Is the "Paperless Office" a Myth? - Part 3

Question:

Is the “Paperless Office” a Myth? (Part 3)

Question asked by a participant on the Records Management Internet ListServ.

Response:

This is the third article in the series from a question that arose from an article written in 2002: “The Social Life of Paper” by Malcolm Gladwell, reflecting on how computer technology was supposed to provide the paperless office.

In the third and final part of this series we will explore the evaluation of responses to Request for Proposal (RFP) for an automation project. This evaluation process is critical to the success of your automation project as you will be part of the team evaluating and selecting a vendor who will contribute to the long-term goals of the organization. By this time you, as a records management professional, should be part of the team chosen for the implementation stage of the automation project. At this point, I can not over-emphasize the need to have a team member from the information technology department. It is crucial to the success of the project to have the long-term management support of the information technology department for the maintenance of the software and hardware required for the system being installed and maintained.

The team should consist of:
. Project Manager who would be responsible for the successful implementation of the document
management system.
. Team members from the records management function, information technology department
and those representing functions that will be implementing the document management
system. At some point in time you will want to bring in specialists from other departments to
assist in developing a contract (legal/purchasing/contract compliance).
. Involvement of upper level management by creating visible support for the project through
communications from management to employees within the organization on the importance of
the project to the long-term goals of the organization. Management should also provide the
people and financial resources to successfully implement the project.
. Department Management will be responsible for availability of their resources to assist the
project team in the implementation of the system.
. Department personnel who will be affected in the process should be part of the solution by
keeping them informed of the status and their role in the successful implementation of the
system.

Some things that should be considered by the project team as they evaluate vendor responses to RFP(s):
. The Project Manager, with the assistance of the team members, should develop a standard
grading system for evaluating the RFP(s). If you have a formal project management
department they may already have a system to use as a guide and/or provide guidance.
. Evaluate the RFP(s) returned by the vendors.
. Request that the selected vendors demonstrate the software. Prepare a list of questions to
ask the vendors at the demonstration.

Prepare a list of questions to ask customers of the vendor that have been submitted as references. This is the stage where you call or visit sites that are currently using the system being evaluated. Some questions to ask:
. What records management modules are being utilized by the company?
. For modules not being used, ask the questions why?
. Get their opinions on pros and cons of their system.
. What they would do over if they had the opportunity?
. How effective was the training provided by the vendor?
. Were the reports provided by the vendor sufficient for their startup? If not, why?
. Are they satisfied with the after-sale technical support to answer your questions and/or fix
technical problems?
. Locate other users that were not included in the vendor-supplied list of users. Call/ or visits
and ask the same questions as you would for the customers the vendor listed in the RFP.

Rank the vendors and select the vendor to implement the document management system. Have the appropriate business function prepare the contract with the winning vendor (purchasing/legal). Assist in the preparation of the contract as necessary to insure appropriate information on the requirements that are part of the contract.

Prepare for the implementation stage of the project. One of the costly parts of any implementation is the conversion of your current data to the new system. I highly recommend and cannot over-emphasize the need to clean up your data before it is transferred to the new system. Remember the “Garbage In, Garbage Out”? If you don’t clean it up before it is transferred this data may cause problems in the conversion and incur additional unforeseen costs.

While the “Paperless Office” is still a myth, implementation of an electronic document management system will, if properly implemented, provide the start of a program that will enhance your records management program and allow for the successful transfer and management of your paper documents in an electronic document management system.