eDocs project promises improved electronic documents management
A major initiative is underway to standardize the way Concordia faculty and staff organize, store and share their electronic documents. The institutional project, called eDocs, is sponsored by Vice-President of Development and External Relations and Secretary-General Bram Freedman and led by the Records Management and Archives Department (RMAD).
eDocs will provide a unified document repository and allow Concordia to efficiently manage the volume of digital information being produced every day. “The idea is to provide the university with one way of filing, organizing and retaining documents,” says RMAD Director Marie-Pierre Aubé.
Aubé explains that the project is designed to support one of the university’s 2009-14 Strategic Framework pillars, which is to achieve best practices in administration. “This will go a long way toward improving our overall efficiency as an institution,” she says.
The eDocs project will introduce an enterprise content management software called Documentum, already used by the Faculty of Arts and Science’s administration and Concordia’s Admissions Office.
“Instead of saving your documents on your C: drive, or using cloud solutions such as Dropbox, Documentum will provide everyone with a safe and secure place to store their documents,” Aubé says. “There will be backups, and it will eventually be accessible on mobile devices as well.”
Documentum’s other features include file security, versioning functionalities — which allow users to see who is currently modifying the latest version of a document — and an enhanced search engine that helps users locate documents in a timely manner.
All electronic documents saved on Documentum will be organized according to the Records Classification and Retention Plan (RCRP), introduced to Concordia’s faculty and staff last fall. The RCRP is a system of guidelines to control, organize and reduce the volume of information retained by the university. It is designed to make documents and records retrievable at any time, while reducing costs.
The first phase of the eDocs project, which includes mandatory training sessions, is already underway. Implementation of Documentum will begin this summer for the following units:
• Financial Services
• Instructional and Information Technology Services
• Office of the President
• Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs
• Office of the Vice-President, Services
• Office of the Vice-President, Development and External Relations and Secretary-General
The RMAD will designate a staff member to help each unit adjust to using Documentum and the RCRP. As well, the RMAD team will conduct regular reviews to ensure that the changeover goes smoothly.
The second phase of the eDocs project, slated to begin this winter, will focus on automating and optimizing various processes at the university. “It will be possible to create electronic forms in Documentum and automate the approval process, as is now done by the university’s Purchasing Services for web requisitions,” Aubé says.
The eDocs project is designed to complement another major project currently underway at the university: the new Web Content Management System (WCMS), which includes a new intranet for faculty and staff that will be launched August 5.
“The eDocs project team has been working closely with the intranet project team to coordinate their efforts and ensure that the two projects don’t interfere with each other,” Aubé says.
Related links:
• Records Management and Archives Department
• Best Practices for Organizing Electronic Documents
• Electronic Documents Naming Guidelines
• Records Classification and Retention Plan
• WCMS project