Quality document management and business processes - AirProcess connects them for you

Wondering how quality document management can transform your company and its internal processes?

Great!

In this article, we will explore aspects of quality document management:

• Why implement a quality document system?
• When are the right moments to do it?
• How to set up this system?
• How can AirProcess help you?
• And many other exciting topics!

By the end of this article, you will have a clear view of how a quality document system can optimize your business management, strengthen information security, and improve collaboration within your teams.

So, ready to dive into this topic?

Let’s start with a definition!

1) Definition

The document management system, also called integrated document management (IDM), is an organized and sustainable arrangement.

Its main objective is to structure and oversee the entire information lifecycle within an organization.

This process encompasses several key stages:

• 1️⃣ Production: this includes the creation and receipt of documents. At this stage, documentation is generated or received for the first time within the organization.
• 2️⃣ Control and management: after their creation, documents are managed to ensure their accessibility, accuracy, and relevance.
• 3️⃣ Archiving or destruction: at the end of the cycle, documents are either retained securely for future use or destroyed if they are no longer necessary or relevant.

2) Why implement a quality document system?

1) This system enables improved operational efficiency

1. Process optimization: a quality document system standardizes and streamlines business processes.
2. Time savings: automation and centralization of documents reduce the time spent searching for and processing information.

2) Compliance and traceability

1. Standards compliance: a quality document system ensures conformity with ISO standards and other regulations, thereby maintaining quality.
2. Activity documentation: this documentation provides full traceability of actions and decisions, facilitating audits and process reviews.

3) Better information management and security

1. Data protection: secures sensitive documents and controls access rights to prevent loss and information leaks.
2. Document retention: enables effective management of the document lifecycle, from creation to archiving or destruction.

4) It facilitates collaboration and knowledge sharing

1. Collaborative work: this way of working encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing through accessible and shared document systems.
2. Information standardization: this standardization ensures that all members of the organization have the same up-to-date information.

5) A quality document system provides a competitive advantage

1. Reputation improvement: it strengthens the company’s credibility and reputation with customers and partners.
2. It meets customer requirements: it effectively addresses customers’ expectations and requirements regarding quality and performance.

3) When are the right moments to establish a quality document system?

Below are five opportune moments when you can implement your system and thus support your company’s growth.

1) At company launch

When the company is still fragile, you can already rely on these two levers.

1. Build solid foundations: from the start, establish strong bases for managing and organizing information.
2. Establish a quality culture: integrating document management into company culture from the beginning avoids late training and resistance to change.

2) During a growth phase

1. Managing increased flows: when the company experiences growth, to effectively handle the increase in documents and data.
2. Structuring: to structure and centralize information during an expansion phase.

3) When preparing for certification

1. Compliance with standards: before undergoing quality certifications like ISO, to ensure alignment with the standard’s requirements.
2. Audit and traceability: in anticipation of internal or external audits, for better traceability and documentation of processes.

4) In case of regulatory changes

The legislative and economic environment can change at any time depending on political directions.

That’s why the company must always stay alert and adapt to change.

1. Adaptation to the regulatory environment: when legislative or regulatory changes impact document management.
2. Updating procedures: to ensure the company’s processes and policies remain up to date.

5) Facing operational challenges

1. Streamlining operations: when inefficiencies or gaps are observed in current document management.
2. Continuous improvement: to strengthen efficiency and ongoing optimization of business processes.

Implementing a quality document system is a strategic approach to consider at various key moments in a company’s life to ensure effective and compliant management of information and documents.

4) How to set up a quality document system?

To ensure good quality document management, you must have a well-organized and structured document system.

Thus, this document system will allow you to centralize all documents related to quality, making them easier to access and update.

Here are some key elements to consider when implementing a quality document system:

1. Define responsibilities: designate people responsible for creating, approving, and distributing quality-related documents. These people must be trained and competent in their area of expertise.
2. Establish writing rules: to ensure document consistency, define writing and formatting rules to be followed by all employees.
3. Set up an approval process: quality documents must be approved by designated managers before being distributed to concerned parties. This business process ensures the information in documents is accurate and relevant.
4. Ensure regular document monitoring: quality document management involves constant updating of documents to account for possible changes or updates. Regular monitoring of documents, as well as appropriate archiving of obsolete versions, helps guarantee the relevance and effectiveness of the document system.

5) The quality manual

The quality manual serves as a concise guide, regularly updated, of about ten pages.

It details the organization and practices aimed at continuous improvement of user satisfaction.

This manual, essential for staff, customers, and auditors, answers key questions and serves as an internal and external communication tool.

The quality manual: describes the quality organization and strategy, and highlights improvement initiatives.

6) Processes: more than a simple procedure

Processes represent all activities, mobilizing various resources, to transform inputs into valuable outputs.

These documents, more meaningful for management, avoid administrative burden for staff.

They model activities, highlight steps and interconnections between different processes.

An ideal procedure, limited to 2 to 4 pages, clarifies how to carry out a process’s activities.

It answers the fundamental questions: who, what, where, when, why.

It relies on standards, defines the key steps of activities, assigns responsibilities, and can refer to specific operating instructions.

7) Managing procedures with AirProcess

AirProcess will be a major ally in managing business processes (BPM).

Indeed, to succeed in your document management, the flow of information must be smooth between actors at each step.

Electronic document management represents a methodology focused on modeling, analyzing, and improving business processes.

By adopting AirProcess, you can examine your existing processes, identify opportunities to increase efficiency, minimize costs and errors, while strengthening your digital transformation initiatives.

BPM is not a one-time exercise but a cycle of continuous improvement that can gradually raise your performance in your document management efforts.

How does AirProcess work?

a) Fast and effective authentication

To access the web interface of our SaaS, a username and password are the only prerequisites.

This method guarantees a secure entry while remaining simple for the user.

Depending on the rights assigned to you, you will have access to all or parts of the workflow documents.

Once logged in, your authorized users benefit from the necessary flexibility to access documents and folders, regardless of their location.

b) The internal document validation mechanism

In quality document management, the validation workflow plays a central role.

This process is designed to approve different actions performed on a document or folder.

This includes activities such as updating, creating, deleting, or moving documents.

c) Document control and security

This validation mechanism ensures that every modification or handling of a document goes through a rigorous approval process.

It guarantees the integrity and compliance of documents within the document management system, thus reducing the risk of errors and increasing the reliability of the company’s information system.

d) Example of using AirProcess

• 1️⃣ Use in an industrial setting: in an industrial context, you can use the software to manage your supplier invoices from reception through validation to final payment.
• 2️⃣ Use in a procurement department of a public administration: in a procurement department, requests often pass through multiple stakeholders before being approved. You can therefore manage your documents from the issuance of the purchase request to final approval.

e) AirProcess demo videos

However, as a video is worth a thousand words, we offer you our demo video to watch.

In this tutorial, David Grossi, the founder of AirProcess, shows you how to use the software for incident management.

By watching the tutorial, you will quickly understand how to integrate it into your document management!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tpdPXe0-xGs?feature=oembed

8) Operating instructions: the keys to document management

The operating instruction, a central element of document management, precisely illustrates how to perform a task.

It can include references to other documents, such as guidelines or traceability documents.

This document answers the questions of “how” and “with what”.

• 1️⃣ Attached to a procedure: each operating instruction is systematically linked to an existing procedure.
• 2️⃣ Task detail: it describes in detail how to successfully carry out a task.
• 3️⃣ Specification of resources: the operating instruction specifies the necessary tools and methods.

9) Records management and document control

1) The record: proof of compliance

Records demonstrate the rigorous application of procedures and operating instructions.

They symbolize the traceability of actions taken and require appropriate retention depending on their content and predefined duration.

2) Archiving and traceability

It is wise to list the records to be archived, process by process or according to chapters of the quality framework.

This list should specify their location and retention period to ensure effective document management.

3) Summary of the record

• 1️⃣ Proof of compliance: records validate adherence to procedures and operating instructions.
• 2️⃣ Retention and protection: they must allow for the retention and protection of data related to a specific action.
• 3️⃣ Linkage: a direct link to the relevant procedure or operating instruction is essential.
• 4️⃣ Organization: they can be listed in a table indicating the storage location, the responsible person, access conditions, the retention period, and the method of destruction.

4) The importance of controlling records

Controlling records is crucial for the quality system.

These documents attest to compliance with requirements and demonstrate the effectiveness of quality management.

5) Evaluation and procedure

1️⃣ Verification: It is vital to verify the effectiveness of the recording procedure against the intended objectives.

2️⃣ Documented procedure: implementing a documented procedure ensures:

• The availability of relevant versions at points of use.
• The protection of documents (paper or digital) against unauthorized access and for archiving.
• Revision, updating, and approval of documents.
• Control of changes and easier identification of documents.
• Appropriate retention and disposal.
• Management of externally sourced documented information, crucial for the quality management system.
• Protection against any alteration, especially for documents used as proof of compliance.

An optimized and meticulous quality document management is essential to ensure compliance and the effectiveness of processes within an organization.

10) Creation and distribution of quality documents

The process of creating and distributing quality documents is also an aspect to take seriously in quality document management.

It is appropriate to implement methods and tools:

Use a standardized format: to ensure document consistency, it is recommended to use a standardized format, such as PDF.

This format makes documents easier to read by the various stakeholders.

Set up an appropriate distribution system: providing quality documents should be done quickly and efficiently so that every employee can access the information they need to perform their tasks.

This can be, for example, an intranet, a collaborative platform, or an electronic document management system (EDMS).

Ensure document traceability: to guarantee the integrity of quality documents and prove their regulatory compliance, it is essential to implement a traceability system that records all actions performed on each document (creation, modification, approval, distribution, etc.).

Continuous improvement of quality document management

Beyond the creation and distribution of quality documents, the main challenge of quality document management lies in the continuous improvement of the implemented processes.

This includes in particular:

• 1️⃣ Carrying out internal and external audits to verify the compliance of documentary processes with regulatory requirements and quality standards.
• 2️⃣ Implementing performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of the document system and identify possible areas for improvement.
• 3️⃣ Continuous training of employees to develop their skills in quality document management, thereby strengthening the quality culture within the company.

11) The impact of quality document management on business success

Quality document management plays a leading role in business success at several levels:

1) Productivity improvement

By facilitating access to quality documents, the document system allows employees to save time and avoid errors related to the use of obsolete or inappropriate documents.

Consequently, the company’s productivity improves.

2) Skills optimization

Quality documentation also allows the company to capture know-how and skills.

By sharing this information, dissemination of best practices is facilitated, thus ensuring collective skill development.

3) Sales support

A company that masters its quality document management demonstrates its ability to comply with applicable standards and regulations.

This can be a real asset for sales, reassuring customers about the company’s seriousness and commitment to quality.

Ultimately, quality document management is a major issue for any company wishing to guarantee regulatory compliance and improve performance.

The processes put in place must be rigorous and adapted to ensure effective and sustainable document management.

3) Conclusion

The article emphasized the importance of quality document management in structuring and effectively supervising the information lifecycle within organizations.

It covered the essential phases of production, management, and document archiving, as well as the need to implement this system to optimize business processes, ensure standards compliance, and secure information.

Quality document management is not just an administrative practice; it represents a strategic lever for growth, operational efficiency, and competitiveness.

Have you considered the impact of a quality document system on your company?

How do you currently manage your critical information and documents?

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is a document audit?

A document audit consists of analyzing and evaluating the documentary environment within an organization.

The objective is to understand and optimize the management of archives and documents.

This audit focuses in particular on:

• 1️⃣ Analysis of the documentary environment: studies how documents are managed and organized.
• 2️⃣ Evaluation of the archiving policy: checks whether archiving methods are effective, compliant with current regulations, and suitable for the company’s needs.
• 3️⃣ Making improvement proposals: identify improvement areas for more efficient document management, taking into account business processes, data security, and information accessibility.

The document audit plays a key role in optimizing document and archive management, ensuring current practices align with the company’s objectives and requirements.

2) What are the drawbacks of documentary study?

The documentary study, despite its importance in quality document management, presents some drawbacks to consider:

• 1️⃣ Limited relevance: existing documents are not always adapted to the company’s specific issues, which can lead to discrepancies in the analysis.
• 2️⃣ Variable reliability: information contained in existing documents is not always reliable or up to date, which can affect the quality of decisions made.
• 3️⃣ Lack of customization: standard documents do not take into account the unique needs and specificities of each organization.
• 4️⃣ Potential costs: obtaining and analyzing external documents can be costly, especially for specialized studies or market data.
• 5️⃣ Complexity of exploitation: the information found may require interpretation and in-depth analysis to be useful and applicable.

In summary, while the documentary study is a useful tool in quality document management, be aware of its limits and complement this approach with other analysis and data collection methods.