With digital document control to efficient and secure workflows

Each company receives large numbers of different analogue and digital content on a daily basis. These can be text formats such as business letters, but also  incoming invoices, image files, checklists or work instructions. Efficient document control is essential for these documents, or rather “documented information”. A well thought-out, digital document management system (DMS) helps to create documents, manage them in accordance with applicable compliance and provides fast and efficient access. In this blog article, we will introduce you to the advantages of quality document control and show how your company can benefit from it.

What actually is document control?

The term document control comes from quality management and refers to the creation, processing, administration, checking, release and distribution of documents within a company over their entire life cycle. This usually extends from the creation to the traceable versioning and documentation of the changes, to the long-term archiving or destruction of the document.

Rely on the topicality and quality of the digital documents

The goal of document control is to ensure regulated, secure and efficient access to relevant information, whilst at the same time, adhering to compliance regulations. This means that all documents in the DMS are always up to date in respect of their processing status and the information they contain. This ensures that everyone can rely on the quality of the written material.

8 important steps for efficient document control

Efficient document control, also known under the term document “document management”, is of great importance for the success of the company. Files and documents are an important part of daily business ongoing operation and it is essential, to manage them according to established rules in order to achieve a consistent quality standard.

Quality standard of document control according to ISO 9001

A central step towards binding compliance with certain recommendations for action when processing documents, is the automation of document control. This is possible because, the same work steps are repeated over and over again for all the same document types. This ensures that all documents are accessible and editable anytime, anywhere and within seconds.

Here are the 8 most important steps that should be considered in order to establish efficient document control in the company.  Steps 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8 are particularly important for ISO-certified companies. You have to adhere to the ISO 9001 standard when it comes to “managed documents” in relation to quality management.

1. Think through the document creation: Which device (scanner) should be used to create digitised documents that are ultimately readable and editable? And who is responsible for that? What information should be given to the digitised files as metadata in the system? Which keywords and categories make sense? What legal framework conditions apply to data storage? An experienced digitiser will help you with this.
2. Define document processes: Clarify which processes in your company are relevant for document control. Fix this in writing. You should also determine who is responsible for checking, approving and deleting documents such as incoming invoices, contracts, business letters or employment contracts that are subject to special legal requirements. A digital contract management program with a deadline calendar ideally complements the IT system.
3. Choose a document management system (DMS): What requirements does your company place on DMS software? Which leading business systems should it be compatible with? How can you store your documents in digital files and electronic personnel files ? Compare your catalogue with different DMS providers and look for a digitiser with whom you can handle the project together.
4. Check existing documents: If necessary, revise your digital legacy to ensure that it is up-to-date and relevant. At the same time, you increase the efficiency and security of the system because irrelevant information is no longer displayed in the search. Changing legal situations are also a reason to adapt old documents, if only for security reasons. Likewise, updated files are easier to find because they are better tagged and categorised.
5. Introduce binding rules: Establish uniform workflows in the process of digitisation, especially with regard to digitisation, but also the review, approval, traceable versioning and distribution of documents. This ensures that everyone works with the DMS and the documents with the same standards and objectives. There is always a uniform processing method.
6. Set access restrictions: Not everyone in the workforce can access all documents. Pay attention to GDPR standards and only grant authorised access to personal data etc.
7. Offer training and further education: Be fully inclusive. Make sure that everyone can handle the document management software and have a uniform idea of ​​how documents are to be uploaded and tagged in the DMS. Make it clear that compliance with the rules is mandatory. This not only makes work in the paperless office faster afterwards, it also ensures that each individual file can be found in the long term. Above all, compliance with document control according to ISO 9001 standards is guaranteed in this way.
8. Check and optimise: Regularly monitor the document control and check it according to defined criteria. In this way you can be sure that the system will continue to function efficiently over time, is secure and that the data flow is optimal.

Advantages of professional document control

You can expect a significant increase in efficiency from well-implemented, digital document control. The electronic management of files and documents saves you time, because every piece of information can be found and accessed on the go in a matter of seconds, thanks to the full-text search. With OCR text recognition, even image files such as photos and PDFs can be searched. The automation of processes alone saves valuable resources by relieving the workforce and allowing them to focus on more important things than digitising documents. In addition, paper, printing and postage costs as well as storage space for files are saved.

Organise and make documents available in digital folders

The digital document control also offers a better overview and monitoring of documents, since you can organise and categorise them in digital folders. And because the documents are now stored centrally, collaboration is suddenly child’s play. The joint use of documents significantly facilitates collaboration and communication within the company, whilst enabling mobile connectivity.

Audit-proof archiving

Last but not least, data security plays an important role. Digital documents can be secured in a document management system (DMS) and protected against loss or damage. All documents can be archived in a traceable and unchangeable manner. Comprehensive auditing also plays a key part of the system, ensuring all activities are recorded by whom, what date and time, ensuring that the compliance of the system is maintained at all times.

Conclusion

Regulated document control is important because it makes the development of documents traceable and at the same time speeds up internal work processes. Files and documents can be found more quickly, with their processing regulated via defined rules. 

There are significant benefits to quality document control such as:

Automation in the digitisation of documents reduces human error when entering data and at the same time, releases the workforce from repetitive tasks, allowing them time to devote themselves to strategic tasks. The quality of your data will be far higher, de-duplicated, achieving transparency across your entire archive, whilst providing reassurance in respect of governance and compliance.

Questions about document control