It is the main objective of every enterprise whether small, medium, or big to become paper-free but the fact cannot be ignored that taking control of digital docs can be complex as compared to dealing with physical files. Document Management can be the solution to effectively store, share, and collaborate, achieve, and removing redundant and out-dated records. SharePoint is one of the best solutions for effective document management and various organizations are already using this product for other tasks. But is it right for your enterprise? In the present article, we will explicate what SharePoint Document Management can mean to your enterprise and how it can help your organization in smooth document management.
Document Management System:
A Document Management System is software that controls and tracks the entire life cycle of the documents. This cycle has various steps from its inception until its deactivation.
Document Life Cycle:
The five basic steps of a document life cycle include:
Planning:
The planning phase starts with the sketching of what the document should contain. The approach of designing the document is decided in this phase.
Creation:
The draft of the version of the document is formed and numbered at this stage.
Review:
The draft version of the document is given to the reviewer at this stage and the reviewer reviews the document and recommends changes if required.
Modification:
At the time of editing, the author or an editor agrees on changes that are needed and works on the document to incorporate those changes.
Approval:
It is the final step in which the document goes for approval by a subject matter expert who is authorized to sign it off.
The above life cycle may have more steps included depending on the kind of organization and the project capacity. This complex process can be made easy by a great tool known as SharePoint.
What is SharePoint?
SharePoint refers to a collaborative platform that ensures parallel usage and multi-user activities in organizations in order to store and manage simple to complicated document management.
Key features of SharePoint Document Management System:-
SharePoint document management system has really interesting features that give equal opportunity to all kinds of subscribers to fulfill their role’s demands without having to compromise their own work or work being done by another person on the document.
Here is the list of key features that make SharePoint amazing:
Versioning:
SharePoint allows its users to read and make changes to the same document file, and gives each document version a unique version number that is accompanied by comments stating what alterations have been made at this stage or in the current version of the document.
File Locking:
An individual who is using a file to make changes or modify, it locks the file utilizing the check-out feature so that there is no conflict to maintain the current version of the file and each change made is properly recorded in sequence. Once the person is done with the file, he or she uses the check-in feature to unlock the file in order to allow another user to take control in a smooth manner.
Metadata:
SharePoint offers detailed information on the current status of a file such as when was it modified, who made the changes, if the current version has been approved or not, a link to the document, and so on. This kind of detailed status of the document helps each business stakeholder who has access to the file get a complete insight into the current status of the document.
To Conclude:
SharePoint document management system refers to a collaborated repository of files whether, cloud-based or server-based platforms, it is simple to use and has great built-in security features. However, there can be various other tools in the market that may be more cost-effective and easier to use but Microsoft’s SharePoint has great features for a vigorous Document Management System.
SharePoint Consulting Services:-
We at Miri Infotech, have been providing SharePoint Consulting Services diligently for more than 10 years now. We are known for providing smart and valued solutions that support the business goals of Consumer Service, Manufacturing, Data Communications, and Data Security industry. Our SharePoint Consulting services are deemed as one of the best because we provide a comfortable collaborative environment tailored to our customers’ needs, reduce operational expenses ultimately increasing employee productivity and loyalty. Our dedicated SharePoint developers are highly trained to overcome any kind of challenges in executing SharePoint projects of all sizes and deliver outcomes as per the requirements.