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The automated
movement of
information
helps to
develop
trust among
employees and
make such
practices a
habit
DNB, Norway’s largest financial-
services group, provides
investment, banking, asset
management and leasing services
to private individuals and business
clients in 19 countries.
Our remit in the Quality and
Process Management Department
is to oversee improvements
to the efficiency of operational
processes and to ensure high
quality information management
with minimal consumption of time
and paper.
These goals are definitely not
easy or quickly achievable, but
the results are worth the effort –
helping DNB to save thousands of
euros and staff to spend less time
managing documents and more
time serving customers.
It is more than 10 years since we
implemented a DocLogix document
and process management system
and in that time our investment has
yielded a return on investment (ROI)
of not hundreds but thousands of
per cent.
So far, each euro invested in the
system has produced a return of
€
57 from time saved on operational
processes (automation and
optimisation) and a reduction in the
direct costs of printing and paper.
Below, I share some
observations that I hope will
encourage those who are
considering acquiring a document
and process management system
to take their first steps.
1
Make clever investments and
put your purchases to work
Investing in IT solutions that help
simplify information and document
management is a standard practice
in most companies. However,
without further actions, installing a
solution is a dead end. You do not
grow muscles by simply purchasing
costly training equipment. Tangible
benefits become visible when you
make the system work at its optimal
level by adapting it to the needs
of your company and transferring
document and information
management processes from paper
to the system. This can be achieved
only if people commit to it. Do not
expect the system to break even
straightaway: it will take a few
years, but the return on investment
will be higher if you can first identify
the processes that consume the
most time and paper, and only then
integrate them into the system.
2
Use of the system: managed by
one for the benefit of many
To improve processes must be
the goal not just of one division or
project but of everybody within an
organisation. Making it part of an
enterprise’s global and strategic
approach towards operations is the
best way to involve staff. Appointing
a person or division to take
responsibility for these matters is
essential for a successful outcome,
because then everyone will know who
to contact and whose duty it is to
assess the benefits of any initiative.
3
An independently configured
system means freedom of action
You will need the help of a
specialist (or even an entire team)
to make optimal use of the system.
We have installed a platform
with extensive opportunities for
configuration, making us almost
independent of the system
manufacturer. All we require is
occasional consultations to help
us in the development of complex
processes. The main purpose of
all these changes is to establish
a system that can ‘think’ in place
of the user. Doing this presents a
major challenge, but, speaking from
my own experience, I can assure
you that it is definitely achievable.
Process management:
clever investment returns millions
4
Start small, but don’t stop there
Small steps are a perfect way
to move forward. We started by
automating several processes at
a time, generally the least popular
ones in the organisation. Once they
were systematised, we were able
to show clear benefits to users
and win their trust, thus preparing
ourselves for the next step. After
processes are integrated into
the system, your staff will quickly
feel the benefits. The automated
movement of information helps to
develop trust among employees
and make such practices a habit.
5
Benefits are not emotions,
but facts
If you wish to change the attitudes of
staff, good intentions alone will not
suffice. Instead, you need concrete
facts to motivate employees to
move forward and discover other
possibilities that the system
offers. To see improvements, you
need to measure your situation
prior to the document managed
system implementation and
process automation. For a simple
example, consider the business trip
documentation process we have
integrated with our DocLogix system.
Steps in the business-trip
documentation process
Before
After
Application
2 mins 1 min
Transfer
2 h
–
Approval
2 mins 1 min
Transfer
2 h
–
Registration in staff department
2 mins 1 min
Archiving
2 mins
–
Expense substantiation
2 mins 1 min
Transfer
2 h
–
Management of accounting records 2 mins 2 mins
Archiving
2 mins
–
Search
2 h
2 mins
Total working time
16 mins 6 mins
Total duration
8 h
6 mins
Jurgita Juskeviciene offers advice to organisations planning to invest in a document and process management system,
based on her experience at DNB, where each euro invested in its system has produced a return of
€
57.
˙
ˆ
ˆ
Jurgita Juskeviciene,
Head of the Quality
and Process
Management
Department,
DNB Bank
˙
ˆ ˆ
