Home topics news Business Tech Digital News Business Tech Staff buy-in is critical to the success of an SME’s digital document management projects Antonio Leone February 7, 2017 Organisations planning to streamline workflows by using a digital document management system need to ensure staff are consulted throughout the deployment process. Regular communication about the new technology and its impact on jobs will ensure staff embrace rather than resist the changes. Staff consultation Digital document management systems sit at the heart of an organisation’s workflows. Removing the need for paper-based processes, they can reduce costs and significantly improve productivity. However, in some organisations, the promised benefits are not realised. Rather than making use of the new tools, staff shun them and instead remain with their existing work patterns. Such a response can have a range of causes. Some staff may feel the new system has been foisted on them with little understanding of how they work. They see the technology as something that will require them to alter the way they work but won’t provide them with any real benefits for doing so. Others may feel they lack the understanding and skills needed to make full use of the new systems. Shifting from paper-based to digital processes requires training and new skills which some may think they have not had. To overcome these issues, senior management must work with staff throughout the deployment and go-live phases of the project. By showing they understand how staff work and explaining the changes, buy-in