Why good document management is like making a sandwich

You’re probably thinking, “What’s this all about? I like to keep work and lunch separate.” But there’s some truth to it. If you think about your document workflow as if you’re crafting a delicious sandwich, it just might simplify some of the confusion.

It also might make you hungry. Let’s make a sandwich.

Of course, start with the bread. You should have something sturdy, something solid. Because after all, this is the backbone of your sandwich. It has to hold up under quite a bit of weight. But it shouldn’t be rigid. It should be flexible and receptive. The bread can be thought of as your EDRMS or enterprise content management (ECM) system. Or maybe your EMR or practice management software, for those in the healthcare field.

Curious about where to start with an ECM system?

Choose carefully. There are a lot of options out there, and if you don’t pick one that’s right for you, it could really ruin your lunch (…err, workflow.)

The condiments are next. Pick whichever you want. They’re metaphorical. They’re also tangy, tasty and keep things working together smoothly. They help join the bread and the filling. They complement the flavors.

In your document management workflow, the condiments are like the software solutions that facilitate different tasks. They create harmony between disparate components. Just like mustard makes ham and bread a complete meal.

Perhaps your medical practice has loads of backlogged files that need to be batch scanned. EzeScan would readily provide much-needed help here. Or if your office has several scanning stations in a Remote Desktop Services or Citrix® environment, ScanLink Pro should be your mustard of choice.

Both provide the extra little touch your system needs to work.

Next up on our sandwich is the main attraction. It’s the meat of the operation. (Or the… Portobello mushrooms. We don’t want to exclude our vegetarian friends.) It’s the inner workings of the sandwich. It’s the main attraction. The sandwich needs it in order to… be a sandwich.

The filling is like the hardware that facilitates your digital imaging and content retrieval. Whether it’s computer workstations for nurses at a hospital or scanners for capturing patient and customer information at the point of admissions, these are used continually, every day. They should be of high quality and should be fresh. Which in this case, means they shouldn’t be outdated technology.

Of course, we could talk about lettuce and tomato, and how they’re like customer service or… something. But we won’t complicate things.

It’s definitely a strange analogy, but it works. If you remember to use quality ingredients that are right for your organization, you can make a very tasty, very functional document management sandwich.