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September 28, 2011 at 11:05 AM
In “12 Steps to near paperless Bliss: Part I,” I addressed questions like “Should you go completely paperless?” and “What is the best equipment?” in my previous blog; to read Part I, click here. Part II focuses on the final steps in making this plan a reality.
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Personnel in Place
First decision: Can existing team members pull this off? For us, the answer was an emphatic “no!” We tasked two veterans who know our files and systems to manage the project.
But the remaining team members have jobs that need to be done. So we hired some part-time people just for this project. Kids of team members appeared. Work is good when you can get it. There is no shortage of part-time help.
Process Documented
The key documentation is how to name files. It’s a whole lot easier to thumb through a file cabinet to locate a misfiled document than it is to locate it among thousands of electronic documents.
So you have to get this part right.
In researching the issue, I found an excellent resource for you. I’ve posted it to the “Paperless Resource Page” on my other blog.
Decide on your own process. Document it, especially how you are going to name files.
Staff Trained
Once you’ve got your documentation and your people, this is not a big deal. Based on your tests (Step #3), you pretty much know what you will encounter. Your team-leader sits with your people doing file prep, scanning and file naming. Work with them until they are flawless.
File Preparation
This is the big one. To keep those scanners running eight hours a day, your scanning team should have to make as few decisions as possible. There may only be these three.
1. Which folder do I scan to?
2. Are there any loose papers that will cause a jam?
3. Single sided or duplex?
