Development of a computerized and web bbased document management system

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p>INTRODUCTION</p><p><b>1.1 </b><b>&nbsp;Background of the study</b></p><p><b></b></p><b><p>Information management has become a major strategic<br>factor in companies’ development. It is important to get the right information<br>circulated to the right people, as efficiently as possible, yet still keep it<br>secure. Document management provides a way for companies to organize their information,<br>in all its forms, in one place.Streamlining business<br>processes and increasing efficiency are fundamental concerns for any<br>organisation regardless of size or sector. In today’s ever increasingly strict<br>regulating environment, compliantly managing documents and records of all types<br>takes significant time and money that could better be spent on achieving<br>mission critical objectives. By implementing a document management system,<br>organisations can realize many benefits that noticeably improve organisational<br>efficiency.<b></b></p><b><p><b></b></p><b><p>Digital<br>document management system can help an organisation succeed by; Saving time, Saving<br>money, Increasing efficiency, Increasing productivity, Increasing<br>inter-departmental and inter-organisational communication, and Enabling<br>automation.</p><p>A Document Management System (DMS) is a system based on computer<br>programs used to store and access documents.</p><p>Electronic document management solutions are designed to organize<br>business files and records digitally, whether they started out in paper form or<br>were generated by software applications.</p><p>Paper files are first converted to electronic format by scanning.<br>This provides a more compact means of storage, universal access for retrieval,<br>and higher levels of data security and privacy.</p><p>A company-wide document management system also controls digital<br>files that are generated directly through applications — such as those in the<br>Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), accounting software, CAD,<br>email, and so on. Managing (rather than simply storing) documents enables<br>quicker access to, and greater command over, business information.</p><p><b>&nbsp;</b></p><p><b></b></p><b><p><b>1.2 Statement of the Problem</b></p><p><b></b></p><b><p>It<br>has become widely recognized that manual paper-based &nbsp;processing has inherent problems that<br>disadvantage companies in critical ways, undermining productivity and impeding<br>the flow of information. Ignoring the problem is proving less and less an<br>option in the current economic and competitive climate. Looking at the<br>department of computer science, University of Port Harcourt as a case study,<br>students submit hard copies of document as a means of making requests, Memos<br>are sent to the department in paper form which degenerates to bulk of files in<br>the offices. This system of storing documents is tedious, complicated and time<br>consuming. &nbsp;</p><p>Faced<br>with the need to organize documents, the proposed system for management of<br>documents is unique and totally innovative in its integrated approach. Its<br>functionality of making documents available anytime, anywhere and enabling easy<br>access, retrieval and storage of documents makes it called for.</p><p>The<br>system to be developed makes use of rich internet technology to replace desktop<br>application with web application running on a remote server. The system shares<br>the advantage of both web application and desktop application, and removes the<br>most disadvantages of both.</p><p><b>1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study</b></p><p><b></b></p><b><p>The<br>aim of the project is to develop a document management system for the<br>department of computer science, University of Port Harcourt that is able to<br>deliver access to anyone authorized anytime, anyplace, and on any device.</p><p>The<br>objectives of the study are to develop a system that should be able to;</p><p>1. &nbsp; &nbsp;<br>Store documents properly</p><p>2. &nbsp; &nbsp;<br>Archive and retrieve documents properly and efficiently</p><p>3. &nbsp; &nbsp;<br>Ensure document security and availability.</p><p><b>1.4 </b><b>&nbsp; Significance of the Study</b></p><p><b></b></p><b><p>The<br>proposed system will offer the following advantages to the department of<br>computer science, University of Port Harcourt;</p><p>1. &nbsp; &nbsp; Reduced<br>Storage: The cost of commercial property and the need to store documentation<br>for e.g. retrieval, regulatory compliance means that paper based document<br>storage competes with people for space within an organisation. Scanning<br>documents and integrating them into a document management system can greatly<br>reduce the amount of prime storage space required by paper. It also allows any<br>documents that still have to be stored as paper to be stored in less expensive<br>locations.</p><p>2. &nbsp; &nbsp; Flexible<br>Indexing: Indexing paper in more than one way can be done, but it is awkward,<br>costly and time-consuming. Images of documents stored within a document<br>management system can be indexed in several different ways simultaneously.</p><p>3. &nbsp; &nbsp; Improved,<br>faster and more flexible search: Document Management Systems can retrieve files<br>by any word or phrase in the document – known as full text search – a<br>capability that is impossible with paper.</p><p>4. &nbsp; &nbsp; Controlled<br>and Improved Document distribution: Imaging makes it easy to share documents<br>electronically with colleagues and clients over a network, by email or via the<br>Web in a controlled manner. Paper documents usually require photocopying to be<br>shared. This provides a cost saving by reducing the overheads associated with<br>paper based document distribution, such as printing and postage and removes the<br>typical delay associated with providing hard copy information.</p><p>5. &nbsp; &nbsp; Improved<br>Security: A document management system can provide better, more flexible<br>control over sensitive documents. Many document management system solutions allow<br>access to documents to be controlled at the folder and/or document level for<br>different groups and individuals. Paper documents stored in a traditional<br>filing cabinet or filing room does not have the same level of security i.e. if<br>you have access to the cabinet you have access to all items in it. A document<br>management system also provides an audit trail of who viewed an item, when or<br>who modified an item and when, which is difficult to maintain with paper based<br>systems.</p><p>6. &nbsp; &nbsp; Disaster<br>Recovery: A document management system provides an easy way to back-up<br>documents for offsite storage and disaster recovery providing failsafe archives<br>and an effective disaster recovery strategy. Paper is a bulky and expensive way<br>to back-up records and is vulnerable to fire, flood, vandalism and theft.</p><p>7. &nbsp; &nbsp; No<br>Lost Files: Lost documents can be expensive and time-consuming to replace.<br>Within a Document Management System, imaged documents remain centrally stored<br>when being viewed, so none are lost or misplaced. New documents are less likely<br>to be incorrectly filed and even if incorrectly stored can be quickly and<br>easily found and moved via the full-text searching mechanisms.</p><p><b>8. &nbsp; &nbsp;<br></b>Digital Archiving: Keeping archival<br>versions of documents in a document management system helps protect paper documents<br>that still have to be retained, from over-handling.<b></b></p><b><p><b></b></p><b><p><b>1.5 &nbsp;<br>Scope of The Study</b></p><p><b></b></p><b><p>The<br>main challenge of document management is flexible storage and retrieval. This<br>study’s intended user is the department of computer science, University of Port<br>Harcourt. The system will be provided with facilities for easy storage,<br>retrieval and security of documents.</p><p><b>1.6 </b><b>&nbsp; Definition of Terms</b></p><p><b></b></p><b><p><b>Document: </b>A<br>document is a form of information. It could be electronic or in the form of<br>paper.</p><p><b>Management System: </b>A<br>documented and step by step method aimed at smooth functioning through standard<br>processes.</p><p><b>Retrieval: </b>The<br>process of accessing information from memory or other storage devices.</p><p><b>Web Application: </b>An<br>application program stored on a remote server and delivered over the internet<br>through a browser interface.</p><p><b>Web browser: </b>A<br>software application used to locate, retrieve and display contents on a World<br>Wide Web, including web pages, video and other files.</p><p><b>Server: </b>A<br>running instance of an application capable of accepting requests from the<br>client and giving responses accordingly.</p><p><b>Database: </b>&nbsp;A computerized record-keeping system. It is a<br>repository for storing information.</p></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b> <br><p></p>