EDM for Planning

ProcessFlows’ integrated (Electronic Document Management) EDM for Planning centralises the management, storage and retrieval of all planning information, making it accessible throughout the whole organisation, both internally and externally via the web

The staff in Planning and Building Control Departments can waste a lot of time tracking down information because it is stored in different systems and locations.

EDM for Planning empowers those working in a busy Planning and Building Control Department to gain quick and easy, ‘click of a button’ access to all the information they need – allowing them to work more efficiently and deliver a consistently high level of service to customers.

EDM for Planning is a modular solution which builds on your existing infrastructure – bringing together your line of business systems (such as the popular Plantech ACOLAID LPG land and property information management system used by planners and the ACOLNET data gateway for web enablement) the Graphical Information System (GIS) and processes, to streamline the day-to-day workflow and tasks.

Planning Departments are historically paper laden environments

Massive volumes of planning applications, forms, maps, drawings, letters, photographs etc have to be retained and archived for reference.

Some documents are still stored in paper format in basements, unused offices or in paid-for, off-site storage facilities; some have been scanned for storage on multiple formats, such as microfiche and CD-ROM.

Paper-based documentation and manual office processes are fundamental to supporting a Planning and Building Control Department, but wasting hours looking for archived documents is not the best use of your human resource.

Quick and easy access to information = improved services and efficiency

ProcessFlows’ EDM for Planning builds and improves the manual filing process used in paper-based office systems and links them with the front end systems used every day by planners.

EDM for Planning helps Planning and Building Control Departments operate more efficiently

• Process planning applications faster
• Respond to customer queries in real-time
• Gain greater control and visibility of the ‘big picture’ with full reporting and audit functionality
• Share information throughout the entire department
• Meet regulatory control and compliance
• Automate cross system manual processes

How it works

We take tried and tested technology and integrate this with your organisation’s existing infrastructure and familiar line of business systems – so the transformation and requirement to learn new systems will be minimal

Drawing 1: Multiple Applications

A typical ‘before’ infrastructure for document management within planning departments, which represents inefficiency, high costs and risk

Multiple applications = high costs

Costs are high because you are managing multiple databases and applications.  This situation will often have evolved and been driven by your chosen software vendor, rather than have been planned and developed organically alongside your core applications.

• You have to budget for the maintenance and management of multiple systems and support contracts
• Staff need to be trained and skills maintained for multiple applications
• Physical planning history data needs a place for storage and cabinets to be stored in
• You also need staff to manage the records and there is the risk that records get lost, damaged or stolen

Multiple applications are difficult to manage

Internal application managers are responsible for maintaining and supporting multiple databases and application modules.

• They need to continually develop their skill set with multiple vendors to keep up-to-date with current versions of the software
• De-support of key systems used by planners is increasingly common as vendors are acquired by larger organisations
• Upgrading to the vendor’s new platform may not suit every organisation’s infrastructure, or the budget may not be available at the time
• If you don’t upgrade, you have no support
• Multiple support options, even within one supplier, can be confusing and frustrating
• Workflows and processes managed in isolation need manual intervention to transfer data and documents from one system to another

Drawing 2: A single application

The planning infrastructure for document management ‘after’ implementing EDM for Planning – inefficiencies, high costs and risks have been removed

A single application = savings and is easier to manage

This single technology solution consolidates multiple applications and databases in one place, providing enterprise scale, open access to all information and delivering:

• An extensible architecture to support mobile working
• Integrated Agenda Management for Planning Approval meetings
• Multimedia Support for all information types, including voice

The benefits are: