A large part of the information available is unstructured and contained in a huge variety of formats. Document management - which is becoming a standard fixture of IT infrastructures - focuses on precisely this information. The end-user is typically not aware that his or her application already contains DMS functions such as archiving, research, document administration or workflow. This is not to say that the related requirements or fulfilment thereof have become less crucial or less complicated. On the contrary: information has become a key production factor in the wake of e-business and sophisticated Internet technologies.

With the advent of IT systems and their ever-broadening functional scope, more documents are electronically produced - the content of which is gaining in significance. In other words, the approach is no longer document-oriented but content-oriented. Technical aspects such as document format are no longer decisive; rather, information-related criteria such as content or discourse-related matters, author, recipient, version, etc are key. This development is further reflected in new paradigms of document management, which is merging with pioneering Internet technologies to become enterprise content management.

Typical application scenarios in the process industry

Companies in the process industry are subject to increasingly tough global competition. In order to stay ahead, they need to efficiently develop and manufacture new products. Along the value chain, DMS can be used in the following scenarios:

* R&D.

* Approval of new substances or products.

* Building and plant design.

For the research and development of new products, a large team of highly qualified specialists from various disciplines cooperate on a task over an extended period of time. Depending on the enterprise structure and number of offices, team members may be based in different locations; generally, external partners are brought in for certain phases as well. The success of these projects depends on efficient communication and exchange of the proper information. In order for this system to function, there must be an enterprise-wide repository with distributed access rights. As research is highly sensitive, ie concerns confidential company information, there must be a dedicated security feature based on an authorisation concept and restricted access system. These requirements are all the more crucial when Internet technologies and thus decentralised workstations, some of which are outside of the company network, are used.

DMS for engineering and maintenance

A document control centre (DCC) is crucial to most engineering projects. This department is responsible for the administration and controlled distribution of technical drawings and other documents pertaining to plant construction and maintenance. It also coordinates the involvement of internal staff members and external partners.

Transmittals are often used for this purpose. They include an assortment of documents to be delivered and processed for a particular project. Apart from the complete and timely delivery of a transmittal, other aspects require support such as mailing list administration, activities and histories as well as deadline setting and management. Since the necessary information comes from different systems, integration based on an enterprise-wide document repository is the only way to keep the complexity of these projects under control.

The most important transmittal functions are:

* Request: work package creation following planned project milestones or ad hoc.

* Consolidation: work package processing.

* Creation: documents and their content are produced in the desired format.

* Packaging: the processed documents are transferred to the requested media and delivery documentation is prepared

* Delivery: the documents reach their final destination (via e-mail, on CD-ROM, as a hard copy, etc).

These functions are already covered, at least partially, by existing DMS solutions. External contractors either use their own systems based on the same data model, or they have a direct (usually Internet-based) link to the transmittal solution. In this case, the appropriate architecture must be in place to ensure restricted access.

DMS in a regulatory environment

Production in a regulatory environment is subject to legal stipulations - and compliance must be documented. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations in America as well as the corresponding laws of each country provide the basic framework. Accordance with these laws during production is reflected in batch documentation or electronic batch documentation. In the USA, the most important law is the American Code of Federal Regulations, CFR 21 Part 11 (also known as 21CFR11). It covers the following aspects:

* Electronic signatures.

* Electronic records.

* Signature/record links.

* Audit trails.

* Authority checks.

* Archiving.

* Reporting.

Insufficient support of a digital or electronic signature is a 'killer criterion' when selecting the appropriate systems. This signature is based on a digital or electronic method of object authentication that has to meet specific criteria.

Now that laws have been passed in the USA and EU regarding digital signatures, they will play an ever greater role in DMS solutions and offer a great deal of potential for optimising business processes.

Solutions

The success of a DMS project depends not only on technical aspects but also on organisational framework. In many cases, it makes sense to create a joint project team comprised of users at the customer level and an external partner (as a consultant or systems integrator).

EDM components by Documentum ( www.documentum.de), for instance, are a suitable product basis. Some have been specially enhanced to meet the needs of the process industry. Many of the requirements described above can be successfully met in cooperation with an experienced systems integrator such as PSI ( www.psi.de).

Interkama 2001, which was staged from 24 to 28 September in Düsseldorf, served as an interesting information platform for this topic so important to any company's competitive edge. The products and services on show just might be a first step toward the successful use of enterprise-wide DMS solutions in your organisation too.

Interkama (Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce), (011) 486 2775

info@germanchamber.co.za

www.germanchamber.co.za