The article provides explanations for such concepts as incoming and outgoing documentation, document flow and its structure, document flow, its mode and cyclicality, internal and external documentation. The ways of highlighting the necessary information and its storage in current affairs and archives during office work are given.
Types of document flows
In this age of information, it is impossible to imagine the operation of any structure of production, consumption, regulation or distribution without documentation. Working with documentation in today's information paper and electronic boom is becoming increasingly complex. The carriers of information are changing, the people who process it are changing, the legal field for using information is changing. The concept and structure of the document flow are also subject to change.
Document as a unit of document flow
A document is information recorded in the form of any material object. A document can be a photo, video, audio recording, not to mentionpaper media and files. But a document becomes a document only if it has a number of necessary requirements. These requirements are called details and are mandatory features established by law or regulations for certain types of documents. For registration of organizational and administrative documents, for example, there is GOST R 7.0.97-2016. One of the most important details is the date of the document (sometimes even the time).
What is document flow
Document flow is the movement of documents between information creation points, information processing points, information storage points and direct users of information. Document flows are very different in terms of the type of documents and their content, mode and cycles, methods of movement, etc.
Document flows in an organization (meaning enterprises too) are divided by direction into incoming and outgoing. Each type of flow must be separated from each other to avoid errors and confusion in working with documents.
Incoming document flow consists of documents coming to the organization by mail, e-mail, brought on purpose (by couriers). Documents at the entrance must be sorted, unnecessary - removed to the trash. The necessary or possibly necessary documents should be recorded in journals (paper or electronic) indicating the date of receipt, the name of the document and its details (date of the document, name of the sender, etc.), the organizational unit to which the document was sent.
Outgoing document flow consists of documents created andissued or processed by the organization. All outgoing documents must be assigned a serial number, they are checked for the presence of the necessary details and their correctness, they must be recorded in the journals indicating the date (as a rule, this is the date the document was signed), the outgoing number and the code of the department that prepared the document.
If it is impossible to process the document flow immediately (its sharp increase), it is necessary to increase the number of employees processing documents in order to avoid errors and delays, which are often very costly for the organization.
Types of document flows can be very different, it all depends on the type of activity of the organization and the methods of its work.
For large organizations and enterprises, a properly structured document flow is just as important as the flow of materials or products. For large flows of documents, even documentary technological processes are developed and applied.
The concept of external and internal document flows
In addition to incoming and outgoing information in an organization, internal, i.e. information created and used only within the organization itself. This information may have a certain degree of secrecy and not be publicly available even within the same department. The exchange of letters between departments of the same organization is usually not accepted. For documentary communication, the so-called service notes (reports, explanatory notes, certificates) signed by the heads of departments are used. In addition to memos inorganizations operate orders, instructions, certificates, technical documentation and other documentation.
The internal document flow for these reasons must be clearly regulated so that secret information does not fall into public places, even in the form of excerpts or parts. Therefore, inside information is not intended to go beyond the organization, and sometimes beyond the boundaries of one unit. In this case, such information is transferred from department to department only with the permission of the head of the department and is necessarily recorded during transmission (even to the archive of the organization) in special journals indicating the recipient and confirming his authority to receive (permission to work with documents).
Document flow parameters
Document flow is a complex system characterized by the following parameters:
- content (or what functions it performs);
- structure;
- mode and cyclicality;
- direction;
- volume;
- other.
Content or functionality
This document flow parameter is a list of the documents used by the organization and the composition of the information contained in these documents. This value is constant for a small number of organizations whose activities are very specific and constant over time (usually these are courts, archives, registers, and other non-production organizations). For most organizations, especially production ones, the document flow is a non-constant value that changes independing on various changes: type of activity, partners, technologies, materials, legislation and other requirements of changing production and temporary changes.
Document flow structure
The concept and structure of the workflow can be described by the features with which the classification of documents and their indexing is given, the entire orientation system is formed in the reference apparatus of the organization's documents. Typically, such a structure corresponds to the type and purpose of the document flow.
Mode and cycles
These parameters determine the changes in the load of information incoming over time. This, for example, is a sharp increase in the amount of work with the personal files of applicants of an educational institution during the admission campaign or with students' documents during the sessions and graduation.
Such changes are related to the internal rhythms of the organization and are usually quite predictable and planned.
Changes in document flow direction
These changes are related to the content of the work of the information processing unit. These are differences in the ways of registering documents, ways of monitoring the deadlines for the execution of documents, ways of getting acquainted with them, and, especially, approval and coordination of various documents. Changes in the direction of document flows will also be influenced by internal changes in the structure and direction of organizations.
Document flow volume
The volume of document flow is the amountdocuments (both originals and copies), which can be expressed both by the number of documents themselves and by the number of sheets, signs, the number of executors and persons with whom the document is agreed. For example, the number of partner organizations with which you need to agree on a contract, or with which you need to sign it.
The organization's workflow includes the total number of documents in all flows.
Improvement of work with document flows in the organization
To improve this work, it is necessary to study the entire paperwork process, establish clear recommendations that make the process technologically competent: remove duplication when working with documents, exclude document approval by departments that are not related to it. The larger the document flow, the more loaded the administrative apparatus of the organization, or at least most of it.
One of the main points of improving the work of personnel with documents is the level of their professional training at all stages of the document flow, the optimal workload of personnel, clear regulation of work with a document in each department.
Regulation and standardization with large document flows make it possible to use mechanization and office automation, reduce the number of employees working with documents to the optimal number.
Unfortunately, information about the volume of document flows is usually underestimated due to imperfect accounting methods.
Basicmodernity requirements for document flow
- Regularity. Any congestion or failure in the flow of information in human activity leads to disruption of the entire system as a whole. An increase in the volume of documents must be considered and planned in advance.
- Controllability. The flow of information can and should be managed. The office system must be not only stable, but also flexible in operation; staff should be universally trained in all office operations.
- Constantly improving the efficiency of workflow through the rationalization, mechanization and automation of labor.
- Regular compilation and updating of route-technological maps of the movement of documents with indications of deadlines, performers, etc.
- Standardization of documents, methods of their processing, proper archiving, designation of storage locations for each document speed up the search for documents and work with them.
