Kick Start your ECM project with the Human Resources Department

Everyone from the janitor to the CIO of any company or organization has to go through similar things involving HR:

• Applying for a job 
• Submitting to a background check 
• Filling out tax and insurance forms 
• Taking vacations 
• Handling performance reviews

All of these processes typically involve a cruel amount of paperwork and have ingrained, often outdated processes that drive them. As you look to expand and grow (or start up) your content and records management plan, the HR department is always a safe bet.

What do almost all HR process have in common? Paper forms. Loads and loads of ugly, long, confusing paper forms that must be filled out and updated. Do you need to fill out a timecard? Here use this form. Oh, need to request time off to attend a conference? Use THIS form. Am I tugging any painful strings yet?

As end users, we encounter these forms infrequently enough that they are a mild inconvenience. For the HR department and the staff, a majority of their time is spent processing, tracking, and handling the forms and paperwork that we all create!

So here is my summer advice in between your BBQ’s and fireworks- think about how you can use your existing ECM system to handle the workflow for things like sign offs and approvals. Plan on eliminating the actual paper HR forms with electronic forms, and consider how you can integrate everything into your existing HR system to reduce duplication of information and manual data entry.

For more information on how other organizations have done this, visit www.lincware.com and sign up for a free webinar, or leave a comment, I'd be happy to hear your ideas.