for Human Resource Management, 59% of employees lie about the number of hours they work each day. Do you know if this is going on in your company? How do you put an end this kind of behavior?
To begin to tackle such a problem will depend on your employees. Maybe all your employees are exceptional or maybe you have discovered you have some very dishonest people working for you.
Some employees just need some structure to their work day to keep them focused and on task. Others may be very goal oriented and respond well to working toward incremental milestones. Still, others may just be easily distracted and may require more drastic measures like web monitoring software that tracks their Internet usage and/or controls their access.
The key to increasing workplace productivity is taking control of how your workers use the Internet and getting rid of activity that is not related to work. Keeping track of employees performance and productivity over time will reveal valuable insight into how they work and how to get the most out of the work day.
When it comes to surfing the Internet there is no exception. Are your employees wasting valuable company time surfing non work related web sites, sending/receiving personal email, chatting to friends or family?
A Gallup poll recently showed that the average employee wastes 75 minutes a day or more doing non-work related things while on the clock. That's over $6000 per year, per employee, in productivity loss. You are paying them and the work isn't getting done. In a company of 500 employees that could add up to more than $3 million in lost productivity just from Internet misuse.
This problem can be even worse for companies with remote or unsupervised employees. According to The Society for Human Resource Management, 59% of employees lie about the number of hours they work each day. Do you know if this is going on in your company? How do you put an end this kind of behavior?
To begin to tackle such a problem will depend on your employees. Maybe all your employees are exceptional or maybe you have discovered you have some very dishonest people working for you.
Some employees just need some structure to their work day to keep them focused and on task. Others may be very goal oriented and respond well to working toward incremental milestones. Still, others may just be easily distracted and may require more drastic measures like web monitoring software that tracks their Internet usage and/or controls their access.
The key to increasing workplace productivity is taking control of how your workers use the Internet and getting rid of activity that is not related to work. Keeping track of employees performance and productivity over time will reveal valuable insight into how they work and how to get the most out of the work day.
Create an Efficiency State of Mind
"The first step to automation is admitting you have an automation problem."
When I find myself in a moment of frustration because some task is taking much longer than I anticipated I often wonder how I could be smarter about doing the task instead of just trying to push through so I can be done with the experience. You've probably heard the adage, "work smarter, not harder". You probably even believe in the concept like I do. However, it has taken me quite some time to figure out how to consistently put that saying into action. The key is to develop an "Efficiency State Of Mind". Here are some things to try:
1. If you find yourself doing the same task more than once always ask yourself and others "can this task be automated?".
2. When someone you manage asks for help with a task, look for ways to empower them to never need to ask you again.
3. To borrow my VP of Operations method, attempt to categorize tasks as 'left brain' vs. 'right brain'.
Can your tasks be automated?
The first step to automation is admitting you have an automation problem. If you do the same task over and over again (e.g. filling out forms, analyzing data, writing reports, processing transactions, etc.) ask yourself how the task might be automated. Then share your automation idea or problem with someone else for additional input and assistance. Collaboration leads to further breakthroughs for solutions which can include software products you can buy, simple programs that might be developed or possibly rearranging the order in which you do the task to eliminate steps.
Can you empower someone else to automate tasks?
It can be hard to learn that when your team asks for your help you don't actually have to perform the task yourself, even if you are faster at doing the job. Instead focus on empowering AND encouraging them to find ways of making the tasks go faster. For example, when I started my forms business I was the fastest form builder in my company. Today my team has found ways to eliminate people, manual tasks and improve the process to build forms 3 times faster than I ever could.
Is your task a left or right brain task?
The left side of your brain is the analytical and process-oriented side, while the right is creative and free-form. If a task you are doing is more left-brain oriented (logical, pattern-based, process-oriented, rules-based, etc) then it most likely can be automated! Think about it... a computer is the biggest left-brain ever invented. Computers live to take orders and repetitively perform tasks and functions. If you can replace a task with a computer program, do it. In my company our people are focused on performing the right-brain tasks and outsourcing the left brain tasks to computers or service providers. It's a simple way to become more efficient.
These three methods certainly help create the efficient state of mind, but there is one more I'll mention: clear your mind. A clear mind is free to work in the most efficient manner possible because it is not bound by predefined ways of thinking (i.e. the attitude "that's how it's always been done here"). If you can narrow your focus on the task at hand, and only think about that task, your mind will be more clear and naturally more efficient as a result.
When I find myself in a moment of frustration because some task is taking much longer than I anticipated I often wonder how I could be smarter about doing the task instead of just trying to push through so I can be done with the experience. You've probably heard the adage, "work smarter, not harder". You probably even believe in the concept like I do. However, it has taken me quite some time to figure out how to consistently put that saying into action. The key is to develop an "Efficiency State Of Mind". Here are some things to try:
1. If you find yourself doing the same task more than once always ask yourself and others "can this task be automated?".
2. When someone you manage asks for help with a task, look for ways to empower them to never need to ask you again.
3. To borrow my VP of Operations method, attempt to categorize tasks as 'left brain' vs. 'right brain'.
Can your tasks be automated?
The first step to automation is admitting you have an automation problem. If you do the same task over and over again (e.g. filling out forms, analyzing data, writing reports, processing transactions, etc.) ask yourself how the task might be automated. Then share your automation idea or problem with someone else for additional input and assistance. Collaboration leads to further breakthroughs for solutions which can include software products you can buy, simple programs that might be developed or possibly rearranging the order in which you do the task to eliminate steps.
Can you empower someone else to automate tasks?
It can be hard to learn that when your team asks for your help you don't actually have to perform the task yourself, even if you are faster at doing the job. Instead focus on empowering AND encouraging them to find ways of making the tasks go faster. For example, when I started my forms business I was the fastest form builder in my company. Today my team has found ways to eliminate people, manual tasks and improve the process to build forms 3 times faster than I ever could.
Is your task a left or right brain task?
The left side of your brain is the analytical and process-oriented side, while the right is creative and free-form. If a task you are doing is more left-brain oriented (logical, pattern-based, process-oriented, rules-based, etc) then it most likely can be automated! Think about it... a computer is the biggest left-brain ever invented. Computers live to take orders and repetitively perform tasks and functions. If you can replace a task with a computer program, do it. In my company our people are focused on performing the right-brain tasks and outsourcing the left brain tasks to computers or service providers. It's a simple way to become more efficient.
These three methods certainly help create the efficient state of mind, but there is one more I'll mention: clear your mind. A clear mind is free to work in the most efficient manner possible because it is not bound by predefined ways of thinking (i.e. the attitude "that's how it's always been done here"). If you can narrow your focus on the task at hand, and only think about that task, your mind will be more clear and naturally more efficient as a result.
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