Choosing a new document management system (DMS) may seem relatively straightforward at first glance. However, don’t mistake your DMS search for a simple software upgrade. It’s a fundamental change to how your organization creates, manages, shares and protects one of its most valuable assets: information. Getting this decision right is vital as it directly impacts productivity and security, both of which play a central role in determining your organization’s overall competitive advantage.
Asking the document management system experts
We asked our ERP Mechanics experts for their opinions on various aspects of document management, including what an organization’s most important considerations should be when choosing a DMS system, common mistakes, and general advice they’d give to those starting the process.
In your experience, what are the most important considerations that a company should make when choosing a document management system?
Dene Palmer, UK Business Director, said: “I would pin my top three as file format support, processing speed and redundancy.” He explained why he had selected these three specifically, explaining, “You want to be sure that your DMS can produce documents and communications in all the formats your suppliers, customers, and internal users require. Processing speed is important to keep your operations running on time. Finally, redundancy is there to ensure your business doesn’t come to a halt in the event of an outage, failure or misconfiguration.”
It’s always beneficial to gather diverse perspectives. We also asked Practice Lead Roger Cruz for his thoughts.
He said: “From my experience with several document management systems, I believe the most important considerations are scalability, reliability and ease of use.” To demonstrate his point, he used the example of Lasernet, Formpipe’s world-leading output and document management solution, which is used by many of our clients. Roger explained that Lasernet is completely customizable and can handle everything
from the simplest workflows to the more complex.
He also drew attention to the fact that Lasernet can work with any ERP system, saying: “It works with any ERP system that can generate text, CSV/XLSX, PDF, JSON, or XML as the output stream and can deliver results to modern streams, such as printer, fax, email, EDI, FTP/SFTP, HTTP Post and SharePoint.”
About the importance of reliability, Roger recommended that those choosing a document management system ask themselves this all-important question: “Does the company and its partners actively improve the product and stand behind their work?” He pointed out that Formpipe, the company that created Lasernet, releases updates every quarter – a sign that the software is constantly changing for the better to keep up with the needs of the day.
Regarding ease of use, Roger explained that Lasernet provides users with an intuitive workflow view, making it easy for users to follow the path their data takes. He also recommended thinking about ease of use through the lens of the implementation partner that those selecting a new DMS choose to work with. As an experienced and reliable Lasernet implementation partner, ERP Mechanics provides your organization with the necessary space to innovate in the way that works for you, while always being available to offer support (without restrictive contracts!).
Margiris Jasaitis, one of ERP Mechanics’ talented consultants, believes that the most important considerations for a company when choosing a new DMS are how easily adjustable the outputs are and scalability. “It’s quite impossible to get the layouts done perfectly on the first go, and it’s unrealistic to think that requirements won’t change in the future. Having a DMS system that allows for easy layout adjustments and ease of release to production is extremely useful. Lasernet is perfect for this.”
Regarding the role of scalability in the success of a document management system, she said: “The system must allow for different companies to have different layouts with a nightmare configuration and must support flexibility so different companies can use the same layout with different areas exposed to match their business requirements.”
Main Takeaway
Our DMS experts encourage you to choose a document management system with:
- File format support
- Fast processing speed
- Redundancy
- Scalability
- Easily adjustable outputs
What’s the most common mistake you see organizations make when it comes to choosing a DMS?
DMS implementations don’t always go as planned – mistakes and missteps sometimes happen. About what mistake he sees organizations make the most, Dene said: “Underestimating their output and distribution requirements, and thinking they will get by with an ‘out of the box’ solution.” He explained the serious consequences of this all-too-common mistake, saying: “This inevitably leads to projects being paused and reviewed mid-flight, causing delays, frustration and an increase in costs. It’s important to fully understand your total scope of requirements upfront, to ensure you only have to undertake a single, smooth-running project.”
Roger said the most common mistake he has seen is organizations not asking the tough questions. Before choosing the new DMS, key decision makers should ask the following: “How does the DMS play with other systems aside from the current implementation?” and “How can the tool handle my specific needs and scenarios?” as well as upfront discussions about the most difficult challenges, to make sure the DMS can accomplish the defined goals.
For Margiris, using the ERP’s native reporting tool is the most common mistake she sees when organizations choose a new DMS. “Even if it’s internal and free, it doesn’t mean it saves you anything in terms of cost,” she said. “There are usually alternative specialized DMS solutions that do the job better, easier and more efficiently.”
Main Takeaway
Our DMS experts warn you not to:
- Underestimate your output and distribution requirements
- Think you’ll get an ‘out of the box’ solution that meets all requirements
- Avoid the tough questions
- Use the ERP native reporting tool just because it’s there