Directum implementation project in JSC KZTA is complete

The Akelon company started at the end of 2014 a DIRECTUM ESM-system implementation project at the Kaluga plant of the cable equipment – one of the dynamic developing enterprises of the Kaluga region. In 4.5 months it is going to automate document flow in all divisions of the plant, to provide user training and system administrators.

With arrival of the new management at the enterprise there was a need of creation of modern Business Process Management Suite. The choice of the supplier was performed on a competitive basis in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The implementation project started in November, 2014, its main objective – to automate work with all internal documentation, archives of correspondence, agreements, approval processes (agreements, accounts, workflows). Project implementation will be enabled using Basic system modules of DIRECTUM, "Classical office-work", Contract management. The certified teachers of Akelon will acquaint users using a system already implemented and adapted to work and also will hold 2 seminars for heads and other users.

In May, 2015 Akelon and JSC Kaluga Plant of the Cable Equipment announced project completion of system implementation of electronic document management and interaction management on the DIRECTUM.V ramkah platform of the project processes of work with the entering, outgoing, organizational and administrative documentation, memos and also contractual documents are automated. Special attention during the project was paid to formalization and optimization of key business processes, creation of the common information space within the DIRECTUM system providing routing and storage of electronic documents.

Situation

Until system implementation it was possible to select a number of key problems which employees faced in the course of work:

• Business processes under approval were insufficiently transparent that did not allow company management to control and estimate quickly a condition of works of time at the moment.
• There were problems in connection with possible loss of documents. In case of loss, the document had to be printed and approved with all participants again since to recover the history of work with documents it was impracticable. At the same time loss of the agreement could entail certain sanctions, in connection with untimely agreement signature by the parties and the beginning of works on it.
• A lot of time was required on data retrievals since often the document was stored in each division in paper form in this connection there was no computer-assisted retrieval on document attributes (search was performed manually according to paper magazines of registration).
• Interaction between the staff of the enterprise is poorly developed and, respectively, there were difficulties with timely exchange of up-to-date information. There was no universal method of mailing of documents on the plant therefore a part of employees used internal e-mail, sending the document for acquaintance directly to addressees, a part through clerks in divisions, a part of employees delivered documents personally.
• Approval of documents was conducted exclusively in paper form therefore every time at making changes in the document it was reprinted and was repeatedly approved.

As the control block and the production block are in different buildings, approval of documents in paper form was complicated by remoteness and unavailability of employees, responsible for approval.

High costs for supplies since documents in the course of approval and execution were reprinted and x-copied several times were observed.

The management of KZTA was faced by a task to create a common information space for storage and exchange of documents, to increase efficiency of the enterprise due to formalization and business process optimization and also reducing costs of supplies. Besides, it was required to reach increase in level of performing discipline of employees and speed of accomplishment of tasks.

Selection

Considering the above factors, the company management made the decision on need of system implementation of electronic document management.

In the spring of 2014 at the request of KZTA the staff of Akelon company carried out the preproject express analysis during which the main problem places in the organization of work of employees were revealed and also requirements to future system are formulated. Acceleration and simplification of process of approval, ensuring transparency of business processes and an opportunity to create different data samplings of a system for quality control of work of employees were one of key requirements of the management. It was required to provide version control of documents, fast attributive data retrieval in storage, to increase safety of documents and to exclude their losses in the course of approval.

For the management of KZTA it was important to receive at basic implementation a multifunction, full-fledged system which does not require considerable completions and which is the simplest for developing and supporting in the future, gradually increasing functionality.

In the fall of 2014 a competition at choice of the company contractor and a system was held. Based on the competitive procedure the victory was won by Akelon company, and the technology platform for automation selected the DIRECTUM system. Existence of the status of the general partner of DIRECTUM and also rich experience of system implementation of DIRECTUM in large industrial enterprises, similar in structure, became key plus when choosing Akelon company as the contractor. Existence of library of ready-made solutions and practices in this sphere, in particular ready-made solutions on Classical Office-work and Contract management blocks was the important factor which influenced decision-making for benefit of the DIRECTUM system.

From KZTA serious restrictions on cost and project deadlines were shown. All project needed to be implemented in 4 months.

Task analysis

During the project specialists of Akelon company should implement the following functional requirements:

• investigate, describe and structure business processes of the company;
• provide reduction of paper document flow and costs for supplies;
• create a common information space for storage of all documentation created in the course of work;
• provide version control of documents and storage of history of work with documents;
• develop mechanisms of interaction between the staff of the company in the course of work on documentation with an accurate regulation of completion dates of assigned tasks;
• provide quick search of data on different attributes;
• automate, accelerate and regulate business processes of work with incoming correspondence, organizational and administrative documentation, memos, outgoing and contractual documents;
• enter the electronic signature;
• provide the automatic timely notification of users about existence of new tasks using email notifications;
• provide access to a system through Internet;
• execute loading of an organization structure of the company and base of partners of the accounting system;
• provide system user training;
• develop a complex of all necessary instructions for correct work of users in a system.

Platform

DIRECTUM is the electronic document management system and interaction managements aimed at increase in efficiency of all staff of the organization in different areas of their joint activity.

The DIRECTUM system corresponds to the concept of ECM (EnterpriseContentManagement) and supports complete lifecycle of management of documents. The organization and control of business processes on the basis of workflow, a support on the Russian standards in the field of office-work, development of business solutions, ready to application, continuous improvement of technologies and partnership with the leading developers and integrators guarantee the maximum effect of system implementation of DIRECTUM.

Work in DIRECTUM using different mobile devices allows to provide business continuity and to give to the user an opportunity of comfortable work with documents and data of a system regardless of location or the used technologies.

Solution

During the project the following business solutions were implemented:

• Classical office-work;
• Contract management.

Work with incoming documents The standard route "by KZTA was developed for automation of work with incoming correspondence. Consideration of the incoming document".

The entering SRCs

After receipt of the incoming document the clerk creates for it a registration and control card (further SRC) then the registration number in the set format is automatically assigned to the document. Further brings the scanned electronic document in a system and on this step the work with the document in paper form is, as a rule, completed.

The registrar of incoming documents specifies in SRC of the employees responsible for consideration of the document and sends it along a standard route. For convenience of users in the text of a task participants of process – addressees, data on whom come from the entering SRC, automatically register.

Using the developed standard route on consideration of incoming documents to all employees specified the task for consideration of the document goes to SRC as addressees.

The specifics of work of public institutions assume vertical consideration of documents. Therefore the incoming document at first should arrive for consideration to the top management which by means of pronouncement of the resolution delegate works for heads of divisions.

Consideration of the document

As the operating procedure with the documents which arrived for consideration to the top management and heads of divisions differs, in a standard route on consideration of incoming documents is automatically calculated what level the head is specified as the addressee according to the document and further the document goes on the necessary branch of a route. For the documents sent for consideration to the top management check by the head of the secretariat and a stage of creation of instructions under the resolution is provided. For documents which the head of department should consider the procedure comes down to the fact that formal instructions are not created and the mechanism of tasks tasks, standard for DIRECTUM, is used. Besides, for delegation of works as the subordinate heads of divisions use the mechanism of subtasks now.

Thus, the standard route covers the maximum quantity of possible options of work with incoming documents, but at the same time does not impose restrictions. Also the scenario of work with documents which are routed to heads live at meetings or negotiations is considered. In this case the clerk needs to create the electronic document in a system already with the resolution and at once to send order under the resolution for execution, having passed a stage of consideration of the document in electronic form.

Work with instructions

Much attention was paid to work with instructions and control of their execution. To system implementation of DIRECTUM accounting of all instructions issued by the top management of KZTA was made in the auxiliary routine which functionality allowed to do only marks about the fact of issue of existence of order (marks about closing treated manually controllers after the oral report of contractors on execution of works), at the same time orders of heads of divisions were not fixed anywhere. Now all work on execution of instructions and their control is transferred to the DIRECTUM system.

For the organization of work with instructions in the DIRECTUM system the standard standard route "Execution of instructions on SRC" is used. Additional training for the staff of the Secretariat in which special attention was paid to work with reports on control of execution of instructions and also data filtering methods in the reference book "Instructions on SRC" for their unloading in the MS Excel was provided.

For effective work with reports the separate instruction for the management with the description of the most convenient and informative reports on control of execution of instructions was written.

Work with outgoing documents

The standard route for review and works with outgoing letters is developed for automation of work with the documents sent from KZTA to the external organizations. By means of a route process of approval, signing and preparation of outgoing documents for sending is automated.

Approval

Feature of implementation of this process is the convenience of filling of parameters of a standard route. When choosing a route a number of parameters, the majority of which are autocompleted, is requested from the user. For example, on an organization structure the head of department is found, the address for sending depending on the addressee of the receiver who is specified in a card of the outgoing letter is filled.

Besides, checks which do not allow users to send the document for signing to the CEO without visa of the head of department are added. Conditions of determination of places of registration for documents (The secretariat or any structural division) were defined. These checks allow to arrange process in general and to provide registration of especially important outgoing documents in office. Depending on parameter values of a route the registrar (the employee of office or the clerk of division) and the sender of the letter is found. By analogy with work on incoming documents in the text of a task all participants of process and other parameters of a route register.

Work with organizational and administrative documents

Work with ORD was automated using a special standard route. The route provides different options of work with orders, orders and personnel orders.

Within passing of a standard route there is a preparation, approval and the statement of ORD. At the same time for each document type there are the specifics of passing of a route. Depending on the document type (the order on primary activity, the order, the personnel order) sent for approval registrars are calculated. If to signers of ORD the CEO or his deputy is, then check by the head of the Secretariat is added to a route. At start of a task the initiator can specify how there can be an approval of ORD: consistently or in parallel.

Important feature of all standard routes developed for KZTA is their flexibility. After completion of the document by the initiator and also at approval by the head of department or head of the Secretariat there is reargument solicitation of a standard route. What allows to change the scenario of work with the document, if necessary. If after a rerequest any parameters were changed, the text of a task completely is rewritten with current meanings.

The report "The sheet of approval" which allows to exclude circulation of the paper document is developed for confirmation of the fact of approval of the document. The original document appears only in an endpoint of a route? at a signing stage.

Work with memos

Memos are the most frequent and popular method of information exchange in KZTA. Practically each employee can initiate process of consideration of the memo. For ensuring convenience of users the standard route was developed for the direction of the memo for consideration.

In a route the restriction prohibiting to ordinary users to send the document for consideration to the CEO or his deputy without visa of the direct head is put.

For memos at which as addressees heads of the highest level are specified, the stage of registration and creation of instructions is added. If an addressee according to the memo is the head of department, then the document goes along the reduced route, not including recording unit and creations of instructions, and for memos addressed to the top management registration procedure and considerations of documents with the subsequent design of instructions, their execution and control is on the contrary activated. For delegation of works heads of divisions use the mechanism of subtasks now. The listed calculations are performed depending on a parameter value Addressees which the user fills before start of a task.

Work with contractual documents The designed and developed solution automating a contracted work differs in bigger flexibility and advanced functionality in comparison with standard opportunities of the module "Contract management" DIRECTUM.

Contracted work at the plant is carried out on a set of different scenarios, each of which needed to be considered at design.

Process of work on agreements in KZTA can include several stages, basic of which:

• creation of the document;
• preliminary parallel consideration of the document by the approving employees;
• main approval and vising of the document;
• completion of the document (at emergence of notes);
• selection of the supplier and holding a procurement procedure (if it is necessary to carry out the competitive procedure);
• signing from KZTA;
• signing from the partner;
• registration in the register;
• the notification of the interested participants on the signing fact.

Approval of the agreement

The feature of work with agreements at the enterprise is that on the majority of agreements the partner is initially unknown. Therefore the staff of contract department should carry out at first a procurement procedure and only after that specify details of the partner in the agreement. Depending on value of sign "Selection of the supplier" in an agreement card is added to a standard route a stage of approval by the specialist of contract department and also a stage of holding a procurement procedure.

Depending on the category specified in a card of the agreement the attorney in charge and the signer of the agreement are found main approving. In case of approval of the non-standard agreement, the initiator can add additional approving.

All participants of process register in the text of a task and can be changed at completion of the document by the initiator.

If necessary the initiator of the agreement can add a stage of prior approval at which the lawyer, the head of department and approving watch the agreement before appending electronic signatures. The present possibility helps to reduce approval process as in the presence of notes changes can be made in the current unsigned version, and further it will not be required to return the agreement on completion.

Besides, the route allows to consider all possible options of work with the agreement: when the ready agreement came from the partner when the agreement prepares in KZTA when the agreement should be signed with the first from the partner and when the first the agreement should be the signer from KZTA.

• Data loading from the accounting system and notification settings
• Mailing of notifications

Before work of users in a system loading of an organization structure of the company from the accounting system was made. Data for reference books "Workers", "Positions" and "Divisions" were imported. For accomplishment of such loading the scenario "Import of Data from External Systems" existing in DIRECTUM was used, and within the project the detailed instruction on data preparation for loading was prepared.

The same way, by means of the scenario on data loading, in DIRECTUM the base of partners consisting of 8500 records was created.

For increase in convenience of users using the standard scenario of a system mailing of notifications on e-mail is configured. If work of the employee is directly not connected with work in a system, and he does not come into it daily, then he can quickly obtain information on new unread tasks and always be aware of all performed works. In the incoming letter the reference according to which the user can pass to the necessary task at once is contained, without starting at the same time manually the DIRECTUM system.

Results

On project deliverables of implementation KZTA received the solution capable to satisfy to the current and perspective demands of the organization. Users received the tool allowing to reduce time for search of relevant documentation due to implementation of electronic archive which provides itself(himself) a common information space for the centralized access to documentation. Process of work became faster, structured and clear.

The management had an opportunity to trace a status of works at any moment, to control task performance by the subordinates and with ease to plan their optimal loading.

Staff of Akelon company conducted a detailed research of business processes of the enterprise, offered options of their optimization taking into account features of activity of KZTA. Together with the working group of KZTA the mechanisms allowing to automate basic processes of work with documentation were designed.

Feature of this project participation of employees from Samara and Moscow was important. The majority of works was carried out far off. Practically for the entire period of trial operation presence of consultants on the platform KZTA in Kaluga was provided, and in the remained time there were remote consultations and support.

During the project it was trained on full courses "Basic modules", "Classical office-work" and Contract management and 8 key staff of KZTA and 1 administrator are certified. Also more than 5 group seminars were held and also a large number of individual consultations is rendered.

In a type of features of the internal organization and the raised security system at the defense enterprise at a stage of trial operation the working group of the project faced some difficulties (primech. documents on military appointment require partial vising by employees in paper form), but despite them, the positive effect from implementation was reached.

Duration of trial operation of a system was 4 weeks, however on the first week Akelon's employees received a large number of comments on system operation that allowed to perform necessary tunings in some processes in a system for increase in efficiency.

At the time of project completion in a system 927 users were registered, the 4414th document is created and it is sent the 9114th tasks. Loading of an organization structure and the reference book by partners from the accounting system is made. Data on employees are gradually filled out, photos and phone numbers are added that also facilitates interaction on large enterprise. For filling of all reference books of a system responsibles are appointed. And in department of information technologies the hot line for support of the user of a system is created, regular seminars on a system are held.

Steady positive dynamics on use of a system is observed from the moment of its transfer to trial operation.

Prospects

The management of KZTA is interested in further development of a system. Negotiations on expansion of systems capabilities which will cover new documents and processes are already now conducted.

Accumulation of the existing functionality is going to be performed more at the expense of own specialists of the company, at the same time for the solution of separate tasks employee involvement of Akelon company is possible.

There are plans for increase in number of the used licenses for more comfortable work of staff of the enterprise.