Documents have a “lifecycle,” ranging from creation to deletion. Establishing smart ways of handling your documents along each step is a great way to make your life easier!
In today’s QDoxs blog post, we’ll find out what each step of the document lifecycle is, why it’s important to understand, and how to use Xerox technology to support your documents (and thereby your team) for a more productive workplace.
Let’s dive in:
How Understanding the Document Lifecycle Makes Document Management Easier and More Efficient
The lifecycle of a document begins with its creation, whether you drafted it yourself or received it from an outside source, like a client or colleague. Next, the document is stored in some way. Historically, that was a filing cabinet—these days, it’s probably your cloud storage and collaboration platform, like DocuShare Go.
After being stored, the document needs to be set up for access control and distribution—in other words, you determine who can access the document and how. This leads into the next step, which is the editing phase. If necessary, the document maybe collaborated on by multiple team members.
After the last edits are made, the document moves into the finalization stage of its lifecycle. This is where the document is approved; it’s “done,” whatever that means in the current situation. Then the document is archived for later retrieval. Many documents exist in the “archival” step forever; if not, they’re deleted or otherwise destroyed.
In summary, the document lifecycle looks something like this:
Creation → Storage → Access Control → Editing → Finalization → Archival → Deletion.
Your Xerox MFP Is Designed To Support Your Documents Throughout Their Entire “Lives” – Here’s How
From creation to deletion, a modern Xerox multifunction printer and Xerox tools are all ultimately designed with supporting at least one step of the document lifecycle.
DocuShare Go is an excellent all-in-one solution for most of the steps. You can create, collaborate, and distribute with this cloud-based document management platform, among many other useful features, like version control and access control. We discussed it at length in our post Is DocuShare Go the Right Content Management Platform for Your Organization?
Sometimes the hardest part of getting your documents “into” the correct step of their lifecycle is the process of digitization. A modern Xerox multifunction printer is an ideal solution for in-house digitization projects, and if you have a lot of hard copy, you can also consider Xerox’s backfile service, which you can learn more about in our post Manage Large Document Digitization Projects With Xerox Backfile Scanning Solutions.
Give Your Documents (and Your Staff) the Love They Deserve! Here’s How To Get Started With Xerox Technology
If you’re ready to start supporting your documents throughout their entire “lifespan,” Xerox technology is a great way to do so. If you’re due for an equipment upgrade, our team is here to help. Not sure? Check out our post Is Your Printer Holding You Back? When It’s Time for a Small Businesses Printer Upgrade.
Please feel free to contact us today with your questions. Alternatively, you can get the ball rolling immediately with a free online quote. We can’t wait to start a conversation with you!
