The principle of "one window" in management of technical documentation

Since ancient times accumulation of knowledge and also a possibility of their regular use was a priority of the developed civilizations. In Greece, the Roman Empire improbable architectural complexes were built, many constructions remained up to now. Certainly, architects of those years were guided by drawings and plans which resembled a little modern, but the aspiration to standardization and unification arose then. Cases when the found drawings helped with restoration of objects are known.

Today big archives of technical documentation of industrial enterprises and the project organizations – regulation. Eventually work with a drawing table gave way to a CAD. New developments appear already in electronic form, but paper did not lose the value. Originals are still given in archive: documents are printed, subscribe and go to storage. All changes in projects are made out on paper. At the enterprises there is a real need for the regular appeal to paper archive.

Why automation is necessary

There are several reasons inducing to implement electronic archives and to automate processes of management of technical documentation. In addition to a high probability of irrevocable loss of documents and also questions lying in the economic plane, connected with need of cost reduction on the maintenance of premises due to minimization of addressing documents, centralization and abolition of the scattered archives of divisions.

The main reason – low access rate and inconvenience of use of information, and as in paper, and in electronic form. Here an important factor is not only the complexity of finding of the document in paper archive, but also difficulty of the subsequent work – lack of a possibility of receiving to the consolidated and comprehensive project information or the object reflected in documentation if like that is required. In other words neither the paper archive, nor all range of information systems functioning at the modern enterprises can provide online access to all necessary documents and projects from uniform point of entry. All this negatively affects efficiency of production processes, increases labor costs and labor input of accomplishment of tasks. Especially, discording with the slogans of digitalization and approach of the Industry 4.0.

Solution

Specialized IT solutions: CAD/ CAM PDMPLM,/ ERP EDMS, each of which executes certainly the important, but isolated function, after all are the separate systems with own content, structure and users. In such situation to address end-to-end search and to find selection of information necessary to you it is not possible – she should be collected step by step. There is not enough additional program layer – a link for the interaction of the applied systems and the saved-up documentary fund working by the principle of "one window". business processes Platforms of a class become such connector which could integrate archive documents of development, the reference information and even more often ECM (Enterprise content management).

Today service - the focused ECM offer users a set of functional modules from which, as in the designer, this or that solution gathers. Such approach allows to take only necessary, and in the future, at emergence of requirements, always to have an opportunity without serious consequences to scale the solution. As modules services of storage and management of documents are available, to business process automation (BPM), scanning and recognition, ready integration connectors to different software products (SAP, 1C, TeamCenter, etc.) and many other things.

At the expense of it the ECM platform solves a set of problems of the enterprise: from workflow automation and implementation of electronic archive to the organization of joint work of project teams and automation of accounting of paper documents.

What to begin with

The basis is an increase in availability of information. The situation at which to receive the document it is necessary to come for it in archive looks, in general, stalemate. And matter that similar approach in terms of technologies available today is archaic. Storage of originals of documents and the address to them only in exclusive situations – yes. Regular work – is not present.

Imagine, you address the stock record book, find the necessary number, then take the folder and look for the necessary document there. You can not find it. If changes were made, then the accession number got at primary registration not necessarily matches number assigned after change. Then you need to resort to the book of registration of notifications on change. What is the time it will borrow? In addition in a work progress the project control list, a personal card of the responsible, technical specifications and a lot of things still can be necessary for you.

Therefore it is more reasonable to begin with system implementation of electronic archive. That all necessary information was always "near at hand" and became available "in one click".

The electronic archive will store registers of projects, including necessary details and documents. Crosstalk coupling between all units involved in technical document flow will be organized: for example, from an electronic card of the project it is possible to address any forms of accounting of technical documentation (inv. book, book of notifications, book of registration, etc.), to sheets, correspondences. And also to lists and personal cards of employees and, of course, to browse any of documents of the project in electronic form.

Filling of a system of electronic archive will be organized by two methods – one-time volley input of retrofund, most often using the order of services of digitization of demanded number of paper archive and also regular digitization by own forces for the current replenishment of a system. And transfer of the data existing in electronic form: handbook data, projects and drawings, documents and other information from the accounting and specialized systems, file storages and workflow systems.

Certainly, electronic cards, structure of communications and screen forms are developed individually taking into account specifics of documents, organization activity and the requirements set by the project. The electronic archive can have several independent sections, include both design, and project and estimate, and any other documentation. For each of them the structure is built and own principles of storage are defined. The electronic archive constructed on the basis of the industrial ECM platform is capable to store the unlimited volume of content and any file formats (dwg, Tiff, PDF, Jpeg, Xml, video/audio, etc.), and the built-in preview players give the chance to work with documents without installing additional applications. Meanwhile, modern ECM with the full-function web client completely lift any territorial limits connected with access to documents and data.

The following aspect is security and the invariance of information. The ECM platform allows to exclude risks of unauthorized access, theft or removal of information. All data are stored in own ciphered format which cannot be opened from the outside. The role model of access to documents and sections of a system according to an organization structure and powers of employees is configured. If necessary the model of bans extends to the level of documents or a certain segment of the document (for example, concealment of a stamp of the drawing for the selected employee categories). General audit of actions is conducted, the version control mechanism is used – any changes are traced and added as the new version.

Formation of "one window"

Integration of electronic archive with profile IT systems of the enterprise is necessary for final formation of "single window". Integration is configured regarding synchronization of the reference information and establishment of interrelations between the objects stored in electronic archive and the profile systems. Structurally – it looks as connection to uniform electronic archive based on ECM of all systems involved in business processes of the enterprise where this or that productive activity is executed.

As a result specialists, working in usual interfaces, can get from own systems access to data and objects in electronic archive: the scan copies of documents, to drawings in an electron a type, etc. And vice versa in uniform electronic archive to address the consolidated information collected from external systems.

It is necessary to automate processes. At the enterprises there are a lot of business processes connected with project management and technical documentation which are not effective or accurately are not regulated. The developed BPM functions (business process management) in modern ECM platforms allow to unify and optimize work practically of all divisions of the enterprise, including within holding structure.

It is possible to automate processes step by step, for example, having begun with archive service. Having transferred to an electronic form of the procedure of document transfer in archive, a topografirovaniye of archive depositories, accounting of use and issue of documents and other functions of archive storage. And organized in the form of the mixed accounting of sets of electronic and paper documents. And having finished with creation of services for joint work of project teams with a possibility of providing the regulated remote access to necessary sections and documents in electronic form to external partners and designers. With functions of collective approval of projects, discussions of developments and editing documents.

The final solution is the uniform corporate ECM platform providing the consolidated access to all variety of the technical information of the enterprise, quick search and reliable document storages. A system allows to automate processes of approval and providing access to projects and information, to regulate accounting procedures of archive service, including helping to reduce operating costs of paper archive.

Material is prepared on the basis of experience of the implemented projects in the industry and energy industry based on domestic ECM and BPM of the ELAR Context platform (register of domestic software reg. No. 4144, it is certified FSTEC, has a number of partner certificates and the developed connectors for integration with 1C/SAP, PDM/CAD, supports E-DOCUMENT FLOW SKID EDS and so forth)