Develop a paperless workflow - How to do it.

The problem with making the transition to a paperless world is not lack of technology.  Scanners are cheap and so is the software that is needed to use them.  The problem is moving from the familiar world of paper to an unfamiliar one, devoid of paper.  What people need most is a blueprint for paperless workflow.

First, let me reassure those who believe that they could never feel comfortable making a sudden shift to a world completely devoid of paper.  I still use paper, although not very much.  The point isn't to eliminate all paper right off the bat, but rather to develop a system that doesn't depend on paper.  In the next few posts we'll cover the strategies for doing this.  But, for now let's begin with what happens when you scan a document.

After you run the document through your scanner you'll want to name the document and store it somewhere.  We'll address this next time, but for now the question is: what do you do with the piece of paper that you have scanned after you have properly saved it to your computer?

Generally speaking, I throw the paper away since the best thing about scanning is that it eliminates the need to keep the paper (your digital file will be backed up so there is much less fear of losing the electronic version than the paper version).  But, at first, you may incline towards keeping the paper.  Perhaps the paper has information you need to access for a call you're about to make, and it's easier to have it handy in paper form while you make the call.  Maybe you're just hesitant to get rid of the paper for the moment.  Fine.  But you'll need to do at least one thing.

Write something on the paper you just scanned indicating you've already scanned it.  That way, you'll know that it's in your electronic system and you don't need to scan it again.  Even if you think you'll remember that you scanned it, you should adopt this practice because if you work with other people you'll need a system that lets everyone know the paper was scanned.  So what do you write?

One option is to simply write "scanned" on the top right corner.  Another option is to write the file name of the document --in case you need to retrieve the electronic version quickly for some reason.  For example, you might decide to email the document to someone after your phone call and having the document name will let you quickly access the electronic version of the document.  In any case, adopt a system that (1) eliminates scanned paper, or (2) flags the paper as having been scanned, including any other information that might be useful while the paper is still being used.

And remember to toss the paper as soon as you don't need it.  If you don't start purging paper from your desk you'll never realize the full benefits of scanning.  After a few weeks you'll start to notice little things about how you used to deal with paper.  Mostly, you'll learn that people hoard too much paper, keeping it close by in case they need to access information.  Soon you'll notice that having too much paper around you makes it harder to find information, not easier.  The less paper you have around you the less stress you'll feel, especially once you learn to trust the paperless system.

Comments

[Robert Glazier]

OK. But how do you organize documents once they are scanned? By folders? Using document management software?

I would like to make the leap. But don't know how to organize things.

Thanks.