Automated document generation solution: Cloud-based platform to optimize manual tasks
Manually performed routine processes typically cause considerable trouble to organizations across industries. Ever-increasing digitization and automation now rapidly gaining momentum are pushing most companies towards optimizing day-to-day operations.
Manual processes commonly cause:
- Human error
- Limited flexibility and scalability
- Low adaptability
- Inefficient communication and collaboration
- Lack of real-time insights
- Inability of data-driven decision-making
Quick overview of the successful project
Our client is an international enterprise producing personal protective equipment for various large industries. Their customers are mostly strategic-thinking companies in healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and other hazardous segments.
Our specialists have conducted the design and deployment of an automated document generation solution. Even though our engineers have received detached requests, they saw the opportunity to combine the features into one comprehensive platform, which provides great value to all internal divisions.
Automated document generation solution
One challenge our client had been continuously experiencing was the inefficient management of documents. Another challenge the client had been repeatedly facing was the timely update of the marketing documents, which hindered the provision of information on specifications and certifications to customers.
The delivered automated document generation solution provides several essential features:
- Document lists (document name, document status, historical updates)
- Document details (document details, document download/archiving/editing/etc., historical activity)
- Document management
- Template management (template name & style, reference number, and more)
Our contribution
Step 1: Discovery phase
At the first stage, we investigated how the marketing documents have been previously created and updated — the process was slow and inefficient, as the separate divisions had been manually managing supporting files using different specialized tools.
Step 2: Requirement elicitation
At the next stage, we suggested to automate certain processes, which were too labor-intensive.
In brief, we automated:
- The collection of assets on the main website, SharePoint and Asset Bank
- The creation of documents
- The uploading of documents to the appropriate folder
Step 3: Architecture
Step 3.1: User flow
The end-users can access the following key functionality:
- The review of documents
- The creation and update of documents
- The creation and update of packs
- The design of templates for documents
Step 3.2: Solution architecture
The platform was integrated with several third-party services:
- Azure AD
- Asset Bank
- SharePoint
- PIM
Step 3.3: High-level architecture
For the automated document generation solution, we suggested a typical layered architecture:
- Similar-functioning modules/components are grouped into separate horizontal layers
- The layers each have distinct functions
Step 4: Deployment
By leveraging domain-specific knowledge and experience, we deployed the product without hassle.
The challenges and outcomes to mention
While optimizing data management, our team has faced multiple challenges:
- Software development simultaneously with business updates on the client side
- Platform integration with proprietary legacy applications
- UI/UX design to simplify the transition from manual to automated marketing routines
- Regulatory compliance
Our experts:
- Created an IP whitelist to ensure role-based access
- Utilized the MS Azure Active Directory Single Sign-On to simplify user authorization
While covering software integration, our engineers had been focusing on:
- Security requirements (platform access, quick sign-on)
- Functional requirements (document management across departments)
- UI/UX design to ensure easy-to-navigate utilization
- Unified format and structure
The platform:
- Reduces repeated manual routines associated with marketing materials
- Unifies processes across departments (document management, asset access)
- Increases performance and productivity, which encompasses:
a. Process visibility
b. Process tracking
c. Risk management and minimization
d. Process standardization
- Optimizes overall resource allocation
Summing up
The selected UI/UX approaches made the user experience easy from day one, which simplified the transition — now the in-house staff can provide high-quality services to customers in healthcare and other large segments. The platform successfully minimized manual processes, which eliminated reputational and financial damage.
The custom-designed, automated document generation solution:
- Allows managing marketing materials skipping resource-intense manual workflows
- Helps maintaining essential information always up-to-date and easy-to-access
