How does document management work, and why is it important for your company? At first glance, the answer to this question may not seem so relevant when compared to the many other aspects that must be considered in a company’s daily operations.
However, despite appearing to be a simple task, it plays a crucial role, as it is responsible for the storage and organization of all corporate documents—whether work instructions, legal records, financial information, or many others.
The primary objective of document management is to make departmental routines more productive while also ensuring that the company remains in compliance with current legislation.
It is not an isolated process, as it becomes essential to structuring strategic areas such as Human Development, Finance, and Quality Management, and may even contribute to the achievement of certifications, such as Accreditation in the healthcare sector.
The Importance of Efficient Document Management
This process is so essential to organizational success that it is now recommended that a formal document management policy be established to ensure full access to its benefits.
When performed effectively, document management:
– Ensures efficiency and productivity;
– Promotes greater security and risk management;
– Reduces operational costs;
– Aligns the organization with compliance and regulatory requirements;
– Enables strategic organization;
– Aligns business strategy with sustainable practices;
– Strengthens brand trustworthiness;
– And makes the business more competitive.
Daily Challenges Encountered
One of the main challenges faced by organizations in this area is physical storage and the difficulty of keeping everything organized. Therefore, the ideal approach is for companies to digitize nearly all documents, keeping only what is strictly necessary in physical format.
Even so, technology does not solve every issue, and the volume of documents—despite being digital—still requires attention. After all, each department has its own records, and it is essential to adopt software capable of centralizing this management and ensuring that all relevant team members have unrestricted access to information.
Standardization is also a persistent challenge, highlighting the need to create a categorization system that considers document types, authorized departments, and related retention periods.
This aspect becomes even more critical within Quality Management, for example, where it is essential to ensure that work instructions are current and that all employees are informed of changes to the latest version. Otherwise, the organization risks compromising deliverables, whether in the form of physical products or services, such as patient care.
Effective document management also impacts team productivity, since well-aligned and guided teams have greater autonomy to carry out their tasks. Furthermore, when dealing with digital document management, time previously spent on physical filing can be redirected toward strategic activities.
Finally, as in other areas, maintaining broad engagement remains an ongoing challenge. However, it can be overcome through internal communication strategies and alignment with the organization’s culture.
Digital Document Management with Interact Suite
Document management is no longer optional for companies. Therefore, relying on a tool for digital management has become essential to optimize processes and make them more effective.
Document Manager is Interact’s Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). The solution ensures state-of-the-art electronic document management aligned with ISO 9000 standards.
With Document Manager, your company can structure document categories according to lifecycle stages and their respective owners. It also enables drafting, releasing, reviewing, approving, and making the updated version available to the target audience.
Among its main applications are document creation, version control, repository, search and finder functions, customized reports, access history, document portfolios, and distribution.
Visit our website and discover everything Interact Suite can do to enhance your company’s document management.
