Invoice automation and

document management
tips

Page 2 of 8 Sponsored by
Invoice automation and
document management tips

Contents
Three questions bring
focus to document
imaging, management
planning
Invoice automation
and connectivity in
SAP and Oracle
procurement
deployments


Though many businesses are moving towards
electronic records, the transition period from paper to digital
can be difficult to navigate. In this E-Guide, discover how
asking three simple questions about organizational needs
can help businesses map out an effective document
management and imaging process. In addition, find out how
Oracle and SAP procurement shops can improve their
accounts payable functionality through invoice automation.

Three questions bring focus to document imaging,
management planning
By Steve Wei ssman

Congratulations! You've been tasked with figuring out how best to approach
the process of capturing, imaging and managing your organization's
documents. And if you've spent any time at all looking into it, then you
already know just how many moving parts there are to keep track of and how
many seemingly workable alternatives there are for you to choose from.

Establish a firm benchmark against which to objectively measure all the
available options among document management and imaging tools.

The good news is that by asking -- and answering -- some fundamental
questions about the organization's essential needs and aims, it's possible to
map out a document imaging and management strategy that is tailored to fit
those needs and designed to work effectively.

While there are many opinions on the matter, over the years I have found
that focused research begins with three crucial questions. The answers to
those queries will help identify the core elements of a practical document
management program and lay a solid foundation for the entire initiative.


Page 3 of 8 Sponsored by
Invoice automation and
document management tips

Contents
Three questions bring
focus to document
imaging, management
planning
Invoice automation
and connectivity in
SAP and Oracle
procurement
deployments


Question 1: What business problem needs a fix?
If there is one issue to latch onto and never let go of, it's properly articulating
the nature of the business problem the organization is working to solve --
everything else, as the T-shirts say, is just details.

My phone rings regularly with calls from people who have Googled phrases
such as "document management," "document capture," "document imaging"
and "document scanning." The callers usually have compiled bewilderingly
long lists of products and vendors that all seem suitable and are looking for
advice on which way they should go.

I encourage those ready to purchase technology to look carefully at the
business reasons why they are researching document management products
and vendors in the first place. Once they know that, they can match the
features, functions and other attributes of the various alternatives to those
reasons. That will help narrow the technology choices to those that provide
the best fit.

Such an approach establishes a firm benchmark against which to objectively
measure all the available options among document management and
imaging tools, and it keeps the responsibility for understanding your situation
where it belongs: on your shoulders, not a vendor's.

Question 2: What is the scope of the program under consideration?
Next up is project scope, which, like the weather, is one of those topics
everyone talks about but no one does anything about. That is unfortunate
because getting the scope wrong can cause a lot more problems than
forgetting to take your umbrella to work.

Think of the scope as the size of the shadow the program will cast over your
organization, and you'll get an idea of how big an issue it can be. What
makes scope tricky to define in this case is the fact that it needs to be viewed
from multiple directions in the context of a document imaging and
management program.


Page 4 of 8 Sponsored by
Invoice automation and
document management tips

Contents
Three questions bring
focus to document
imaging, management
planning
Invoice automation
and connectivity in
SAP and Oracle
procurement
deployments


The most obvious among them is geographic coverage. Will your new
procedures be implemented solely at the local level or will they need to be
used regionally, nationally or even internationally? The answer to that
question has a lot riding on it in terms of performance, technology and
compliance requirements, so be sure to get it right.

Assessing the types of documents you plan to target represents another
aspect of scoping a program, since they involve different technical
capabilities and certainly different economics. The document management
products on the market today readily accommodate text, images, email,
cases or projects and social media posts, but without knowing which types of
documents will require the bulk of your attention, it's difficult to choose the
best process and technology for the situation.

The functionality you require also must be considered in defining the scope
of a program; it puts boundaries on the kinds of capabilities that need to be
acquired. If the business purpose is centered on, say, invoice processing, a
list of key functions might include capture, imaging and workflow capabilities,
with no reason for collaboration or archiving. That helps eliminate some
vendors with particular strengths in the latter areas rather than the ones you
really need.

Question 3: What's your measure of success?
The last of my Big Three questions is one that many people do not include as
a critical element of planning document management programs, but instead
address it along the way. Identifying how the organization will measure
success is fundamental because if you do not know what your goal is -- in
measurable terms -- it becomes difficult to know when you have reached it.

But articulating the goals of a document imaging program in measurable
terms can be challenging. Some of them might not be immediately
quantifiable (e.g., improved customer service), while others might be
evaluated in different contexts (e.g., scanning boxes of old records to make
their content more accessible versus freeing up the office space they
occupy). Make a list of goals, prioritize them and make sure the entire team
is aware of them and the metrics that will be used to track progress.

Page 5 of 8 Sponsored by
Invoice automation and
document management tips

Contents
Three questions bring
focus to document
imaging, management
planning
Invoice automation
and connectivity in
SAP and Oracle
procurement
deployments


By answering these three questions, you develop a thorough understanding
of what your organization is trying to accomplish, and for whom. That will
unlock the door to crafting the right strategy, choosing the most effective
document imaging and management software package, and maximizing the
total business value gained from the program over time.

About the Author:
Steve Weissman is a consultant and best-practices instructor in process and
information management. President of AIIM's New England Chapter and a
Certified Information Professional, he is the principal analyst at Holly Group,
where he works with clients to derive "maximum total value" from their IT
investments. He can be reached at 617-383-4655 or
sweissman@hollygroup.com.

Invoice automation and connectivity in SAP and Oracle
procurement deployments
By Jason Busch, Contributor

Invoice automation and connectivity systems do more than reduce paper-
based processes. They can also serve as a foundation for transforming the
accounts payable (A/P) function by bringing new levels of operating
efficiency to Oracle and SAP procurement and finance organizations (e.g.,
reducing costs per full-time equivalent, the total cost of operations, etc.) and
the overall effectiveness of the function (e.g., by improving working capital,
enabling an ability to profit from receivables through either treasury or third-
party funded early payment, among other

Despite the often significant hard-dollar savings and working capital
improvements that invoice automation and supplier network connectivity
solutions can bring, SAP and Oracle remain behind providers in delivering
capabilities that can help address supplier enablement as a preceding
component of the invoicing process. Processes in this area require complex
invoice workflow, matching, approvals and overall process management that
optimizes the linkage between procurement, payables and treasury
requirements, and priorities.

Page 6 of 8 Sponsored by
Invoice automation and
document management tips

Contents
Three questions bring
focus to document
imaging, management
planning
Invoice automation
and connectivity in
SAP and Oracle
procurement
deployments


They also require the capability to enabling electronic invoicing for all
suppliers and the enablement of scanning, capture and conversion to
electronic invoices for middle-tier suppliers sending 500-1,000 invoices per
year, as well as smaller suppliers that typically send 100500 (or fewer)
invoices per year. Invoice management and connectivity tools should also
allow direct integration into supplier systems for high-volume suppliers, as
well as interoperability and document exchange between internal and
external supplier systems.

In addition, companies should look for systems that also enable:

Connectivity to existing network operators
VAT, tax and related jurisdictional payment matters
Working capital management visibility and strategies
Both dynamic and fixed discounting programs

To address these shortcomings in their own solutions, SAP and Oracle have
partnered with OpenText and Transcepta in addition to providing partial
solutions of their own within their procurement suites.

Yet ERP customers should not limit themselves to these recommended
options. Many SAP customers also use SAP partner Hubwoo, for example,
which has broader capability than OpenText. In addition, Basware, which
many analysts and observers say have the strongest invoice automation
solution, has extensive experience with enabling the electronic invoice
presentment and payment and connectivity process within complicated SAP
environments for both high-volume and low-volume suppliers.

Ariba has a proven network system as well, although recent price increases
for suppliers do not make it as economical as in the past, especially for
vendors that submit high-dollar value invoices. For further reading regarding
Aribas price increase and both buyer and supplier views of the costs and
benefits, read Ariba Network Price Hike: Plan for Increased Supplier Fees in
September 2010. In addition to Ariba, Amalto, Elemica, Ketera, Kofax,
OB10, Pagero, Perfect Software, and Quadrem, among others, are all worthy
of consideration. New specialists such as Oxygen Finance and Pollenware

Page 7 of 8 Sponsored by
Invoice automation and
document management tips

Contents
Three questions bring
focus to document
imaging, management
planning
Invoice automation
and connectivity in
SAP and Oracle
procurement
deployments


offer their own unique capabilities in the discounting and benefits capture
area.

As a final point of recommendation, we suggest to clients operating globally,
especially in the European Union, that they make sure that the providers they
work with in the European markets have the ability to integrate with local
network operators and providers in specific countries and regions.

For a complete, comprehensive look at this subject beyond this article,
download our Compass Research Paper.

If youre interested in learning more about procurement systems that can
enable the ERP ecosystem in general, we would encourage you to download
our latest Compass research on the subject.

About the Author:
J ason Busch is Principal Analyst at Spend Matters. His contributions are
based on Spend Matters Compass research, which examines a range of
procurement and supply-chain technology solutions and trends.



Page 8 of 8 Sponsored by
Invoice automation and
document management tips

Contents
Three questions bring
focus to document
imaging, management
planning
Invoice automation
and connectivity in
SAP and Oracle
procurement
deployments


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