Questions To Ask Before Investing in an Engineering Workflow and Document Management System
Questions To Ask Before Investing in an Engineering Workflow and Document Management System
There’s no doubt that EDMS (electronic document management) systems are large investments that require careful planning and implementation. If poorly implemented, they can lead to frustration and impede (rather than enhance) business and engineering processes. Document management systems are designed to streamline workflows, not slow them, which is why it is important to carefully examine the benefits and functionality of your workflow and document management system. Here are some of the features and benefits of eQuorum’s ImageSite solution to help address the value of such a system.
Making the investment decision
The first step to determining the viability of an EDMS implementation is to perform a robust cost-benefit analysis. This implies taking both qualitative and quantitative factors into account. While some workflow and document management systems offer a lot of functionality at a seemingly reasonable price, they may not provide the value you need to sufficiently outweigh the risks.
Some key questions you should ask are:
Does the system give provide the document control features we need to improve our current processes?
Before assessing which document control system (another word for EDMS) is right for you, it’s important to determine whether it hosts features that cater to the specific needs of your industry and your company. ImageSite is designed primarily for companies that use engineering processes in their day-to-day operations. This includes architecture, engineering, and construction, as well as utilities companies and facilities management departments. Some EDMS are designed for disciplines like accounting or marketing, and if your EDMS doesn’t contain the basic elements needed to complete your objectives, then they will certainly not provide the functionality you need for your business to grow.
Does the system leave room for growth?
If you’re in the market for a document control system, then you likely have growth in mind. ImageSite is a fully scalable engineering DMS. It can be used with as few as 1 user with hundreds of files or can be used with hundreds of users and millions of files. It simply depends on where your company is now. As your organization continues to grow, ImageSite is going to facilitate the growth, not be an obstacle.
Will the solution provide an adequate return on investment?
Calculating ROI for basic document management is actually pretty easy. If you’d like to learn more about how ImageSite can provide your company with quick ROI, read our other blog: Benefits of EDMS for Businesses in a Dynamic Economy. Briefly, think of the cost to your organization when products or projects are completed using the wrong documents or incorrect versions of documents. Think of the savings involved by knowing where projects are, exactly, at any moment and your ability to communicate this to your production floor, your customers, or your staff.
How do I know I’m making the right decision?
Choosing the right document control solution isn’t as hard as you may think but typically does take some time in the planning and requirements definition. As a decision-maker, you want to ensure you’re doing everything within your power to make the right choice, eliminating cognitive dissonance for both you and your organization.
eQuorum has been providing companies with EDMS solutions for more than 25 years, and have spent much of that time surveying customers to determine what it is that they need to achieve complete satisfaction. eQuorum’s core tenets are centered around providing PRACTICAL value for our customers, meaning we don’t try to upsell functionality or usage rights they don’t need but focus on their requirements and the functionality the doers really can employ. Rather than jamming the software with nonessential features and user profiles, we believe you should only pay for what you need. The functionality available within our on-premise and Cloud solutions is equal to or better than the industry’s most robust engineering workflow and document management systems out there but at half the price. Also, you only pay for the features that are useful to you and your organization.
How long does implementation take?
eQuorum’s implementation specialists are here to help you through every part of your ImageSite journey, from migration to complete system configuration. We’ll ensure you’re up and running in a matter of days, rather than months, to ensure you don’t miss valuable opportunities or experience lag in design or production.
With ImageSite, there is no need to delete or clean out your unwanted documents during implementation. ImageSite provides users with Full-Text Search (FTS) so users can perform document searches based on content in their documents. This includes AutoCAD, Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, email, and ASCII files. It works much like a search engine for websites by searching for specific words found in your files and documents. Find the files that are meaningful and then purge the ones you don’t want, or just keep them (there’s no additional cost) and set them to be non-viewable by anyone other than the system administrator.
Managing files and file metadata is also easy. Users can create custom fields automatically as files are distributed amongst various projects, folders, and subfolders, making it easy to search for documents based on specific search criteria. ImageSite’s search feature is highly intuitive, meaning new users can find their important files and documents quickly and easily upon using the system for the first time.
Unlike some other solutions on the market, Engine-Box doesn’t have any IT infrastructure or require you to worry about maintenance. Since it’s a Cloud system, it is entirely managed by us in coordination with your IT staff. This reduces hardware requirements and work hours for IT support teams, saving your organization time and money.
Summary
Our engineering workflow and document management system (EDMS) is built by engineers for engineers, so it has been designed with efficiency in mind. Once implemented, our EDMS can solve complex workflow and document management problems and can assist companies in their effectiveness and cost of its operations. Our solutions help users improve the structure, security, control, and file distribution, while also ensuring significant returns on investment.
Additional EDMS Features
Our EDMS solutions
ImageSite and EngineBox are eQuorum’s robust workflow and document management solutions, created to help workers manage their essential workflows while maintaining complete control over their engineering files and documents. Not only do they provide a secure collaboration site for workers, but they also help organizations manage document distribution with third parties like vendors, contractors, and customers. Both systems are offered at a competitive price, enabling organizations to get a quick return on their investment by providing the features and functionality needed to help organizations improve efficiency, productivity, and collaboration. Companies can choose from concurrent user subscriptions or named user subscriptions, ensuring organizations have subscription options that make sense for their business.
ImageSite®
Our single source engineering workflow and document management system. Built in HTML5 so there is no software to deploy to client computers or mobile apps to download. Offered as an On-premise or Private Cloud system.
Our EDMS solutions
ImageSite and EngineBox are eQuorum’s robust workflow and document management solutions, created to help workers manage their essential workflows while maintaining complete control over their engineering files and documents. Not only do they provide a secure collaboration site for workers, but they also help organizations manage document distribution with third parties like vendors, contractors, and customers. Both systems are offered at a competitive price, enabling organizations to get a quick return on their investment by providing the features and functionality needed to help organizations improve efficiency, productivity, and collaboration. Companies can choose from concurrent user subscriptions or named user subscriptions, ensuring organizations have subscription options that make sense for their business.
EngineBox™
EngineBox is a cloud based workflow and document management version of ImageSite that resides outside the corporate network.
The eQuorum Customer Promise
In 2005, eQuorum developed the first all browser-based EDMS. The system, although for on-premise use, was still created to remove client software and JAVA from user computers and allow users to have a single viewer based on the simple navigation functionality of browsers. Today, eQuorum provides that same application in a private Cloud or a SaaS Cloud option. We can do this because we are, and have always been, browser-based, understanding the enhanced speed, security, and usability of this technology.
With the abundance of document management systems on the market today, there’s no doubt that choosing the right Cloud document management software can be a difficult decision. eQuorum is here to provide a comprehensive, powerful, and most importantly – affordable Cloud document management solution. We believe in providing real value to our customers by eliminating unnecessary costs, providing industry-leading functionality, and equipping your team with the right tools using cutting edge technology to bring your products to market faster.
Resources
eQuorum®
We specialize in engineering workflow and document management. Our comprehensive, yet easy-to-use software provides the solution to manage data from design to manufacturing and production, to sales, support and administration.