Document Management System or DMS controls the lifecycle of a company's documents – the manner in which they are created, edited, publicised, made available and read. Even though „managing“ implies a top to bottom control, an efficient DMS should reflect business culture of people and organizations using it. The application system used for establishing DMS needs to be flexible, ensuring strict control over a document's lifecycle, as well as implementation of proposed business policy and culture. Realization of trivial cases of control over documentation is also an eligible characteristic of DMS, but only if preconditioned by a business policy for such cases.
A well designed DMS promotes easy browsing and information sharing. It logically organizes and standardizes content presentation at the entire level of an organization. DMS also promotes knowledge base and information structure. Next, it assists organizations in aligning with a legal responsibility. Finally, it ensures functionality in every phase of the document's lifecycle, from document creation to managing its content, editing, publicizing, proofreading, revising and eventually deleting or archiving it.
An efficient DMS system specifies:
- Types of documents and other contents that can be created within the organization
- Samples used for certain document type
- Data necessary for every document type
- Storage for documents in certain lifecycle phases
- Manner of managing documents during their lifecycle
- Manner of shifting documents through the organization and their creation, revision, publication, approval and deletion
- Safety rules for managing, reading, editing and deleting documents by employees
- Manner or document transformation during a transition through lifecycle states
|
