Case Studies

Records Management Solution Improves Productivity, Boosts Efficiency

Project At a Glance

RDA provided analysis, architectural design, and guidance for a future electronic document/records management solution. Once implemented, the client expects a boost in productivity, an efficient mechanism to meet regulatory requirements, and more effective resource management.


About Our Client

RDA's client provides document scanning services and document management solutions for a wide variety of clients. RDA participated in this engagement as a sub-contractor to our client.

 

Background

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) is a labor organization representing over 140,000 members in the construction industry, such as painters, drywall finishers, glaziers, floor coverers, and sign and display workers.

Like any other organization, information is IUPAT’s most basic and essential asset. IUPAT faces an issue common to most organizations in our modern age – large numbers of unstructured documents containing important information which are stored in disparate locations throughout the organization. Additionally, many of the documents contain business critical information which cannot be easily located, accessed or controlled.

Records and document management is a core business process within IUPAT and is as important as other processes such as finance and human resources. Records and document management involves the management of records in all formats, not just scanned images, from their creation to their ultimate disposal. The increased proliferation of electronic documents and the consequent creation of their associated electronic records have created the need for IUPAT to manage an increasingly decentralized record-keeping system.

Recognizing this need, IUPAT sought assistance in the analysis of the current records management solution and the potential design of a new, modern system capable of storing and managing records of all types.

 

Solution Detail

Working with our client's staff, RDA provided analysis services leveraging its expertise in the areas of electronic document and records management solutions. Solutions to this problem, like most, are not instantaneous and involve both cost and organizational change. Proven systems, generically known as electronic document and records management systems, provide the functionality required by the IUPAT and exist today.

Through interviews, reviews of current implementations, and examination of the data/content, RDA developed an architectural guidance document providing the basic functions required in implementing a successful electronic management system at IUPAT. This solution provides IUPAT with:

  • The management of the type and format of content which can be created within the organization.
  • The ability to control the format of documents through templates.
  • Control of the metadata associated with each document, including format/data type and mandatory/optional rules.
  • Management of access to all documents within each stage of its life cycle.
  • The ability to manage the storage format and location of a document with the various phases of its life cycle.
  • Controls over the ability to copy and/or move documents within the system.
  • The capability to automate various work processes through the implementation of workflow. Tasks that may be applied include document creation, review, approval, publication, and disposal.
  • Control over various policies that may be applied to documents so that document-related actions are audited, documents are retained or disposed of properly, and content important to the organization is protected.
  • The ability to define how documents are treated as corporate records which must be maintained according to legal requirements and organizational guidelines.

Benefits

Proper adoption of an electronic document/records management system will provide great benefits to the IUPAT, including:

  • Universal accessibility. A Web-based electronic document/records management system will enable employees to retrieve documents wherever they are.
  • Process consistency. A system will enforce strict adherence to filing, naming conventions, and workflow processes.
  • Access control. Access control mechanisms will control and designate access levels to an organization’s documents to prevent inadvertent modification while allowing legitimate access to managed information.
  • Accountability. Where required, a system will provide audit trails as well as user logs and will record user activity.
  • Security. A comprehensive security implementation will prevent unauthorized alteration or destruction of data.
  • Disaster Recovery. Backups of critical files and their associated index information will provide a mechanism for rapid recovery of services in the advent of a system failure or interruption of service event.
  • Regulatory compliance. A properly implemented document/records management system ensures compliance with laws and regulations which require organization to implement document retention and/or destruction procedures.
  • Productivity. A system increases worker productivity through process optimization and the ability to locate required information in an accurate and timely manner.
  • Cost Reduction. Implementation of a system may lead to reduction of operational costs. For example, Filing cabinets take up precious floor space which can be costly. Also, retrieving and processing paper-based documents is time intensive.
  • Environmental. An electronic document management system will aid in the conservation of natural resources by minimizing the amount of paper usage.