EOS Group: Automated workplace of the Head

For the last few years mobile devices finally affirmed as the status of the obligatory and necessary tool for daily work. According to different data, sales volumes of tablet computers evened out or exceeded the corresponding indicators for notebooks. Implementation of tools for mobile work allows, at the correct use, to considerably raise an information exchange rate and efficiency of both individual employees, and the organization in general.

One of the most demanded scopes of mobile devices is expected there was a mobile work with the electronic document management systems (EDMS) on which questions of providing, relying on examination of EOS Group company and experiment on mobile application development, we also will stop in this material. It is obvious that, from the point of view of the user, work with any mobile device differs from like that on traditional full-size computers a little, there are in it advantages and the restrictions. Moreover, in a case with mobile work with EDMS it is possible to say that thanks to distribution of tablet devices the circle of users of workflow systems often extends at the expense of the heads who were not earlier directly involved in work on documents in electronic form. So, creation of effective mobile application for EDMS requires first of all detailed understanding of basic needs and standard scenarios of mobile work with documents.

Tasks

If attentively to study participation of the head in traditional document flow, then in most cases consideration of the arrived document and pronouncement of the resolution will be the most typical action. It is also possible to notice that depending on specifics of work it is, as a rule, easy to select a set of the standard, most often used resolutions on documents. In many cases before the document gets on a table (to be exact — now on the tablet) to the head for consideration, he is studied previously by assistants and reviewers, complemented analytical with materials and/or the prepared draft resolutions.

The following typical scenario of work of the head with documents is an approval or vising. Here, as a rule, in addition to the most considered draft document the head needs the relevant analytical information. Besides, an opportunity to add comments and notes in the considered text is necessary.

Also in EDMS it is possible to refer signing or document approval, issue of initiative resolutions and control of execution of instructions to the most demanded scenarios of work of the head.

Separate and very important requirements for the applications ensuring mobile functioning of the head with documents are worked also the intuitive interface and also security of transmitted data. Besides, the opportunity for work with received to documents in offline mode when an Internet access or internal network is absent is rather demanded.

Mobile solutions

The EOS Group company submitted the first version of mobile application of 'an automated workplace of the Head' on the Windows platform 7 two years ago. In the application all listed scenarios of work were implemented. Special attention was paid to the interface and convenience of using — except the traditional modes of work possibilities of hand-written input and work with voice resolutions were provided in the application. Thus, the users of 'an automated workplace of the Head' who were earlier dealing only with paper documents had an opportunity of simple and evident work in the workflow system, without need to spend time for studying of the interface and its opportunities. More advanced users appreciated all advantages of work with documents in any place and at any time — operational editing draft documents, adding of comments, issues of instructions and tracking of their execution using simple and the intuitive interface. The successful operating experience of 'an automated workplace of the Head' in the most different organizations validated the selected direction.

In 2012, to an official release of the new Windows 8 operating system, we submitted essentially new version Automated Workplace of the Head combining in itself the saved-up examination on mobile work with documents and qualitatively new opportunities given by the Windows platform 8. The design of a new 'automated workplace of the Head' is executed in style of applications Metro. Use in 'the automated workplace of the Head' the options 'semantic zoom' allows to scale an application interface and to select the necessary detail level of representations of document groups, from shared folders to information on the specific document. Also function of any grouping of documents on different attributes, for example the author of the document, completion dates, necessary actions (consideration, approval, signing, etc.) is provided. Almost new intuitive interface 'Automated Workplace of the Head' for Windows 8 allows to create own, most convenient visual space for the specific user organizing access to documents and standard transactions over them.

Also the line of mobile applications offered EOS Group for tablet devices of Apple company extends. Recently along with solutions of the partner companies us was own development, the received name iEOS is provided. The distinctive feature of this product consists that the application was initially programed proceeding from understanding of the state and commercial organizations of processes of electronic document management which developed in the majority. In iEOS are implemented, just as in 'the automated workplace of the Head', all typical scenarios of mobile work with documents: consideration, approval, signing, obtaining information on execution of instructions. The application interface intentionally does not differ in brightness of buttons and screens, we tried to make it the most clear and at the same time imperceptible that the user could focus completely on the considered document and not be distracted by interface parts.

Thus, today mobile solutions of EOS Group company allow to provide all necessary functionality for convenient, reliable and effective work with documents practically on any mobile device using any of relevant mobile platforms.