Author: Farley Niehues

ECM stands for Enterprise Content Management and was created in 2000 by an american organization called AIIM (Association for Intelligent Information Management). We can define it as a set of technologies used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and make information available. Below is a brief explanation of each of its steps.

• Capture: capture comes down to searching for information from different sources – which can be obtained from any type of media, such as smartphones, scanners, etc – and inserting its content into a system;
• Manage: organizing information and setting permissions so that data can be found by whom it is intended;
• Store: finding a suitable/consistent medium to store the information;
• Preserve: taking care of information in the long term, in order to keep it always preserved and readily available (this phase must be thought of for the future of the organization);
• Make available: making the information available to people and at the correct moments.

These are very relevant topics about the document management phases, but for you to be able to understand if ECM is really worth it for your organization, an important question comes to mind:

How can ECM be used in a company?

Now that we know what ECM is, we can talk about how and for what reasons we can use it within our company.

An ECM tool has the power to simplify information management within the organization, using document management, workflow setting, and data extraction and transformation into useful information for decision-making. And besides knowing these features, you need to grasp how these technologies included in ECM can actually help you.

• Document Storage and management: by not depending on physical records, it consequently generates more security for users, as the chance of document loss or misplacement is eliminated. With ECM, the company gains information and file traceability in an agile way (through indexing), being able to search for keywords or even words contained within its documents – which is also called OCR (optical character recognition). In addition to identifying information within files, this functionality also allows document scanning;
• Cost reduction and space optimization: the fact of having all the data in a technological environment makes the use of paper almost extinct in the company. This generates a decrease in the use of paper and, consequently, a lower expense with this type of material and the release of spaces that were previously occupied, which may have another functionality;
• Improved internal processes structuring and integration: workflows can be modeled to encompass any business rule, that is, we can involve different company areas. Actions that depend on external roles, such as suppliers and customers, can be included in the processes, where all information exchange can be done within a single tool, in real-time, and from any type of device;
• Information security: in addition to data being protected by password-dependent login, it is also possible to restrict permissions within an ECM tool. These permissions can be applied to documents, folders, processes, queries and even entire modules, and can be separated by groups, roles and users;
• Integration between processes and documents: processes (BPM) and documents (EDM) are two aspects considered distinct within the ECM, however, nothing prevents the two from being able to relate. For example, we can configure releases of document versions that have approval processes and we can also create flows that include files released in the document manager (GED) to compose task information;
• Versioning: document versioning is the most common feature found in ECM-type tools. We can version user information, process models, and crucial information for the system to work, such as e-mail and authentication settings and everything that includes the administrative part of the tool. When we mention versioning, we can best exemplify it as a record of changes that the object has undergone over time – who changed it, on what date and time, and what was the change made.

To sum it up, we can state that ECM is a great information management facilitator which consequently enables gains in productivity and time, in addition to cost reduction.

After all the points highlighted in this article, is there still any doubt that your company needs an ECM tool?

The wait for the new technology generation of 5G is high, and as its availability approaches it’s expected that questions about it will arise. It’s already known that 5G promises greater connectivity and speed.

However, it’s not only consumers and their smartphones that will be positively impacted. All sectors, from industry to healthcare, will be able to enjoy the many advantages brought by the new technology.

But what is 5G all about? How will it impact the most diverse sectors? If you also have these doubts, keep reading and learn all about the fifth generation of connection technology.

What is the 5G technology?

It’s the fifth-generation mobile network, enabling high-speed data transmission and greater connectivity, i.e. it will support more devices accessing mobile internet at the same time.

Due to its high connectivity, there is fast communication between machines, devices, and objects. By using more antennas, there will be a greater number of transmitters, generating usage density.

Basically, 5G will allow us to do everything we already do, but with incredibly greater speed and range. It will also obviously be instrumental in creating new forms of intelligent life, as well as enabling mass use of autonomous cars, higher video and phone call quality, the use of augmented and virtual reality, delivery drones, traffic monitoring, and many other use cases.

You know when you go to the beach at the end of the year and your internet is slow and glitchy? It happens due to the congestion of existing bands. This kind of problem will be solved with 5G technology, which has greater support for simultaneous data access and consumption.

Not to mention the latency, which will be reduced to a minimum. 5G also makes connections safer, since it has protocols that make it harder for people or malicious software to access them.

Mobility

Because of the increased capacity for data transfering, the new generation will allow for the transformation of mobility as a whole. There will be easier access, more connected autonomous and electric cars, safer traffic, less congestion, smart traffic lights, much faster deliveries, and new ways of getting around.

With low latency, communication is practically instantaneous, generating greater safety in driving, since self-driving software will be able to make faster and more assertive decisions, especially regarding pedestrians, lanes, cyclists, and other variables that belong together.

It also contributes to corporate mobility, combining the technologies and benefits of mobile devices and cloud computing. That enables quick access to information, generating flexibility, time optimization, and bringing savings for companies. Obviously, for this freedom to exist, the company needs to be digitally transformed.

Industry 4.0

5G technology will enable an even more innovative and connected future, transforming daily life and optimizing processes everywhere. It will make them more agile and facilitate employees’ activities, especially when used strategically.

As data transmission becomes better, industries tend to use and run their management systems in the cloud, rendering real-time decision-making a reality, since there will be a lot of access flexibility.

The quality of production will also benefit, with instant access to data there is agility in the correction of errors, facilitates preventive maintenance, providing to quickly recognize the focus of a problem, and the creation of machines that enhance the use of resources.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence is already a reality present in many machines and devices capable of reproducing and learning from human interaction, adapting to new data to perform their tasks increasingly better.

5G will expand the use of AI by rapidly transforming our daily lives, especially regarding the interaction for the use of resources that aim at economic development and improved quality of life, promoting changes that will lead to prosperity.

Thus, artificial intelligence will be increasingly used in healthcare, tourism, industries, logistics, and e-commerce, i.e., wherever there is the possibility that a decision can be made autonomously, there will be an AI.

Internet of Things (IoT)

The internet of things refers to the digital interconnection between objects and the internet. Although it is often seen more in our daily lives, such as programming to turn on the air conditioner, or turning on lights with clapping hands, IoT has uses in both the home and business environments.

Increasingly present in corporations, with the power to integrate and share information in real-time, IoT will have its usability enhanced with 5G technology, as it enables the sharing and access to information nearly instantaneously, allowing further improvement of everyday activities.

One of the biggest differentials will be in allying IoT to BPM to transform processes aiming at increasing productivity and profitability, reducing costs and bureaucracy, avoiding failures and waste, and generating customer satisfaction and loyalty.

BPM manages intelligent objects and applications for correct sequence and execution. Moreover, it manages a high volume of data common to the daily life of any company. Therefore, it is necessary to use a tool capable of providing reports for analysis that has the mobility to use the speed of 5G to access this information regardless of the environment where you are.

5G Technology and the Industries

The new technology will enhance the use of big data and automation within the industry, providing improved production, cooperation, and increased innovation. In addition to the use of cloud storage, the use of 5G could make industries much more technological, being evident in the execution of processes, increasing efficiency, and better use of resources.

Within the industry, 5G facilitates the implementation of AI, IoT, and process automation, generating both production and customer service speed.

In healthcare, the fast connection allows for better patient follow-up, advances in telemedicine, and even the use of AI and augmented reality to perform surgeries and other procedures remotely. Not to mention the use of tools that allows for improved processes, improving management, and helping professionals focus on what matters most, saving lives.

With high speed, information, which is so precious in this type of business because of its confidentiality, can be stored in the cloud, with encryption and easy accessibility.

In agribusiness, 5G allows the use of more efficient applications with a rapid exchange of information, which generates precision agriculture. In addition, it’ll be able to rely on autonomous robots to perform repetitive tasks.

It will be common to use tools that “talk” to other devices, such as electronic collars, allowing the capture and analysis of data concerning feeding, treatment, and general health conditions of livestock. It will also be possible to use drones to check crops, perform yield estimation, and automatically spray the harvests.

5G and the future

Regardless of the industry, management will greatly benefit from 5G technology, especially in terms of low costs and flexibility compared to traditional infrastructure. The possibility of cloud storage means fewer physical storage spaces will be used, generating greater security and avoiding misplacement.

Among other things, when it comes to data and information, the fifth generation allows greater availability, scalability, security, and fast access. All this will impact the end customer as well, who will have much faster services, increasing the number of connected devices and consequently increasing the contact channels with brands.

One fact is that 5G will cause a revolution in our daily lives and allow the emergence of new ways of seeing the world. But, of course, your company doesn’t have to wait until it expands. Digital transformation is at your fingertips, and we would love to assist you in that process.

Talk to our representatives, and get ready for all the changes that the new 5G technology will bring.

Management tools are fundamental for planning and executing activities, as well as methods such as 5W2H, which have also become essential to speed up processes.

One of the main obstacles to process performance is the existing errors and bottlenecks.

The lack of clarity in tasks leads to doubt, increases the deadline for decision making, and contributes to hindering communication between people and sectors.

We know that management isn’t easy, especially when there is no planning as to deadlines or delimitation of responsibilities.

So, get to know 5W2H. An incredibly useful tool with wide applicability, capable of streamlining your processes and contributing to the execution of your action plan.

The 5W2H Method

Aiming to simplify the planning of any activity, it was initially used to bring improvements to quality management.

However, its ease of use expanded its application, making the 5W2H method a more widespread management tool that started to be used in the most diverse situations.

This happens because the methodology that makes up the tool is basically a list of items that must be considered and answered to ensure transparency and understanding in the execution of given activities.

This clarity happens because 5W2H works as a mapping of activities, defining their order of execution, deadlines, responsible parties, and involved areas, as well as covering the reasons and objectives for which these tasks are performed.

The methodology goes even further, including how it will be carried out and how much it will cost for the company.

Now you learned that the tool’s purpose is to capture information and bring an understanding of how processes take place within a company. But what are the 5W’s and 2H’s?

Why 5W2H?

As mentioned, this tool aims to answer a kind of checklist to understand the current scenario of a certain process or activity within the company.

The five W’s and the two H’s represent seven questions that the method aims to answer in order to bring reflection about a certain problem or need:

• What? Here you reflect on what is to be done, describing the steps and results to be achieved;
• Why?  In this step, its purpose is explained. Is it meant to solve a need? Will it improve a stage, a process, or a bottleneck?
• Where? Here we announce the place, sector, area, or department where the project will be executed. The place can be physical, or virtual — a database, for example;
• When? The answer establishes deadlines for each stage that will be carried out, and for the completion of the project. Creating a chronogram helps in the project follow-up;
• Who? This question helps defining which professional(s) will be responsible for each activity’s performance, as well as a single person responsible for the project as a whole;
• How? This step is broader, it’s about describing how and which methods and tools will be used for the project to happen and bring the desired results. Define guidelines so that everyone is aligned with the same purpose;
• How Much? Identify the costs and expenses involved. Remember to list all the needs, such as implementing new equipment or tools and software, hiring staff, and consultants, among others. In short, everything that will require financial investment.

The better and more detailed the information for each stage, the better and more precise the planning, and consequently the control and management of the changes inserted by the project.

Agile methodology tools are an aid to follow up on the execution of everything that was stipulated by the 5W2H action plan.

Why you should use 5W2H to speed up processes

Have you noticed how easy this tool is to be carried out, and its ability to clarify all the relevant doubts about all the elements that make up a process?

This is the main reason to use the methodology aiming at process agility, because when there is transparency about what a task is and how it should be done, as well as who is responsible, we minimize and ultimately avoid errors and bottlenecks that are generated mainly by mistakes or misinterpretation of information between people or departments.

The agility in the processes comes from better execution, which brings a higher level of performance. These indicators are improved when the bottlenecks and their main causes are analyzed and identified.

Mapping process activities consist in covering everything that involves its execution, as we explained earlier. This provides an in-depth understanding of its deficiencies, but mainly, helps us finding alternatives that can meet and improve the diagnosed needs.

Observing its processes, and especially the steps that comprise it, provides us what we need to create a surgical action plan consistent with the desired results. And it also enables resource optimization.

This is possible because, oftentimes, the management knows that there is a certain activity that requires more time to be executed, or maintains high rates of rework, however, it doesn’t know why this phenomenon occurs.

By applying the 5W2H, answering all the questions, the manager has a holistic view of the process, knowing its deficiencies and the reasons that cause them to arise. With this, solutions are created and an action plan is planned to implement the appropriate improvements.

In this article, we explain how to use 5W2H to avoid bottlenecks in your organization.

Bonus – Process automation allied with 5W2H agility

Now that you’ve realized how the 5W2H can generate an efficient action plan to improve your processes, we emphasize the importance of relying on the BPM methodology to enhance them.

Besides contributing to performance, by relying on a tool such as Fusion Platform in the automation of processes, your company gets benefits such as time savings, productivity gains, transparency, quality, consistency, cost reduction, continuous improvement, and metrics control.

Fusion provides the customization and generation of a series of reports that contain information related to each step and to the process as a whole, enriching and making the action plan to be implemented with the 5W2H more assertive.

Get to know Fusion Platform within your company’s reality. Test it right now and see how, in a simple, friendly, and intuitive way, our modules help you manage your processes.

Tell us in the comments if your company uses 5W2H and what results you’re getting from it!