Doc Efficiency Benchmarking Guide for Performance Success

Are your documents giving your teams the right information at the right time? Digital technologies are fundamentally changing the way we work in the facilities, construction and maintenance industries. Document digitization and paper to digital scanning of drawings is just the beginning and does not necessarily ensure that business operations are performing at the highest level. To gain a true understanding of the impact of digital documents, it is essential to monitor, measure and improve the way the documents actually work within your operational processes. This approach is called Benchmarking your Doc Efficiency. It is a means to an end. It determines which documents support your team's work and which are obstacles, and which processes need to be adjusted in order to deliver the most possible value and to optimize your work flow and productivity.

What Is Doc Efficiency Benchmarking?

Doc Efficiency Benchmarking is the process of assessing, comparing and analyzing document-related business processes and workflows. The aim of Doc Efficiency Benchmarking is to better understand how employees are using, searching and editing their documents, in order to pinpoint opportunities for improving operational efficiency. Doc Efficiency Benchmarking moves far beyond a simple inventory by providing a range of performance metrics: search time and search hit rates, editing frequency and other key metrics that can impact an employee’s effectiveness when on-the-go and interacting with their documents in real time. The benchmarks will be derived from the company’s own internal data and best practices, with external benchmarks where applicable and relevant.

Our document workflow efficiency benchmarking methodology and use of long-tail keywords, allows us to identify where documentation workflows are efficient and where there are key opportunities for improvement. Our overall goal in this effort is to prevent unnecessary delays, missed communications and violations of regulations and standards. This is an important step in treating and measuring their documentation as a valuable asset to their operations and a way to get key information to enable departments to perform their work more effectively; such as quickly and efficiently managing repairs in a large facility.

Why Measuring Document Performance Matters

Every minute counts to facilities managers and managers, whether they're dealing with an unexpected fire in the cafeteria, troubleshooting a heating and ventilation system in the building or knowing the location of safety shields in the lab to pass an OSHA audit. Delaying access to facilities documents such as plans, procedures, old documents and emergency contact information can have dire consequences. Benchmarking your Doc Efficiency by understanding how your staff interacts with your documentation, and how to help them act more quickly and safely within the facilities operations environment. It's more than paperwork. It's about making sure your staff acts when seconds count and avoids costly delays and injuries.

Document performance metrics highlight the unappreciated barriers that otherwise remain unseen. How many versions of a plan have had to be redrawn because the original could not be located or was insufficient? How many hours are lost on a job site searching for documents that are scattered in multiple locations? In facilities management and other operational disciplines such as school districts, hospitals, manufacturing plants and government agencies, tiny losses of time add up to significant expenses and increased levels of personal stress. A document productivity analysis is a great way to gather factual information for strategic planning and to provide justification for software investments in document management.

The Benefits of Doc Productivity Analysis

Through the application of Doc Efficiency Benchmarking to our document ecosystems, we achieve the following advancements:

• Reduced Search Time: Teams save hours of time searching for plans and O&M documentation reducing the time wasted on non-productive work.

• Lower Risk of Errors: Information about fire extinguisher locations and the procedures to follow can be found quickly in the Event Procedure Binder which helps lower the risk of errors and accidents during an emergency. First aid procedures and medical contact information can also be found quickly to ensure that proper care is provided in a timely manner. Having access to accurate information in a binder also helps to reduce human error.
• Faster Compliance Preparedness Our facility documents provide the status of every document type which enables us to be audit-ready at all times.
• Data-Driven Justification: We will be able to provide a clear justification for a potential hardware, software, educational program or process change using benchmarking data.

• Savings and Efficiency Gains: Eliminating redundant activities and digitally capturing the archival history of important documents has enabled us to operate more efficiently in all of our managed locations.

The benefits we have seen at ARC Facilities don’t end there. More accurate and efficient documentation enables a smoother handover of projects, faster response times in case of an emergency, and a reduction in paper usage which supports our efforts to be more environmentally responsible. We continue to seek out opportunities to benchmark and improve our operations in order to not only keep pace with evolving trends but also to proactively address the needs of tomorrow while meeting the demands of today.

Essential Metrics for Doc Efficiency Benchmarking

Documents and files count and storage capacity is only a small piece of the measurement of document efficiency. More meaningful metrics measure how people work and collaborate with documents and, in order to build a Doc Productivity analysis on top, it’s helpful to start with the following metrics.

• Access Time: Determines the time taken to locate and open the required document from digital or archival storage for end users.

• Retrieval Success Rate: What percentage of times do employees find what they need on the first try, and how does this reflect the ease of finding information?
• Document Update Frequency: The frequency at which key documents are revised or updated (e.g. O&M documentation, emergency contact lists, etc.).
• User Engagement: Which files or document sets are most and least accessed-and by whom?
• Error Rates: Has anyone really tried to count how many problems have occurred because the wrong documents were missing, out of date or inaccurate, and therefore no correct action could be taken?

• Compliance Timeliness: What is the speed at which documentation can be generated to facilitate an audit or inspection in the unlikely event that one were to occur?

We continue to monitor the long-tail and LSI versions of the keywords such as: building documentation performance metrics and facility document accessibility rates. This work identifies opportunities for focus, identifies the key areas for high-value improvements and provides measurement of the impact and resulting ROI associated with the installation of initiatives such as digital building plans and legacy documents conversion.

Advanced Metrics for Specific Industries

For those industries where business needs are more specialized such as education and government our analysis can include information on the frequency of audits and compliance reminders related to the storage and management of their documents as well as incident response times and costs for storing sensitive records such as financial or personnel documents. Benchmarking the performance of these business-critical operations can greatly influence the ability of the organization to achieve its strategic objectives and improve its competitive position.

How to Collect Data for Benchmarking Docs

While there is some work involved in getting the data for a Doc Efficiency Benchmarking, planning that work is critical to getting useful information. Here is a suggested plan for gathering that data in phases:

• Document Mapping: Create a resource that shows all the documentation “ecosystems” across all the projects, sites and assets for which you have responsibility – from capital builds and emergency information right through to operational and maintenance documentation.

• Stakeholder Interviews: We will be conducting interviews with employees at both office and field locations. This will give us firsthand accounts of the challenges they face when interacting with documents and will help us identify the first set of functionalities to develop.
• User Activity Logs Software used to record information about each time a document is pulled, changed and/or updated. This data provides an objective and accurate measure of employee performance and serves as a benchmark for future benchmarking efforts. It records the times documents are retrieved, changed and/or updated.
• Manual Audit and Spot Checks: The older the archive or environment, the more a manual audit of physical and digital documents will uncover a multitude of problems and lost documents. It's also valuable as a check for hybrid implementations.

• External Benchmarking FACILITIES metrics should be compared and contrasted with performance standards found in widely recognized studies and benchmarks and, when appropriate, with comparable standards at peer institutions. paData combined with user input ensures that no information is lost and provides a complete and actionable Performance Profile. Ready to see how ARC Facilities can help with some of the data collection tasks? Schedule a demo

Common Pitfalls in Efficiency Benchmarks

Doc Efficiency Benchmarking is a very powerful tool, but there are also a number of hazards you should be aware of in order to avoid diminishing its benefits:

• Overlooking User Behavior: Analytics alone do not tell the whole story. In our experience, metrics are often used without fully considering the underlying user behavior that drove the original metrics and also without considering the reasons behind user non-adoption or misuse of the content.

• Focusing on Quantity Over Quality: More files does not mean better efficiency. Prioritizing high-value, actively used documents prevents wasted benchmarking effort.
• Failure to consider Change Management: The adoption of new technology, such as digital tools, often does not consider the impact on the end user. Without adequate communication and training, the intended positive outcomes are often disrupted.
• Efficiency should not come at the expense of security and compliance. Everything we do must still secure our data. - Ensure that any improvements considered to our operations will not make us less secure.

• Not Iterating: A benchmarking project is not a one time undertaking. Ongoing monitoring is required in order to measure how application environments change over time and to take into account advances in technology and changing compliance requirements.

Our staff should not have to wrestle with a system to access important information in a business operations hub such as a shared service centre or contact centre. Similarly, upgrades should not have to be the source of significant stress or significant operational changes. By learning from common pitfalls and adopting optimal practices such as staff engagement and inclusive scheduled maintenance, these improvements can be enduring and yield many benefits for documents and employee trust. Learn more about our customer success stories.

Turning Doc Efficiency Insights into Action

The real value of Doc Efficiency Benchmarking is the work that needs to be done after the suggested improvements are identified. Strategy, communication, technology – and more – are all required to bring about real change. Following a document productivity analysis we generally recommend a few steps to get started and to get fast returns on investment. Some quick wins can include: - Converting the most used plans into a Searchable PDF so they are easier to access and find when they are needed - Improving mobile access and functionality for field workers - Role-based security to align access with the required levels of security for each group of users.

The integration of Benchmarking information and the incorporation of Facility Management best practices into our operational practices allows for sustainable improvement of building performance and asset care practices on an ongoing basis, site after site and department after department. Goals are sometimes established on a preliminary basis through the intervention of cross-functional committees or project leaders (e.g., achieving a defined retrieval time, or upping first-time access rates by a percentage). This work in particular reinforces the culture and makes documentation a shared asset rather than an exclusive IT exercise.

By delivering a set of customizable, flexible tools for the commercial/industrial, government and sports facility markets, ARC Facilities empowers owners, managers and maintenance personnel with knowledge and insight to transform benchmarking research into tangible accomplishments. For a more detailed review of our products and features, please see our product overview page.

Ongoing Document Performance Optimization

Doc Efficiency Benchmarking is an element that should be an integral part of a facility management and operations culture. Documents, processes and modes of use are continuously changing due to evolving facilities, technology, and regulations and because of changes to our teams. Doc efficiency benchmarking is an important element of an overall effort to improve efficiency through monitoring documentation performance over time, and understanding its dynamics.

• Regular Data Reviews: Set up meetings on a regular basis to benchmark current performance, identify emerging issues and understand where additional focus is required.

• Continuous Training: Keep your teams up to speed with the latest workflows and best practices, all in order to ensure that your document management remains efficient and compliant.
• Leveraging Partners: We have established partnerships with key Solution Providers who can assist in System Integrations, Migrations and Customizations. Click here to view some of our partners.
• Feedback Loops: Ask your team to suggest ideas to change or areas that are painful for them.

• Technology Refresh: Facilities teams must regularly assess and refresh the technology used to maintain their CMMS. Current offerings at the facility may include cloud and mobile-first solutions. (See an example of an ArcBuildingPlans Building Plans solution.)

Our documentation management platforms are constantly benchmarked, and we are ready to answer the facility management challenges of tomorrow. See our customer reviews for more success stories!

Next Steps for Doc Efficiency Benchmarking

The world of facilities management is changing at a rapid pace and so are the needs of today’s Facilities teams. Doc Efficiency Benchmarking empowers strategic advantage through improved access to property documents, enhanced accountability and cost containment, and most importantly – better outcomes for all stakeholders. Begin evaluating your current situation and exploring opportunities to document workflows, establish benchmarking metrics and implement applications that eliminate tedious paper-based search and distribute information in real time to multiple facilities and locations.

Need a better understanding of the performance of your documents within your facility? Start with an audit of your current procedures. Give us a call to set up a complimentary Discovery Session or contact ARC Facilities to see how our cloud-based document suite can turn the knowledge gained from benchmarking into tangible value. Learn more about our solutions by visiting the product overview page or download our applications for Construction Projects, Emergency Information Management and more.

Documentation Efficiency Benchmarking is no longer a "phase" and is actually a necessity for any organization looking to improve facility operations in terms of safety, smart practices and responsiveness. Let's work together to improve document flow, employee productivity and the future readiness of your facility operations. Contact us for a FREE consultation to see how we can help with your facility management needs today.

FAQ

What is Doc Efficiency Benchmarking?

Doc Efficiency Benchmarking refers to the practice of measuring and comparing an organization’s current state of how documents are produced, reviewed, shared, and stored against benchmark data from peer organizations (companies with like business processes, size, industry, etc.) or against industry benchmarks and widely recognized industry best practices.

Why is measuring document performance important?

Metrics such as the document performance metric measure the speed with which documents travel through an organization and provide key information on how operations are functioning. Document performance metrics will enable an organization to determine where the most significant traffic congestion occurs. Thus, an organization will be able to identify where improvements can be made to boost efficiency and performance to enhance overall productivity.

What are the main benefits of analyzing doc productivity?

Doc productivity analysis helps to understand the productivity, reduce costs and make staff more effective. A swift response to changing business conditions is also possible and staff can be kept informed.

Which metrics should we track for effective benchmarking?

Metrics we track regularly include: Document turnaround time, frequency of access to documents Accuracy levels Error reduction Tracking these metrics allows us to set target achievements and measure our progress towards those goals and ultimately foster a culture of continuous improvement.

How can we turn benchmarking insights into action?