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.. i18n: The importance of good document management
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.. i18n: ==========================================
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The importance of good document management
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==========================================
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.. i18n: Globalization means that workplaces are ever more geographically dispersed. This means that
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.. i18n: documents are also used more than ever by people in several
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.. i18n: countries and continents for communicating and collaborating.
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Globalization means that workplaces are ever more geographically dispersed. This means that
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documents are also used more than ever by people in several
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countries and continents for communicating and collaborating.
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.. i18n: You'll see communication problems even between employees in the same office because they don't have
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.. i18n: easy access to the documents that they need. You find some documents kept by someone in the accounts
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.. i18n: office, shared directories that serve everybody, some documents in paper form, others in electronic
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.. i18n: form – quite a free-for-all.
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You'll see communication problems even between employees in the same office because they don't have
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easy access to the documents that they need. You find some documents kept by someone in the accounts
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office, shared directories that serve everybody, some documents in paper form, others in electronic
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form – quite a free-for-all.
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.. i18n: An explosion in the number of documents that a company needs doesn't help. If their storage and
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.. i18n: indexation are badly organized, these documents become useless because they're almost impossible to
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An explosion in the number of documents that a company needs doesn't help. If their storage and
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indexation are badly organized, these documents become useless because they're almost impossible to
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.. i18n: The results of poor document management can lead to a significant loss of time. Ask yourself how
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.. i18n: often you find yourself looking for:
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The results of poor document management can lead to a significant loss of time. Ask yourself how
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often you find yourself looking for:
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.. i18n: * A supplier catalogue that's been sent to a purchasing manager,
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.. i18n: * A customer contract signed several months ago,
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.. i18n: * The final set of Terms and Conditions offered to a specific customer,
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.. i18n: * The documents required for employing a new member of staff,
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.. i18n: * An order confirmation sent by a customer to one of your salespeople or, perhaps even more common
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.. i18n: when the relevant salesperson has gone on vacation, if you ever received such an order confirmation,
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.. i18n: * A procedure from your quality manual if there's been a process fault,
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.. i18n: * An email which was sent to one of your colleagues,
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.. i18n: * A document that you need to be a template for a specific type of contract,
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.. i18n: * A complete history of communications between yourselves and a supplier about a given contract.
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* A supplier catalogue that's been sent to a purchasing manager,
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* A customer contract signed several months ago,
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* The final set of Terms and Conditions offered to a specific customer,
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* The documents required for employing a new member of staff,
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* An order confirmation sent by a customer to one of your salespeople or, perhaps even more common
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when the relevant salesperson has gone on vacation, if you ever received such an order confirmation,
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* A procedure from your quality manual if there's been a process fault,
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* An email which was sent to one of your colleagues,
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* A document that you need to be a template for a specific type of contract,
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* A complete history of communications between yourselves and a supplier about a given contract.
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.. i18n: Even worse than the loss of time, perhaps, the lack of good document management is bad for the
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.. i18n: quality of your organization and the service provided by your company. In such a company it's likely
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Even worse than the loss of time, perhaps, the lack of good document management is bad for the
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quality of your organization and the service provided by your company. In such a company it's likely
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.. i18n: * sets of documents don't follow a standard layout,
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.. i18n: * all the salespeople prepare quotations in their own way and gradually change the way they do it
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.. i18n: for themselves but not for the group,
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.. i18n: * a correction to a type of contract stays with a small group of people and doesn't percolate back
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.. i18n: into the rest of the company to benefit other users,
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.. i18n: * version management is chaotic or even non-existent.
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* sets of documents don't follow a standard layout,
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* all the salespeople prepare quotations in their own way and gradually change the way they do it
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for themselves but not for the group,
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* a correction to a type of contract stays with a small group of people and doesn't percolate back
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into the rest of the company to benefit other users,
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* version management is chaotic or even non-existent.
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.. i18n: So a good integrated document management system can be a powerful tool to help in day-to-day company
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.. i18n: management. With it you could also easily:
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So a good integrated document management system can be a powerful tool to help in day-to-day company
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management. With it you could also easily:
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.. i18n: * Continue the work started by a colleague if she's gone on vacation, and respond to her customers
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.. i18n: * Get hold of examples of all document types with just a few clicks, so that you can follow company
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.. i18n: standards in such areas as order confirmation, price requests, meeting minutes, customer
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.. i18n: deliverables, contract examples, and models for faxes and letters,
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.. i18n: * Retrieve procedures and other associated documents if you don't know how to do a certain task –
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.. i18n: such as things you should do when hiring a new employee, organizing a conference, or how to
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.. i18n: structure meeting minutes,
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.. i18n: * Very easily reuse work done by a colleague to meet similar needs and build on all the individual
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.. i18n: work done in your own company,
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.. i18n: * Find all the orders for a customer or from a supplier in just a few seconds to answer questions or
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.. i18n: two continue a discussion when the initial contact point in your company is not available,
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.. i18n: * Build on your working methods and enable your colleagues to benefit from each improvement in a
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.. i18n: document type or a procedure.
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* Continue the work started by a colleague if she's gone on vacation, and respond to her customers
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* Get hold of examples of all document types with just a few clicks, so that you can follow company
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standards in such areas as order confirmation, price requests, meeting minutes, customer
147
deliverables, contract examples, and models for faxes and letters,
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* Retrieve procedures and other associated documents if you don't know how to do a certain task –
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such as things you should do when hiring a new employee, organizing a conference, or how to
151
structure meeting minutes,
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* Very easily reuse work done by a colleague to meet similar needs and build on all the individual
154
work done in your own company,
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* Find all the orders for a customer or from a supplier in just a few seconds to answer questions or
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two continue a discussion when the initial contact point in your company is not available,
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* Build on your working methods and enable your colleagues to benefit from each improvement in a
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document type or a procedure.
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.. i18n: From these examples you can see the importance of a good document management system, and what it
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.. i18n: might contribute to the improvement of productivity and the quality of the output from each
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From these examples you can see the importance of a good document management system, and what it
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might contribute to the improvement of productivity and the quality of the output from each
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.. i18n: .. Copyright © Open Object Press. All rights reserved.
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.. Copyright © Open Object Press. All rights reserved.
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.. i18n: .. You may take electronic copy of this publication and distribute it if you don't
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.. i18n: .. change the content. You can also print a copy to be read by yourself only.
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.. You may take electronic copy of this publication and distribute it if you don't
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.. change the content. You can also print a copy to be read by yourself only.
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.. i18n: .. We have contracts with different publishers in different countries to sell and
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.. i18n: .. distribute paper or electronic based versions of this book (translated or not)
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.. i18n: .. in bookstores. This helps to distribute and promote the OpenERP product. It
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.. i18n: .. also helps us to create incentives to pay contributors and authors using author
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.. We have contracts with different publishers in different countries to sell and
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.. distribute paper or electronic based versions of this book (translated or not)
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.. in bookstores. This helps to distribute and promote the OpenERP product. It
193
.. also helps us to create incentives to pay contributors and authors using author
194
.. rights of these sales.
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.. i18n: .. Due to this, grants to translate, modify or sell this book are strictly
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.. i18n: .. forbidden, unless Tiny SPRL (representing Open Object Press) gives you a
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.. Due to this, grants to translate, modify or sell this book are strictly
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.. forbidden, unless Tiny SPRL (representing Open Object Press) gives you a
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.. written authorisation for this.
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.. i18n: .. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and suppliers to distinguish their
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.. i18n: .. products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book,
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.. i18n: .. and Open Object Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been
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.. i18n: .. printed in initial capitals.
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.. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and suppliers to distinguish their
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.. products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book,
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.. and Open Object Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been
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.. printed in initial capitals.
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.. i18n: .. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher
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.. i18n: .. and the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages
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.. i18n: .. resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
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.. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher
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.. and the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages
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.. resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
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.. i18n: .. Published by Open Object Press, Grand Rosière, Belgium
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.. Published by Open Object Press, Grand Rosière, Belgium