You say document management, I hear business processes

I hear so many people talking about document management system. I hear how document management systems are going to save people time and money. I hear that by getting our processes paperless, that we are going to suddenly see an extreme ROI for our efforts.

Baloney.

A document management system will not end all the woes of an organization. Just because you make changes in your office and start conducting business with electronic documents doesn't mean that you are suddenly going to see an incredible increase in productivity and a sudden decrease in cost of doing business. In my opinion, what businesses actually lack is an understanding of how to conduct business efficiently and effectively.

Many IT professionals that are saddled with the task of implementing a document management systems don't understand the business problems that their organizations run into... oh there are those that do, so don't stone me yet. I think that a good IT professional will understand the databases and understand how the software will work, but they won't always understand the business case. In the end, the IT professional's opinion on the system is invaluable, but only from an IT perspective. If the company needs something from a technical perspective, the IT professional needs a say.

The business leaders are the people that need to make a decision about a document management system. If you want a positive ROI, make sure that you analyze first and move second. Don't change for the sake of change or you will find the need to change again in the near future. Be smart about the ROI. If you can see an ROI in less than six months, you may not be getting enough to improve your situation.

If you see an ROI that is greater than 36 months, it may not make sense to move on anything. It is not a document management system that will save you time, effort and money. It is the business process enhancement behind the system that will make a world of difference. Make sure that who ever helps you through the process understands your business better than they understand their product.