SharePoint Document Management: Driving Collaboration, Productivity & Knowledge Sharing
We design and build SharePoint document management systems that support seamless collaboration and productivity. Working with IT teams and department heads, we help accelerate the journey from document sharing to knowledge sharing in a cloud-based world.
We help organisations create solutions and processes to securely manage data and files in a digital workplace. But it’s not just about getting the tech right. Our unique people-first approach ensures sharing and storing of organisational knowledge is easy and intuitive for every employee.
SharePoint Document Management Systems
Our document management solutions support secure, modern business collaboration. Designed for hybrid working, we use SharePoint Online to ensure business files are stored, managed, and accessed in line with employee and business requirements.
Our people-first approach means our solutions are user-friendly and easy to navigate. How documents are organised, folder structure and naming conventions all impact how long it takes employees to find what they need. Our unique approach means employees spend less time searching, and more time working on the things that matter.
We also build and enable automated workflows across the document lifecycle. This helps to take the guesswork away from employees, saving even more time.
Information & Knowledge Management
We help organisations go beyond file storage, and look holistically at company data and knowledge from documents, policies and subject matter experts. We help organisations understand how information can be better stored, connected and surfaced in a way that supports collaboration.
Governance & Policy Management
We help organisations plan and roll out content governance policies. SharePoint content governance controls access, metadata, templates, archival and which content types can be created. Establishing a strong governance policy makes SharePoint easier to maintain on all fronts, from file storage to intranets and learning portals.
It is equally important to consider that collaboration is the entire purpose of documents. We work with organisations to find the balance between security and collaboration that works for internal and external audiences, as well as the channels used to collaborate.
Power Platform & Workflow Automation
We help organisations design and install custom workflows to assist content management. Workflows help control and track how each document moves through its lifecycle, whilst cutting down on repeatable tasks through automation.
Reconceiving working processes and drawing them out of employees’ minds helps businesses to automate much more. This helps to deliver more relevant and specific customer experiences, as well as reducing errors, duplication and effort.
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Document Management System for Argent Energy
Learn how Argent Energy took their SharePoint document management system to a new level through a people-first approach.
Why is Document Management Important?
A good document management system (DMS) lays the foundation for better information and knowledge management. Having your files stored securely, organised in a logical way, and easily accessible to the right people is the first step. Once your DMS is set up correctly, it opens the door to a more holistic information and knowledge sharing strategy.
Organisational knowledge comes in many forms. From the tangible, like documents, emails and databases, to the intangible, like knowledge held by subject matter experts and cohorts. With AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, including Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Viva Copilot, surfacing this diverse knowledge to help employees work smarter will become easier.
To take advantage of this next generation of workplace tech, organisations need to start with a robust document management system in SharePoint.
Collaboration
At the base level, a good DMS is at the core of collaboration. Many organisations we speak to have files stored in multiple locations, across cloud and legacy platforms. Often, with genuine reasons or concerns for doing so. We help overcome these barriers, and guide organisations to a fully cloud-based collaboration system.
Providing employees with the framework they need to search for and work on multiple file types across teams and departments ensures people can continue to collaborate regardless of time zone or location.
Productivity
A DMS in SharePoint can supercharge productivity. Having files stored and organised in a secure, logical, easy-to-access way can cut the time employees spend each week searching for information. Plus, with the next layer of information and knowledge management policies, employees will have access to greater depth of information from a wider range of sources. The result will be an empowered workforce that has everything at their fingertips to work smarter, not harder.
Security
A poor document management system or policy can lead to security risks. A common issue is the wrong people, or too many people, having access to confidential information. Version control is also a risk, with outdated or incorrect versions of files being circulated internally or externally.
Security concerns is one of the most common reasons we see for organisations not adopting a fully cloud-based approach. We put the frameworks in place that mitigate security risks and give organisations the confidence to move forward.
A strong DMS coupled with a robust governance policy can set your organisation on the path to secure, productive collaboration.
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Document Management vs Information Management vs Knowledge Management
Document management, information management and knowledge management are often used interchangeably. But there are distinct differences in what they mean, and how they impact your business.
What is Document Management?
A document management system (DMS) is your digital filing cabinet. In the world of Microsoft 365, it’s about harnessing the power of SharePoint’s document libraries. Using SharePoint as a document management system helps keep all your files need, tidy and organised.
SharePoint’s seamless integration with Microsoft 365 allows you store files from across your M365 landscape, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs and Stream videos.
A good DMS will allow employees to easily find what they need, make sure everyone has the correct version, and control who can access and edit each file.
What is Information Management?
Information management goes beyond documents and includes the storage and sharing of all sorts of data across your organisation. Take lists, emails, and databases for example.
In SharePoint and Microsoft 365, tools like lists and libraries can help manage this wealth of information more effectively.
Leveraging SharePoint’s metadata and search functionalities, organisations can categorise, discover and retrieve assets, fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making.
What is Knowledge Management?
Knowledge management transcends data to nurture a culture of organisational wisdom. It’s not just storing data and files – it’s capturing and sharing knowledge to help business innovate, move quicker, work smarter. This could include employees’ lived experiences, best practices, lessons learned or expert insights.
Reaching this level of knowledge sharing is the North Star for many organisations. With Copilot and AI, making it a reality is much closer. Microsoft’s Copilot can extract knowledge from sources across your organisation. Whether it’s more traditional data types like documents or emails, or sources which were traditionally more tricky to capture, like transcripts from meetings.
Suddenly, finding everything your organisation knows about your top customer, for example, isn’t restricted to only those things that have been written and stored in a shared folder.
But, reaching a state of true knowledge sharing requires some work. And it means getting the basics right first.
Accelerating the Journey from Document Management to Knowledge Management
Setting up a robust DMS using SharePoint and Microsoft 365 lays the groundwork for the transition to knowledge management. Get the tech and structure set up, and make sure employees are using it correctly.
Ensure employees across your organisation are comfortable with using SharePoint’s document libraries to organise, share, and collaborate on documents effectively. Make sure admins and site owners are familiar with features like version history, metadata and permissions.
Every organisation has a wealth of knowledge, and the first step is understanding what you have and getting it all in one place.
SharePoint Document Management FAQs
Is SharePoint good for document management?
There are many options for document management software on the marketing. But, for organisations using Microsoft 365, SharePoint is the best choice. SharePoint naturally integrates with Microsoft’s document creation tools like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This makes it easy to use SharePoint to store your files, and link them into other Microsoft systems like Teams.
Using SharePoint for your document management also opens the door to using SharePoint for other purposes, like an intranet.
Keeping your files and data under the Microsoft 365 roof can also minimise security risks, by reducing the need for your documents to be shared between systems.
Do you offer training for SharePoint document management systems?
Yes. We can provide training to content owners and site owners to help ensure content across your SharePoint system is kept up-to-date. This can be tailored to suit technical and non-technical roles.
For technical teams, we can provide training that helps ensure policies are maintained across the organisation. For non-technical teams, we can provide more streamlined training that relates to a specific site or portal, like the intranet.
What is your approach to creating a document management system?
In a typical SharePoint DMS project, we start with a discovery phase. This means we get to know your organisation and your people through activities like workshops and focus groups. This helps us uncover needs, wants and challenges that might go beyond what has already been identified. We use UX activities to look at how employees search for information, where they would expect to find certain documents, how they navigate menus… All of this informs how we design the information architecture.
Our team of consultants use the findings from these exercises and combine them with SharePoint best-practices. This allows us to develop a solution that makes the best use of the tech, and is still useable and logical for employees.
Do you offer any other SharePoint services?
Yes. As well as creating document management systems, we also offer:
Ready to talk?
So are we. Get in touch today to discuss your SharePoint document management.