Document Process Management: Everything You Need to Know

In today’s fast-paced digital age, the management of documents and records has become an increasingly complex task for organizations. Document process management is a system that aims to help companies solve these problems by digitizing and automating the process.

Document process management is no longer optional as it once was. Managing documents through hard copies is outdated and slow, and puts companies at risk of not being compliant. Using software to manage process documentation is the only way for businesses to stay competitive.

But it’s one thing for me to just tell you all of this. It’s another thing entirely to explain it. So let me walk you through what document process management does, its benefits, how to get started, and some use cases.

What is document process management?

Document process management is a strategy that organizations use to manage the creation, storage, retrieval, and distribution of documents efficiently.

It typically involves using technology to automate document-related processes and workflows, including:

• Document creation 
• Document review
• Document approval 
• Document distribution 
• Document archival

The goal of document process management is to streamline every part of a process that involves documentation to improve efficiency, accuracy, and compliance.

It’s particularly important for organizations that deal with large volumes of documents, such as those in healthcare, legal, financial, or government sectors. 

By implementing document process management, these organizations can:

• Reduce paper-based processes
• Decrease document handling costs
• Improve the overall quality and consistency of their documents

Benefits of document process management

There are a number of important benefits of document process management, but here are the three we consider most essential:

Reduced storage

Document process management reduces storage requirements through features like: 

• Document templates
• Version control
• Retention policies
• Electronic storage

These features decrease the size of individual documents and eliminate the need to store multiple versions of documents. That ensures only necessary documents are retained, and eliminates the need for physical storage space. 

By optimizing document storage processes, organizations can reduce storage requirements, save on storage costs, and improve efficiency.

Zero lost files

When organizations rely on paper documents, it’s only too easy for them to go missing. Missing documents waste valuable time and can put companies in danger of losing sensitive information.

Document process management systems eliminate those risks by having a centralized, digital place to keep all documentation. As long as documents are properly saved (which is usually done automatically by the software), they aren’t going anywhere.

Better security

It can also help organizations maintain compliance by automating processes such as document reviews and approvals. Doing so can help ensure that documents are reviewed and approved in a timely and consistent manner. 

By implementing document process management, organizations can demonstrate their commitment to compliance and reduce the risk of non-compliance-related fines, penalties, or legal action.

Getting started with document process management

If you’re just starting out with document process management and don’t know where to begin, just follow these steps. I promise it’s not as complicated as it may seem on the surface!

Plan out the process

When using a document process management tool, you need to plan out when and where you will need certain documents. 

Let’s say you’re putting together a process for employee onboarding.

• What documents do you need? 
• Where do the documents come into play? 
• What are your key objectives? 
• Which documents have the highest priority? 
• What is the timeline for the process as a whole?

You have to answer those questions to make sure that your process is as optimized as possible.

When you have these answers, you can create the steps necessary to complete the process.

Create steps

It is helpful to draw out a flowchart of the process you’re planning before you begin to input form fields into a workflow.

It can look something like this:

It’s all completely customizable and up to you. 

Not all the steps in the employee onboarding process will involve documentation, of course. Just make sure you’re not neglecting the steps that do. 

Test the process

Before you can put your process into use, you need to test it first.

It’s imperative that you ensure everything works the way it was intended. All automations are functioning correctly, all documentation is sent, received, and stored securely, and all the steps are there and in the correct order.

After your process passes a few rounds of testing, it’s ready to implement! That’s the best part because you get to experience how much easier it makes your life. 

Document process management use cases

Document process management can be applied in a wide range of industries and use cases. Here are some examples:

Healthcare

Document process management can be used to manage electronic medical records, insurance claims, and patient consent forms. It can ensure that these documents are securely stored, easily accessible, and are compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Legal

It can help manage contracts, litigation documents, and legal correspondence. It guarantees that these documents are stored securely, version-controlled, and easily retrievable. 

Document process management can also automate processes such as document reviews and approvals, which can help reduce the time and cost associated with legal document management.

Finance 

It’s great for managing financial statements, loan applications, and tax documents. It does the work for you to make sure that these documents are stored securely and compliant with financial regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and Dodd-Frank.

Government 

Document process management tools are capable of handling government contracts, permits, and regulatory filings. It keeps governmental organizations compliant with the Federal Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Education 

It’s extremely useful for managing student records, academic transcripts, and financial aid applications.

By keeping everything in one place and easily accessible, it ensures that no students fall through the cracks and everyone gets the support they need to further their education.

Manufacturing 

Document process management does a great job taking care of product specifications, quality control documents, and supplier contracts. It makes sure that these documents are accessible to authorized personnel and compliant with industry regulations such as ISO 9001.

Before you go 

If you want to see what a document process management tool can offer and have your questions answered in real-time, book a demo with Process Street! Our sales representatives can walk you through the whole process of building a workflow and how the platform can work for entire companies.