Hyland Software's Document Management Blog

The White House on Records Management: ‘We Can’t Wait’

// November 29th, 2011 // No Comments » // Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Affordable Housing, Back Office, Document Management, Enterprise content management, Federal Government, Finance & Administration, Government, Health & Human Services, Human Resources, Justice & Public Safety, Public Works, State and Local Government // Terri Jones

“Records management can’t wait,” President Barack Obama told the federal government agencies yesterday, via presidential memorandum. It’s likely the federal government could learn a lot from state and local government agencies who have already embraced records management. Maybe you can, too.

The president hopes to transform federal agencies and create more transparency. How this will happen is captured in a White House blog post titled “We Can’t Wait: Bringing Records Management into the Twenty-First Century.”

It is a great post, but I believe it’s possible many readers will overlook a small – but important – phrase:

“…The [Records Management] Directive will focus on maintaining accountability to the American public through documenting agency actions; increasing efficiency (and thus reducing costs); and switching, where feasible, from paper-based records to electronic records.”

In those few words highlighted above, the enterprise content management (ECM) community rejoices. Why? Because ECM is a valuable tool for government, and it is an investment that should be made at every level of government, even in this time of severe budget reductions.

You see, the flexibility of a good ECM solution means the solution can become a tool for many government departments and initiatives. Understanding this, thousands of cities and counties across the country have already embraced electronic records and ECM, and have used the solution to meet a number of needs. We can see the result:

• Reduced costs. From eliminating paper and file cabinets to the costs of storing and moving files.
• Reclaiming staff time. No more searching for files, no lost documents, no filing, printing or photocopying.
• Speeding up government. Workflow automation shaves days off of processes; physical paper files replaced with electronic allow more staff to simultaneously access information.
• Connecting documents and data. Easy information retrieval helps make the transition from paper files to electronic records easy and intuitive for users, and requires little or no staff training.

At the same time, the ECM investment lays the foundation for meeting transparency and open government initiatives, while realizing all of the lowered costs and efficiency government organizations need to survive. So, access to records can take place through a website or a kiosk or a computer station at an office, improving constituent service while reducing the staff time needed to fill requests.

The good news for federal agencies is that they need look no farther than the counties and cities who have invested in an ECM solution. Other counties and cities who are considering an ECM solution can similarly find ideas and proven value thanks to the examples of their peers.

Current government ECM users show that creating transparency is just one of the benefits of moving to electronic records. So, while federal agencies may make this transition to meet a presidential memorandum on Open Government, their efforts could end up improving government operations, reducing costs and reclaiming staff time for the important work they do. The proof is in the results of cities and counties who have already moved to include ECM as one of their IT tools.

Part II: Bringing the work to the worker (in government)

// September 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // Document Management, Enterprise content management, Government, Public Works, State and Local Government // Kaitlin McCready

I caught up with Fran (again, don’t judge my video skills), who works in the IT department at a city in the western U.S. I wish I had chatted with her before adding the last post – she was all about offline ECM capabilities!

Off camera, Fran mentioned many, many more field workers that could benefit from offline capabilities. In particular, she serves the Parks and Recreation department, so the first two that came to mind were the people who make inspections, such as to playgrounds, as well as the tree trimmers.

Great stuff from the public sector, and thanks to Fran!

Three reasons why public works needs document management

// August 5th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Government, Public Works // Terri Jones

When I worked in Arizona, I visited my first “mining town.” These were communities built by mining companies to house their workers and the ancillary businesses and trades that supported those companies and workers.

But, because everyone who had built the towns had since passed, no one knew where the water pipes were, or even how the streets had been built. One town estimated that it leaked more water than it used, simply because they had no idea where the water pipes were.

Public works departments face a tough road. When their communities grow (which we love in government), they struggle to keep up. When budgets are tight, like now, they put off work to save money, and we mutter and complain about potholes. They are responsible for creating and maintaining the “bones” of our communities, but this struggle often makes it difficult to explore and implement ways to get better.

But when they do have time to look into those “ways to get better,” public works departments employ the use of technology. While it’s not just one piece of technology that makes them tick, I’m going to go through a few reasons why document management software should be one of them.

The longer a community grows and thrives, the more likely that the documentation describing its infrastructure will be critical. So the first reason that document management is critical is…

1. It preserves a digital image in a rational database.

Oftentimes in public works, the sheer physical size of documents was overwhelming. So, since they couldn’t fit into a file cabinet, they were usually found in piles elsewhere. With document management, an 11×17 piece of paper is no longer an issue. Documents are preserved, even if staff changes or many years pass. And, over time, the growing documentation can be easily managed, and more importantly, preserved.

Because infrastructure can be a critical public safety factor, a second reason for document management is perhaps less obvious, but even more important is…

2. Information sharing.

Imagine: quickly passing blueprints or plans to law enforcement or emergency management to respond to a problem. And then, imagine that happening in a second if the digitized image was already available through information sharing systems supported by an enterprise content management system. The best response is one that doesn’t have to be “turned on” – it’s the one that operates every day as a part of a document management system and information sharing between government departments or agencies.

And last, but not least, public works needs document management to have…

3. The ability to expand.

Good public works departments know that communities grow and change. And they plan streets, water and sewer systems to accommodate this. Document management software is no different. It should never limit the way a department operates – it should only help it expand. Think about being able to share documents across the enterprise for public safety and emergency response, to use workflow to automate processes like building permits, and to plan reviews and the benefit of taking that same application investment. Then, think about being able to use it for finance, human resources or agenda management in the government entity. This makes document management an investment for the future.

And, when document management can integrate to their databases – Cityworks, Accela, ESRI-GIS – they have done what they hope to do every time they add an asset to their community. They have planned for today’s needs while ensuring their community’s future by making a sound investment choice.

Location, location, location…and document management software? Three ways it can take GIS to the next level in government

// July 13th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Government, Public Works // Terri Jones

Early in 1995 and with a new governor, the State of Maine embarked on an expansion of its GIS (Geographic Information System, for those who aren’t familiar). Then governor Angus King had a vision. He wanted to use maps to prove that Maine had great locations for new and relocating businesses.

Being that it was ’95, using this kind of government software solution was super high-tech. I was an installer on the project, and I can remember all the excitement around creating maps with software that showed high-speed Internet, parking, highway access, building availability, etc.

Fast forward to today. GIS has really hit its stride in government, helping policymakers, crime analysts, public health officials, land records – the list goes on and on. Heck – it even has its own national day – GIS Day! But just like any software application, GIS can only do so much. For those who want to help take GIS back to its high-tech glory of the 90’s, here are three ways document management software can take it to another layer, um, level!

1. Matching locations and documents

Making sense of a location means matching it with information in other documents like historic maps, engineering studies, surveys, photos, drainage plans, the list goes on and on. So to plan a project, you need handy access to all the supporting documents that go into the comprehensive view that a GIS system can create.

Think how fast a GIS-driven government department can move if the map is the link to all their supporting documentation! An integration to the right document management software can make this possible by giving users a familiar GIS interface to retrieve and store supporting documents.

2. Bridging data and processes

It’s common to use a GIS to plan staff assignments for tasks like inspections and repairs of things like streets, signs or new buildings. But like any data system, a GIS doesn’t route tasks and provide reminders; it records data. To manage the tasks, many agencies have purchased separate work order and asset management databases.

Unfortunately, that’s like having two islands of data– and no bridge. Geographically-based data on one side, task management data on the other. Because one of its strengths is integrating systems, document management can provide a link between special databases like Accela and Cityworks and ESRI GIS.

3. A data highway

Finally, with two sources of data, there is still the automation problem. Oftentimes, a GIS is deployed on websites so citizens can access land records or request services like street repairs. The problem is that these Web-based front ends still have the same old paper-based systems behind them. So although citizens can make requests faster than ever, staff is still stuck on a different island under all that paper.

By integrating GIS with document management, Web-based requests are routed electronically to the right staff to get the job done. This also applies to internal processes like plan review, building permits, variances and many other processes that begin with maps. The nice thing about it is that the routed requests also carry the supporting documents with them, electronically of course, so they are available to staff.

The then-governor of Maine was forward-thinking when it came to using GIS technology at that time. With so many technology options available today, there are even more opportunities to solve problems in new and different ways. It’s the perfect chance for government – and others – to take advantage of GIS and complementary products like document management to be the next technology leader.