Vestia

New document management system and process bring quality, efficiency and security to operations

Vestia, responsible for managing practical waste management arrangements for households in 16 municipalities across Central and Northern Ostrobothnia, identified the development of document management as its most important system development target for 2023. There was no formal document management system in place previously, and documents were stored in various locations, such as shared network drives and staff’s personal computers.

In addition to an efficient and easy-to-use document management system, Vestia's wish and goal was to define a clear and consistent process for document management and to provide users with support and training for the process itself.

"The amount of information and data in companies is increasing and, as a result, the importance of managing it is growing all the time. We started our development work from a rather challenging situation and the need for a unified and efficient process and system was great," says Riikka Saari, Development and HSEQ Manager at Vestia.

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Ready-made and flexible service models ensure a smooth project

In these types of system development projects, systematic data collection and a structured approach are essential. This approach allows focusing on the key aspects of the project and, on the other hand, ensures smooth progress as data collection advances and the necessary details needed for the project become clear.

"Projects like this always progress step by step as the customer clarifies key aspects related to development. In such situations, Fluentia's service model is fair and cost-effective for the customer – the project moves forward, but no costs are incurred during the clarification phase. However, our expert is always available to support the customer when needed," explains Tomi Leppälahti, Fluentia CTO.

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From efficient specification to seamless implementation

The project was launched with extensive interviews. In the interviews, the workflows related to the production, storage, access rights, retrieval and other use cases of different types of documents were thoroughly reviewed, taking into account the needs of the company and the organisational structure. Based on these, the document management processes were defined and documented into a comprehensive guideline.

Vestia uses Microsoft systems, so a customised SharePoint site was a natural choice as the document management system. Clear models for the document lifecycle were also created during the project, including an automated archiving model implemented using Microsoft Power Automate.

The fluent implementation of the new document management system was ensured through training sessions that covered both the planned document management process and how the different parts of the process are carried out in the system on a practical level.

"The project met our needs really well. With a clear and efficient document management model and system, the information is now easily at hand when we need it. In addition to streamlining operations, the model also helps us to keep our procedures consistent and establish clear lines of responsibility for the various documents. The new system also takes care of security and access rights to documents and takes into account legal requirements. The cooperation with Fluentia's experts was effortless and the project progressed smoothly, taking into account the situation and time constraints of our organization. In particular, the systematic and efficient definition deserves praise", Saari praises.