The purpose of engineering document management is to centralize an organization’s engineering documents, drawings, and data to provide a consistent source of accurate data. This system allows for easy collaboration, ensures safety, simplifies document version control, and significantly increases ROI and efficiency.
It is easy to see the importance of such a system when the average project can result in thousands of documents to keep track of. It is especially important when each document may undergo numerous revisions as it is passed between departments and stakeholders. Without an effective system, engineers can waste many hours looking for the correct documents without success.
4 Benefits of Engineering Document Management Systems
While there are many benefits of having an engineering document management system, here are some of the biggest.
1. Increased Productivity Through Ease of Access
Using document management, you can schedule end dates for projects, as well as intermediate dates for
reviews on progress. An automated document management system makes it easy to check status updates. Documents, emails, drawings, and more can be accessed from the office or on-site. M-Files gives you an overview of everything, regardless of where they are saved.
Your team can be more productive with an automated workflow that allows them to access and share information through a single repository. This ease reduces the time required to locate documents so everyone can stay on task and meet deadlines.
2. Automated Review and Approval
When your engineering document management is automated, everything is faster, including the review and approval process. Your sales and management teams will have everything they need right when they need it. Proposals are quickly compiled, and status inquiries are verified right away.
With a shorter review and approval process, you gain an improved sales cycle. This results in better customer service and a higher ROI. The entire workflow can be monitored every step of the way, so you never have to wonder how a project is progressing. You can get an accurate update in seconds.
3. Faster Pay Cycle
How much time does your accounting department take to process paper invoices? What if you could streamline the process, so it takes a fraction of the time? Automated document management will do exactly that because invoices can be scanned and sent where you need them, immediately. Then, an automated notification can be sent to your customers when an invoice is ready for payment, shortening the entire invoice payment cycle.
You can reduce project costs by digitizing paper-intensive and manual processes. Saving time and reducing mistakes are possible when invoicing and other engineering documentation processes are automated.
4. Secure Workflows
All data is encrypted, so you can set permissions to control document access depending on role, group, project, document type, and more. This security ensures compliance and keeps sensitive data safe from accidental leaks.
How to Get the Most Out of Your System
For the most effective engineering document management system, you must ensure that the relevant people have the information they need, when they need it. To that end, there are a few things to consider.
Accurate labels: All documents should have a unique identifier, such as a document or version number. By using metadata, M-Files labels documents based on their content (customer, dates, project number, etc.), so it doesn’t matter where they are saved.
You keep one copy for each document, and what you see is always the latest version. You always have full document history for ease of compliance and auditing. At the same time, any authorized user can easily search and view any document.
Schedule dates: Each document should have a scheduled end date based on its use. You can also schedule intermediate dates for review purposes. These dates are automated, so you won’t miss any critical opportunities.
Access control: Documents should be controlled based on project requirements, and authorization can be set based on who needs each document. This ensures that documents are not modified without permission, and you have an audit trail to prove it.
Streamline Your Business
If you’re ready to streamline your business with an engineering document management system that fits your unique needs, it’s time to get in touch and book your demo. Our experts are ready to help you grow your business.
