Electronic Document Management (EDM) is the QMS basis and every organization must have a well-functioning documentation system as part of their quality process. Using a paper based system can be time-consuming and error-prone. This is why electronic tools exist.
According to a McKinsey report, employees spend an average of 1.8 hours per day, or 9.3 hours per week, searching for and collecting information. Digitising documents so they are immediately available creates value for employees to unleash their productivity..
In the digital age, this notion of documentation linked to paperwork has been phased out and replaced by Electronic Document Management systems accessible on different formats such as smartphones or tablets. A change powered by the desire to optimize organization performance at its best.
The quality documentation system is made up of different documents with a specific rank and degree of importance. They are structured like a pyramid: from the top, which is the quality policy, to the bottom, which is a set of various recording documents such as registration forms and so on...
Figure 1 - QMS Documentary pyramid
Let's see what each layer of the pyramid represents:
It is a document management system that consists of keeping documents on paper, servers or hard disks. Documents are generally in Word, Excel or PDF formats and are most of the time classified manually. This is a time-consuming activity and managing the different versions and updating documents can be difficult.
This system presents several risks and disadvantages in the management of company data:
So, when the traditional document management system of a company is not optimized, the company is exposed to risks that could affect its performance and even the satisfaction of its customers.
These risks are reflected by: the waste of employees' time looking for documents or information, the cost of managing the paper archives, or the security and integrity of company data.
This is why we will see that EDM is a major ally in this process.
EDM is a software solution for managing the lifecycle of an electronic document from its creation, storage, diffusion, to archiving or destruction, if applicable. It supports the management of document flows within an organization.
EDM offers a diverse range of functions:
These various functions primarily allow EDM to ensure that each team member has dedicated and secure access, for reliable management of documents and information.
EDM is also a tool that saves employee’s time through an immediate access to electronic versions of each document via a search bar, and at the same time to reduce the costs associated with physical archiving.
EDM facilitates documents processing and distribution: team members are automatically notified by e-mail when an update or new version of the document is available.
This tool also allows users to set color codes to have visibility over changes made from one document version to another, while being able to consult the corresponding history.
EDM is a technological advance in terms of optimizing document management, it offers useful and convenient functionalities for companies that aspire to optimize their performance. It is a change that companies have to go through if they still want to compete in today’s market.
Switching from a traditional document management system to an EDM is not easy. However, this approach ensures a better distribution of information, especially in a context of remote work where companies have had to adapt accordingly.