The Manage category includes five traditional application areas:
The Manage category connects the other components, which can be used in combination or separately. Document management, web content management, collaboration, workflow and business process management address the dynamic part of the information’s lifecycle. Records management focuses on managing finalized documents in accordance with the organization’s document retention policy, which in turn must comply with government mandates and industry practices.
All Manage components incorporate databases and access authorization systems. Manage components are offered individually or integrated as suites. In many cases they already include the “store” components.
Document management
Document management, in this context, refers to document management systems in the narrow sense of controlling documents from creation to archiving. Document management includes functions like:
Check in/check out
For checking stored information for consistency.
Version management
To keep track of different versions of the same information with revisions and renditions (same information in a different format).
Search and navigation
For finding information and its associated contexts.
Organizing documents
In structures like files, folders, and overviews.
Document Management covers as well email management because emails are just another type of unstructured information. Electronic folders are part of the visualisation and navigation concept. However, document management increasingly overlaps with other “Manage” components, office applications like Microsoft Sharepoint, Outlook and Exchange, or IBM Lotus Connections, as well as “library services” for administering information storage.
Collaboration (or collaborative software, a.k.a. groupware, including as well Web 2.0 features)
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Collaboration components in an ECM system help users work with each other to develop and process content. Many of these components were developed from collaborative software, or groupware, packages; ECM collaborative systems go much further, and include elements of knowledge management.
ECM systems facilitate collaboration by using information databases and processing methods that are designed to be used simultaneously by multiple users, even when those users are working on the same content item. They make use of knowledge based on skills, resources and background data for joint information processing. Administration components, such as virtual whiteboards for brainstorming, appointment scheduling and project management systems, communications application such as video conferencing, etc., may be included.
Collaborative ECM may also integrate information from other applications, permitting joint information processing. Collaboration covers as well new Web 2.0 and Social Media functionality embedded in ECM solutions.
Web content management (WCM, including web portals)
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The scope of Enterprise content management integrates web content management systems. WCM as ECM component is used to present information already existing and managed in the ECM repository. However, information presented via Web technologies – on the Internet, an extranet, or on a portal — uses the workflow, access control, versioning, delivery and authorization modules of the WCM instead of own integrated ECM functionality. There are only few examples of successful implementations whereby a shared repository for documents and web content are managed together. WCM makes use of ECM worklfow, ECM; Store, ECM Capture and other services. WCM in the ECM context covers as well Web 2.0 technologies.
Records management (RM)
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Records management is defined and standardised by the ISO standard 15489 and related standards like ISO 30300, ISO 30301, ISO 16175, ISO 23001 and others.Unlike traditional electronic archival systems, records management refers to the pure administration of records, important information, and data that companies are required to archive. Records management is independent of storage media; managed information does not necessarily need to be stored electronically, but can be on traditional physical media as well. Some of the functions of records management are:
Visualisation of file plans and other structured indexes for the orderly storage of information. The electronic folder is part of the navigation and vusualisation concept.
Unambiguous indexing of information, supported by thesauri or controlled vocabulary (wordlists and advanced taxonomies) as classification, ordering, structuring,retrieving and identification of rercords.
Management of record retention schedules and deletion schedules. This includes as well the control of archives via the database and the metadata of the records system.
Protection of information in accordance with its characteristics, sometimes down to individual content components in documents
Use of international, industry-specific or company-wide standardized metadata for the unambiguous identification and description of stored information
Workflow and business process management (BPM)
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Workflow (WF) and business process management (BPM) differ substantially.
Workflow
There are different types of workflow: production workflow uses predefined sequences to guide and control processes, whereas in an ad-hoc workflow, the user determines the process sequence on the fly. Workflow can be implemented as workflow solutions with which users interact, or as workflow engines, which act as a background service controlling the information and data flow. Workflow management includes the following functions:
Visualisation of process and organization structures.
Capture, administration, visualization, and delivery of grouped information with its associated documents or data.
Incorporation of data processing tools (such as specific applications) and documents (such as office products).
Parallel and sequential processing of procedures including simultaneous saving.
Reminders, deadlines, delegation and other administration functionalities.
Monitoring and documentation of process status, routing, and outcomes.
Tools for designing and displaying process
The objective is to automate processes as much as possible by incorporating all necessary resources.
Business process management
Business process management (BPM) goes a step further than workflow. Although the words are often used interchangeably, BPM aims to completely integrate all of the affected applications within an enterprise, monitoring processes and assembling all required information. Among BPM’s functions are:
BPM offers complete workflow functionality, providing process and data monitoring at the server level. Enterprise application integration is used to link different applications. Business intelligence, with rule structures, integrates information warehouses and provides utilities that assist users in their work.