No more wet signatures

Knowing you need a system to help with document management, quality assurance or complaint handling, for example, is a lot different from knowing how to get there. Your organization may be encumbered by a paper-based system where one of the many negatives is that wet signatures have to be sought out amongst employee breaks, closed office doors, meetings, sick days and vacations. In this electronic age where everyone is constantly connected, you may dream of a system where signatures can be obtained at any time an Approver is online.

Planning for an EDMS

Salespeople know how to sell so they may not be as adept at communicating what it takes to reach the functionality in the prototype used in their demonstration, so be careful. The next time your organization decides there is a need for a new software system remember to the following first.

• Determine the problems the system is designed to solve.
• Determine how the organization plans to use the system
• Determine how the system owner plans to use the system
• Determine whether the implementation team will be in house or outsourced
• Find out if the vendor plans any new releases of their software and if so, how are those releases communicated to their clients.

Best Advice in EDMS Implementation

• Hire an implementation Project Manager as soon as you realize your need for a system
• Do not establish a budget. Allow the Project Manager to establish a budget once the system has been chosed and and implementation plan established.
• Insist on at least 3 vendors to choose from
• Make sure your requirements are well communicated and well defined
• Try to maintain the same project team throughout the duration of the project

Contact: Lisa Santigao ( santiago.lisa.c@gmail.com ) and Connie Dello Buono
( conniedbuono@gmail.com ) , both EDMS and QMS strategists and PMs at kitss.com
We have a team to help you plan and execute EDMS and QMS systems.