Ending the paper-chase
- Posted:
- 11:55 26 Jul 2001
Maintaining an up-to-date archiving system is a key objective for most businesses. But keeping the records is only half the battle. Without an effective and efficient way of retrieving documents valuable time can be lost and man-hours wasted.
This was the problem that beset the Applied Performance Requirements (APR) function at Boscombe Down, part of defence agency Dera. APR catalogues the history and details of every aircraft in military service, detailing each different design and any modifications carried out. It had an extensive archiving system but retrieving the records and locating information was difficult.
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Because much of the information is safety-critical and used to plan how an aircraft can be used, APR's engineers need to find the relevant information themselves. And according to an evaluation by Dera's partner, Hunterskil Howard Projects, the engineers at APR were spending up to 30% of their time locating documents.
The system was very labour-intensive. Paper documents were indexed within a Microsoft Access database, and the information was held in a number of different formats. Kelvyn Jones, Dera's development group manager who was responsible for overseeing the project, said Dera began looking into the benefits of automating the process 18 months ago. The upshot was the decision to pilot an electronic data management (EDM) system.
At around that time Dera was approached by project support firm Hunterskil Howard Projects. After some consideration it was decided that the two parties should tackle the project as a joint venture. "We're looking at evolving this together," Jones says. "We felt there was an opportunity for us."
Dera realised that if the system was flexible enough other defence departments and organisations might also be interested. Jones believes that, by incorporating different front-ends, Dera and Hunterskil Howard can offer the system to other departments where processes are different. The partners settled on BSoftB's e-business process management system, V9-Creator, for the task, although this was not their initial choice.
"BSoftB came in at about the last hurdle - about three or four months before we set up the system," says Jones. V9-Creator was chosen because it offered flexibility, security, upgradability and was also Web-enabled. "It offered a little extra at that time."
The system "also had 'that Windows feel' about it". At the time, all of Dera's software was Windows-based and, "people feel happier with what they already know", says Jones. The V9-Creator has drop-down boxes and can be operated using double mouse clicks. "It looked like something they'd used before." This made it easier for users to accept the new system and training requirements were negligible.
Incoming documents of any type - including paper-based mail, which is scanned - are indexed on an electronic reference card on the V9-Creator's workflow system before being routed to the appropriate desk officer. Engineers can retrieve the documents they need with "a number of clicks on the mouse".
The system has been up and running for about 11 months and Jones says that teething problems have been minimal. "We've managed to integrate it quite easily into our existing infrastructure," he says. The two-month integration period began with two or three projects. One or two problems were teased out at this stage. "It wasn't a big bang," explains Jones.
Dera then steadily increased the number of projects managed by the system. "After two months we saw that it was working well so we decided to migrate things on at a steady pace," says Jones. "The benefits were there."
What began as a simple EDM system has developed as Dera discovered other advantages that could be gained from the system. The defence agency now uses it to manage tasks and to flag up important jobs. "It's an aid in managing the workflow," says Jones. "It's not just document management: it has moved on."
The system's security is based on a series of firewalls. Users need a password to access it and the server is housed in a secure area. "The security issues are being addressed as we speak," says Jones. In order to transfer data over the Internet and access other MoD sites, Dera has to meet defence industry security standards. "We will never take a step without having the security issues addressed fully," says Jones. The ultimate goal is "total, secure connectivity," he says.
Jones describes the relationship with Hunterskil Howard as "open and honest", adding that the companies share the same aspirations. "It's not been a case of 'here it is' and then out the door," he says. The partners and users continue to develop the process. Dera set up a forum where users meet representatives from both Hunterskil Howard and BSoftB to discuss usability issues.
Jones is a little cagey about costs but says, "We're not talking millions of pounds here." As for return on investment, "Potentially we've got something that's good here in terms of getting a return on our investment," he says. "But we're not all the way yet."
