A growing midstream services company’s process for managing legal documents was creating significant inefficiencies. Paper-based records were organized by entity, placed in binders with tabbed sections indicating various document types, and stored on shelves in a file room. The company looked to Stonebridge to define a technical approach.
Solution Benefits
- Combines process optimization with advanced document/record management automation
- Enables legal department to focus on working with the corporate records and transaction documents – supporting audit and other routine company matters – instead of managing a physical file room
- Provide auditors or other department staff secure access to specific areas of the system, enabling effective self-service access to vital records
Project Summary
A growing midstream services company’s process for managing legal documents was creating significant inefficiencies. Paper-based records were organized by entity, placed in binders with tabbed sections indicating various document types, and stored on shelves in a file room. Legal documents related to acquisition and divestiture of assets was similarly organized by transaction and placed in binders with tabbed sections. From a process perspective, as new and/or related documents were created, legal staff was required to physically place them in their respective binders. The labor-intensive and error-prone environment put increasing burdens on the legal department’s time and workload. Meeting requests for specific documents – for example, during company audits – required staff to search through binders and retrieve documents literally by hand. The company turned to Stonebridge to define a technical approach for its document management solution. The goal was to organize the legal department’s information in a digital folder structure that replicated the structure and organization of its existing physical filing system. To minimize project risk, Stonebridge first developed a proof of concept (POC) showing that the technical approach would meet user needs. With the success of the POC, the client engaged Stonebridge to fully implement the solution. Built on the Microsoft SharePoint platform, the document repository organizes digital copies of documents using embedded metadata that allows legal staff to easily search, retrieve, and produce specific documents needed for audits and other routine company matters.
Next Step
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