What is the difference between documents management and document control?

I have been asked many times about the difference between document management and document control. Today's post is about this subject.

Document Management is also referred to as Content Management. Content Management is the set of processes and technologies that support the collection, managing, and publishing of electronic information. These processes and technologies allow managing electronic content through its lifecycle from its creation, review, storage and dissemination to destruction. Main goals are accessibility, findability, and re-use of content.

Document Control is revision control of documents, assigning and tracking documents numbers, change control management, assuring documents compliance, documents routing and tracking. It can also include Bill of Materials (BOM) and Approved Vendor List (AVL) management in engineering organizations.

Content or Document Management usually includes Document Control activities.

They are entirely different terms and should not be used interchangeably.

In companies, especially in regulated industries, there are document control people for performing document control functions separately. They do not have any functions related to content management. Document control is usually part of QA. It is mandated function in regulated industries.

I will talk more about document control in my future posts.

Preserve and Deliver Components of ECM Cycle

Today, I will talk about two last components of ECM cycle - Preserve and Deliver.

Preserve

Eventually, content ceases to change and becomes static. The "Preserve" components of ECM handle the long-term, safe storage and backup of static information, as well as the temporary storage of information that does not need to be archived. A content management system usually has capabilities to accommodate these functions.

Long-term storage systems require the timely planning and regular performance of data migrations, in order to keep information available in the changing technical landscape. As storage technologies fall into disuse, information must be moved to newer forms of storage, so that the stored information remains accessible using contemporary systems. For example, data stored on floppy disks becomes essentially unusable if floppy disk drives are no longer readily available; migrating the data stored on floppy disks to Compact Discs preserves not only the data, but the ability to access it. This ongoing process is called continuous migration.

To secure the long term availability of information different strategies are used for electronic archives. The continuous migration of applications, index data, metadata and objects from older systems to new ones generates a lot of work, but secures the accessibility and usability of information. During this process, information that is no longer relevant can be deleted. Conversion technologies are used to update the format of the stored information, where needed. Emulation of older software allows users to run and access the original data and objects. Special viewer software can identify the format of the preserved objects and can display the objects in the new software environment.

Deliver

The Deliver component of ECM provides content to users. Content gets where and to whom it needs to go through a number of tools. Content can be delivered via print, email, websites, portals, RSS feeds.

Security is involved in delivering the content to users. It prevents the illegal distribution of rights-managed content by restricting access to content down to the sentence level as well as granting/restricting permissions for forwarding and accessing content.

In order to effectively manage all components of ECM cycle, a content management system is the best solution. I am going to talk about content management systems in one of my next posts.

Store Component of ECM Cycle

Yesterday, I talked about "Manage" component of ECM cycle. Today, I will talk about "Store" component.

"Store" components store information that has been captured. The "Store" components can be divided into three categories: Repositories as storage locations, Library Services as administration components for repositories, and Storage Technologies. These infrastructure components are sometimes held at the operating system level, and also include security technologies that work together with the "Deliver" components.

Repositories

Among the possible kinds of repositories are: file systems, content management systems, databases, data warehouses.

File systems are used on data storage devices such as hard disk drives, floppy disks, optical discs, or flash memory storage devices.

A content management system (CMS) is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage documents work flow in a collaborative environment. In a CMS, information can be defined as nearly anything: documents, movies, pictures, scientific data, etc. CMSs are used for storing, controlling, revising, and publishing documents. Serving as a central repository, the CMS controls the version level of documents updates. Version control is one of the primary advantages of a CMS. The main objectives of CMS are to streamline access, eliminate bottlenecks, encourage collaboration, optimize security, and maintain integrity of documents.

Databases administer access information, but can also be used for the direct storage of documents, content, or media assets.

Data warehouses are complex storage systems based on databases, which reference or provide information from all kinds of sources. They can also be designed with global functions, such as document or information warehouses.

Library services

Library services are the administrative components of the ECM system that handle access to information. The library service is responsible for taking in and storing information from the Capture and Manage components. It also manages the storage locations in dynamic storage, the actual "Store," and in the long-term Preserve archive. The storage location is determined only by the characteristics and classification of the information. The library service works in concert with the Manage components' database to provide the necessary functions of search and retrieval.

Storage technologies

Among the possible kinds of storage technologies are magnetic online media, magnetic tape, digital optical media, cloud computing.

Magnetic online media is usually hard drives which may be local or part of a storage area network (SAN).

Magnetic tape data storage, in the form of automated storage units called tape libraries, use robotics to provide nearline storage. Standalone tape drives may be used for backup, but not online access.

Digital optical media includes CD, DVD and other specialized optical formats like magneto-optical drives for storage and distribution of data. Optical jukeboxes can be used for nearline storage. Optical media in jukeboxes can be removed, transitioning it from nearline to offline storage.

In cloud computing, data can be stored on offsite cloud computing servers, accessed via the Internet.

Stay tuned...

ECM Components

As I mentioned in my last post, ECM combines five components: capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver.

Capture of content in the content management environment is usually performed using content management system. I will talk about content management systems in my future posts.

After content has been captured, it moves to the "manage" component of the process. As I mentioned in my last post, "manage" component includes document management, web content management, collaboration, documents workflow, and records management. Let's look more closely into these components.

Document Management

Document management includes functions like check-in and check-out, version management, search and navigation, and organizing documents. Check-in and check-out are also are called the library service.

The library service is responsible for taking in and storing information from the Capture component. Check-in and check-out functions allow for the document to be checked out for editing and then to be checked into the system after the editing of the document is completed. This allows for version management of documents. Every time a document is checked out and then checked in, a content management system will register that there was a change in the document and will assign the consecutive version number to the document. The library service generates logs of information usage and editing, called an "audit trail."

Version management allows to keep track of different versions of the same document. The document can be returned to the previous version if necessary.

The library service works in concert with the manage components' database to provide the necessary functions of search and retrieval.

Search and navigation ensure that documents are accessible and can be found via two access points: searching and browsing.

Organizing documents allows for the search and navigation to work. Taxonomy is used for organizing documents.

Collaboration

Collaboration component helps users to work with each other to develop and process content. ECM systems facilitate collaboration by using information databases and processing methods that are designed to be used simultaneously by multiple users, even when those users are working on the same content item. They make use of knowledge based on skills, resources and background data for joint information processing. Administration components, such as virtual whiteboards for brainstorming, appointment scheduling and project management systems, communications application such as video conferencing, etc. may be included. Collaborative ECM may also integrate information from other applications, permitting joint information processing.

Web content management

Web content management (WCM) component is used to present information already existing and managed in the ECM repository. The information is presented using Web technologies - on the Internet, an extranet, or on a portal.

Documents Workflow

Documents workflow allows for documents to move through the process of creating, revising, and approving with few people involved in the process. Workflow management includes reminders, deadlines, delegation, and other administration functions as well as monitoring and documentation of process status, routing, and outcomes.

Records management

Records management refers to the administration of records, important information, and data that companies are required to archive. Some of the functions of records management are: file plans and other structured indexes for the orderly storage of documents; indexing of documents, supported by taxonomies, thesauri, and controlled vocabularies; management of record retention schedules and deletion schedules; protection of documents in accordance with its characteristics, sometimes down to individual content components in documents; use standardized metadata for the identification and description of stored documents.

Stay tuned...

Enterprise Content Management

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a formalized means of organizing and storing an organization's documents and other content. The term encompasses strategies, methods, and tools used throughout the lifecycle of the content.

ECM is an umbrella term covering document management, web content management, search, collaboration, records management, digital asset management (DAM), workflow management, capture and scanning. ECM is primarily aimed at managing the life-cycle of information from initial publication or creation all the way through archival and eventually disposal.

ECM aims to make the management of corporate information easier through simplifying storage, security, version control, process routing, and retention. The benefits to an organization include improved efficiency, better control, and reduced costs.

ECM combines five components: capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver.

Capture

Capture component involves converting information from paper documents into an electronic format through scanning. Capture is also used to collect electronic files and information into a consistent structure for management. Capture technologies also encompass the creation of metadata (index values) that describe characteristics of a document for easy location through search technology. For example, a medical chart might include the patient ID, patient name, date of visit, and procedure as index values to make it easy for medical personnel to locate the chart.

Manage

The Manage component includes document management, web content management, collaboration, documents workflow, and records management. First four components address the dynamic part of the information's lifecycle. Records management focuses on managing finalized documents in accordance with the organization's document retention policy, which in turn must comply with government mandates and industry practices.

In many cases Manage components already include the "store" components.

Store

Store component stores information that isn't required, desired, or ready for long-term storage or preservation. Even if the Store component uses media that are suitable for long-term archiving, "Store" is still separate from "Preserve."

Preserve

Preserve component involves the long-term, safe storage and backup of static, unchanging information. Preservation is typically accomplished by the records management features of an ECM system and many are designed to help companies comply with government and industry regulations.

Deliver

The Deliver components of ECM present information from the Manage, Store, and Preserve components to users.

Next time: more about ECM components.

Content Management

What is content?

In recent times information is typically referred to as content. Content is any type or unit of information. It can be text, images, graphics, video, sound, documents, records, etc. It can be in digital format or it can be in hard format. Digital content may take the form of text, such as documents, multimedia files, such as audio or video files, or any other file type which follows a content lifecycle which requires management.

We all use content management to some degree. In the early stages of the company's life, information is stored in the folder system on a network hard drive. This folder hierarchical system is set up by one person and as the company grows the location of content within the folders is passed on via written procedures or more likely through word-of-mouth.

It is cheap and easy to use when the amount of content is small. As the company starts taking on more projects, developing more products, and hiring more employees the amount of content increases and so does the amount of people needing access to that information.

Content Management is the set of processes, strategies, methods, tools, and technologies used to capture, manage, store, publish, preserve, and deliver content.

These processes, strategies, methods, tools, and technologies allow managing content through its lifecycle from its creation, review, storage, and dissemination to destruction.

Main goals are accessibility, findability, and re-use of content.

How do we achieve this? This is the talk for tomorrow.

Solution to Information Overload

“The information in the world doubles every day. What they don’t tell us is that our wisdom is cut in half at the same time.” -- Joey Novick

Management of information is the solution to the information overload. The true value of information is not its immediate use. In order to effectively use information, it must be readily available for analysis and synthesis with other information.

In recent times information is also referred to as content. Content usually follows life cycle. Information or content management covers the entire scope of content whether it is in the form of a paper document, an electronic file, a database, audio, video or an email.

Why do we need to manage content?

There are few reasons to manage content:

1. Central documents repository


2. Enable collaboration


3. Eliminate paper records


4. Automate processes


5. Protect sensitive information


6. Improve control of information


7. Increase efficiency, and productivity


8. Reduce cost


9. Improve legal and regulatory compliance

Tomorrow, I will talk more about content management.

Information Overload

“Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across electrified borders”. -- Ronald Reagan

In our society recorded information and knowledge are growing in volume and complexity. Companies, universities, laboratories, government, schools, etc. are acquiring and using information at greater rates than at any time in the past. Information appears in many diverse forms.

Information can save time, money, and sometimes lives. Therefore more and more people of all ages and occupations are becoming increasingly dependent upon efficient access to information.

In today's volatile marketplace, businesses are in a never ending search for information. Businesses and individuals alike are being assaulted by a barrage of information that exceeds their ability and/or time to analyze, synthesize, and disseminate it. Everybody has the information, most are being asphyxiated by it.

Tomorrow I will talk about the solution to this problem.