The best part of having a garden is reaping the rewards of your harvest this time of year. For my family, this includes essentials for making homemade Salsa, which means lots of tomatoes, green peppers and jalapenos. Getting the right ingredients is only part of the equation, you also need to have the right recipe, including measurements and cooking times. The same thing is true for assembling a document management system.
There are many elements that make up a document management system: capture software, document management and workflow components, integration connectors, analytic tools and a healthy understanding of how to make it all work. For our company that means using best of breed products such as PSIGEN Software and FileBound Enterprise Workflow. But just as making the perfect salsa requires preparation and a good cook, so does putting together a successful document management solution.
Let’s begin with the preparation. The first thing you need to do is understand your processes, and how your people interact with those processes. Never put the technology first. Begin by documenting your current workflow so that you have a foundation from which to build your system. Next, work through your wants and needs creating a future state. This is ultimately what your finished system will look like and how it should perform. This is a critical step. One that takes time and considerable research. All organizations have their unique processes and rules. Incorporating them into the solution is essential. For us it is the most valuable service we can offer a client. An outside, independent view on how an organization makes decisions and routes information. Once you complete this phase it is time to move on to the next.
Selecting your software components. As I previously mentioned, we source best of breed products like PSIGEN and FileBound. Just like using freshly picked tomatoes and peppers from the garden, selecting the proper software that has the ability to work seamlessly together makes all the difference. Now it is time for the cook to get working.
If you are not familiar with how to integrate the software, and incorporate your current state needs into the solution, then it is time to bring in the right chef. As with any profession, chefs are not created equally, and neither are document management integrators. Choose wisely here as the success of your solution will be determined by whom you select. You not only need someone with a proven track record, but also someone you trust and can build a long-term relationship with. The reseller you choose will incorporate the planning, and ingredients to cook you up a solution that will fill your needs today and provide the structure for growth in the future.
So there you have it, how making salsa is like putting together a document management system. I realize that I am a little biased to certain products and procedures, but ultimately your taste buds will decide what is best. To get you going with the salsa, I am sharing our family recipe below.
Arnston Salsa Recipe
22 medium tomatoes diced
5 medium onions diced
5 jalapeno peppers diced
2 green bell peppers diced
5 cloves of garlic minced (or use jar variety)
1/4 cup of salt
12 oz. tomato paste
1 cup sweet cider vinegar
Place ingredients into large pot
Cook on medium high flame until boiling stirring often
Fill sterilized mason jars storing upside down until salsa cools
Enjoy
Jack Arnston is a Principal at The Priton Group. He can be reached at jarnston@pritongroup.com.
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