Page 483 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

4-14 CRC Handbook of Modern Telecommunications, Second Edition

4.1.3.6 Links to Other Applications
Enterprises operate multiple support systems. As examples, four support systems are defined.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Usually, the core for running enterprises from the financial
perspective. All inventory, accounts/receivable, accounts/payable, orders, deliveries, general ledger
related data, information, and documents are maintained here. Document life-cycle management must
work ERP-systems on the basis of mutual document exchange agreement.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Effective document management greatly supports
customer relationship management. In the life cycle, the delivery phase of document management is
the initiator of customer dialogs. The dialogs themselves are managed, however, by CRM applications.
Collected and collapsed data then flow back to document management.
Partner Relationship Management (PRM): Effective document management greatly supports
partner relationship management. In the life cycle, both the creation and delivery phases of doc-
ument management play a key role. Partner documents enter document management in the cre-
ate phase; the delivery phase distributes documents to partners. In order to facilitate exchange of
existing documents, agreements on formats, indexing, digitalizing, and electronic exchange are
extremely important.
Enterprise Search Engine (ESE): Search capabilities are considered very important for easy viewing
and retrieval of existing documents. The search engines usually reach documents, but no data that serve
applications of support systems. The trend is to open these applications of support systems to enterprise
search solutions, such as Google Enterprise.

4.1.3.7 Outsourcing
Enterprises are challenged by improving their services to their customers while reducing capital and
operating expenses. The tools that support the life cycle of document management are constantly
improving, and new business models are being created. These modes involve an English-speaking, low-
cost, highly motivated, and technically competent workforce in practically all geographies. India is the
first target for the document creating step.

4.1.4 Critical Success Factors of Document Management

There are many indicators that determine the quality of document management. Not all of them can be
evaluated in a conference paper, but the critical success factors are be described as follows:

• Quality checks for each life-cycle phase: Each phase of the life cycle should show proven high-
quality solutions regarding procedures, rules, data cleansing, security, and performance. Once
the whole process is in operation, periodic audits are recommended.
• Best practice benchmarks: Each enterprise should compare its document management solutions
in terms of processes, people, and tools with the industry average and with best practices. The
basis of this comparison is the proper use of key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Vulnerability analysis: Each phase of the life cycle is subject to security breaches. The vulnerability may
be anywhere and the weakest element in the life cycle is the quality indicator. Vulnerability analysis is
recommended to be conducted periodically, and if affordable by an external consulting company.
• Timely adaption to compliance requests: Compliance requests are expected to grow in volume
and in severity. It is absolutely necessary to analyze, interpret, and understand these requests
as early as possible and make the necessary changes to processes, tools, and to assignments of
human resources.
• Fine-tuning of document sharing strategies and rules: Documents represent a considerable value
to enterprises. The proper use is helping business processes to increase their effectivity and effi-
ciency. Data, e-mail attachments, records, video clips, and others may be searched, combined, and