Case-study ECMS Serova Elena

Fig. 8. Diagram illustrating interaction of departments during in connection with a contract approval

Objectives of an Enterprise Information System Implementation

The main objective of an enterprise information system creation consists in improvement of the enterprise’s activities efficiency by way of integral automation of gas transportation processes, operational management and gas distribution network development, gas facilities reconstruction.

The enterprise information system of a gas distribution enterprise is to provide for solution of the following key tasks:

∙automation of the gas distribution network condition accounting and analysis;

∙automation of the gas distribution network operation and development management;

∙gas transportation control automation;

∙automation of managerial and analytical accounting;

∙automation of financial analysis activities;

∙automation of the processes of contract preparation, approval and performance control;

∙automation of the major records management procedures including:

1.documents filing

2.organization of document elaboration, approval and performance control cycles

3.automation of document processing processes (including registration of documents, their generation, approval and performance control)

4.creation of an electronic archive of the Company’s documents

5.documents broadcast organization

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Solution of the following two solutions has top priority within the framework of the enterprise’s information system development and implementation:

—implementation of an electronic document management system

—automation of the enterprise’s contractual activities.

Solution of the above problems will provide for decrease of the amount of routine work related to search for documents and their preparation, approval and performance control.

Basic Requirements to the Electronic Document Management System

The electronic document management system must provide for solution of the following tasks (with due regard for the enterprise’s activities specificity):

∙registration of incoming, outgoing and internal documentation;

∙forwarding documents to the executives concerned together with the related assignments and assignment fulfillment progress control;

∙documents write-off into a file;

∙file handover to the enterprise’s archive and the archive maintenance;

∙outgoing correspondence mailing;

∙preparation of draft documents and assignments and their harmonization and approval procedures performance;

∙search by any parameters combination and issued of varied summaries and reports.

Among features specifically characteristic of the enterprise’s activities are complexity of the procedure of documents and contracts preparation, approval and signature, provision for storage hard copies of documents alongside with their electronic variants prevention one from compete switchover to usage of EDI technologies.

Operational characteristics are a critical criterion of an EDMS selection; when evaluating them one should pay attention to the following system qualities:

1.commissioning simplicity;

2.scalability;

3.user access isolation and provision for protection against unauthorized reference to the system documents and functions;

4.work registration importance;

5.adaptability;

6.availability of administration and reliability insurance mechanisms. Additionally, the gas distribution Company being considered has formulated

specific additional requirements to the records management system proceeding from the available infrastructure changes and experience of work:

∙work with DBMS MS SQL;

∙a sufficiently simple interface suitable for non-professional users work;

∙possibility of adjustment to current business processes;

∙system openness, documented API;

∙possibility of interaction with remote offices.

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One can speak of several EDMS implementation variants. First of all, there is the out-of-box implementation variant. In such case an EDMS is implemented without or with minimum modifications. This is the cheapest variant but is to be actualized only in case one plans to automate part of the document management processes matching those envisaged by the EDMS developers. In case of new EDMS versions release update proceeds in rather a simple way. In such a case one often has to adapt proprietary processes of the enterprise to the EDMS operation peculiarities. Actualization of specific document management processes or extension of the EDMS coverage area regularly requires a considerable modification of the software product. This variant of implementation and follow-up may be actualized either in-house or by efforts of a third party entity.

The next variant is adaptation of readymade applications. In such a case the enterprise’s needs are to be fully taken into account. In case of necessity an EDMS may be modified by the manufacturer. In terms of cost this is a medium variant. However, in case of new version system update problems occur after release of a new version one has to undertake a modification of the system or specially test it for presence or errors with regard to the specific entity’s operation. In such a case participation of the manufacturer in the system implementation is required.

The last variant is a platform implementation. In such a case one solves tasks of provision not only for electronic document management but also for process of the enterprise administrative management on the whole. Within the framework of implementation one may take into account all the requirements and peculiarities of the specific entity’s business processes. No system code modification is performed. Due to organic EDMS tools being used for the system adaptation the problem of update for a new version never occurs and there is no necessity to apply to the manufacturer (which, however, does not rule out application to the manufacturer for technical support). After the system implementation further in-house support is easily performed. In such a case one uses EDMSs enabling:

Provision of tools for creation of an infrastructure of complex integrated systems solving the whole range of tasks related to automation of document management and management support administrative processes.

Provision for the possibility of staged implementation of individual components and actualization of various applications forming an integral system of document management automation.

Creation of a set of completed mutually integrated solutions automating typical processes of documents processing and actualizing typical management support tasks.

Questions for Discussion

1.Which are the basic modules of an enterprise information system?

2.Which is the role played by an electronic document management system in building an information system for management of an enterprise? What must one take into account for successful implementation and further operation of a company’s EDMS?

3.Which are the criteria of an electronic document management system choice?

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4.What kind of EDMS most fully suits the requirements of the Company’s document management automation?

5.Which method of electronic document management implementation is preferable for the Company?

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Exhibit 2

Review of Electronic Document Management Systems2

Listed in Tables 2.1 – 2.5 are characteristics of s ome electronic document management systems.

Comparison is done in terms of the following capabilities provided by the systems:

∙Document accounting

∙Documents routing and work performance control

∙Search

∙Storage of and access to information

∙Openness

2 Tables 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 - materials provided by RASoft LLC

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