Electronic forms combine the familiarity of paper with the power of storing information digitally. Imagine an ordinary paper form, a piece of paper with lines, boxes, check-off lists, and places for signatures. To the user an electronic form is simply a digital analogue of such a paper form, an image which looks like a form but which appears on a computer screen and is filled out via mouse and keyboard. Behind the screen, however, lie numerous functions that paper and pencil cannot provide. With electronic forms it is possible to combine manually entered information with information automatically filled in from a data base, automatically distribute the form (or a part of it) in predetermined ways, approve actions with digital signatures, and connect to other applications.

Stage: Awareness Training | Electronic form questions

Electronic forms are useful in any situation where three conditions are present:

1. A lot of information must be passed around.
2. Various people or groups must be able to read the information easily and either add to or modify it.
3. It is important to keep the information in an organized fashion.

To see how these conditions may exist in an SME, consider a typical order processing sequence:

1. receive order
2. schedule, release to floor
3. establish transport mechanism, e.g., boxes and associated labels
4. reporting of manufacturing progress by operators
5. receipt into stores/shipping.

It is common within many SMEs for the above process to be "semi-structured". While systems are in place, they may not always be observed, and even when they are, record keeping at each stage is likely to be uneven. As a result several problems arise.

1. The progress of orders is difficult to track, thus making it difficult to keep customers informed.
2. Internal planning is extremely difficult because consistent, reliable advance knowledge is not available (e.g., maintenance can’t assess future work loads on machines, and thus cannot determine where expedited preventive maintenance may be useful).
3. Incorrect information creeps into the system because each department has its own procedure for maintaining data and for transferring it from one record keeping system to another. To make matters worse, checks on data quality are exclusive to the keepers of each system, thus fragmenting efforts to maintain data quality.
4. Information is not obtained because delay in getting it will cause it to be obsolete. One source of delay is the time to actually find what one is looking for. The other is the time needed to check accuracy, since users are likely to have a healthy distrust of the information they receive.
5. Patterns are difficult to analyze. As examples, it would be difficult to observe six-month trends in machine utilization, how much maintenance was expedited or the work load on the shipping department.

In all of these cases, people who really care can get the information they want. But they cannot get it reliably and quickly enough to use on a regular basis. Electronic forms can be used to establish a single, unified system in which:

1. Information is easy to record because only new information must be entered. (All standard, or previously recorded information is filled in automatically.) The process is likely to be at least as simple, if not simpler than working with existing data recording systems.
2. Routing is automatic. Once information is recorded the system knows who gets it next.
3. Information can be separated so that people with narrow information needs see only what they need. While they won’t have the clutter of needless information, anything they record will become part of an organized record.
4. Built-in checks can help assure accuracy. (As an example an empty field, or one with an out-of-range entry, can be made to prompt the user for correction.)
5. Because a data base underlies the system, information can be quickly retrieved.

As an illustration of how this process would apply to our material flow example, it’s easy to envision an empty electronic form that begins to get filled out when an order is received. The form is forwarded to "scheduling" where information on "release to floor" is entered, and thereby automatically updating the manufacturing master schedule. As the order goes through stages in manufacturing, its progress is recorded and sent simultaneously to the next manufacturing process and to the account manager in charge of the order, who will then be able to provide information to customers. At the final stage a notification will go to "shipping" and "quality control" for final inspection, and to "order entry" to record the order as completed.

Of course electronic forms technology alone will not result in the smooth information flow described above. Making the system work will require that appropriate business process be developed and maintained. Electronic forms add value because they enable data tracking processes that are as simple (or simpler) to use than existing methods, and which reward their use by producing valuable information.

Stage: Awareness Training | Electronic form questions

Yes. Because electronic forms handle information in digital form, they can be integrated with any other method of digital information handling. Further, that integration can allow two-way communication. As an example an electronic form put on a Web site could be used to let customers order goods, and also to provide confirmation to the user that the order was received.

Stage: Awareness Training | Electronic form questions

First, ask your trading partners and contacts in other companies for recommendations. Second, check with your industry association. Third, contact your local NIST/MEP manufacturing extension center or Electronic Commerce Resource Center. Finally there are several associations for electronic forms professionals which contain a wealth of useful information on available products and services. Try the Business Forms Management Association or Xplor International, The Electronic Document Systems Association.

Stage: All | Electronic form questions

First, begin with a clear sense of what electronic forms are and what they can do. An electronic form:

1. Presents on a computer screen a digital facsimile of a paper and pencil form.
2. Links the information to other data bases and applications, thus allowing a high degree of information integration.
3. Allows automatic routing.
4. Provides for digital signature approvals at predetermined stages.
5. Outputs data in a variety of formats - paper, other electronic forms, hypertext for Web use, electronic mail, and EDI.

Thus the question of how to use electronic forms can be cast in a more specific way:

How can my business benefit from information
flow that has the unique characteristics of electronic forms?

One good way to approach this question is through brainstorming and inspiration. In addition, however, we recommend a systematic approach that involves categorizing possible answers along two dimensions - product/process and business impact. (Numbers in the table refer to the specific examples presented following the table.)

Examples of Electronic Forms Applications Throughout the Table

1. Requests which draw on company resources (e.g., requests for travel, supplies or temporary help) usually require a tedious set of checks and approvals. Eliminating the paper and reducing the information flow time will provide significant efficiencies.
2. Often there are useful business practices which in theory could be done with paper and pencil, but which in practice cannot be maintained manually beyond their very simplest form. One example is a systematic procedure for making changes in products. If a designer comes up with an idea for a change, a company may wish to institute a procedure such as:
   1. Check implications with Sales and Marketing and get their approval before anything more is done.
   2. Once approved by Sales and Marketing, send the proposed change simultaneously to the people who can comment on a) the cost implications of the change, and b) the manufacturability aspects of the change.
   3. Wait for approvals from each before proceeding further.

   With several possible changes in different products being considered simultaneously, it becomes very difficult to maintain discipline in the system outlined above. Electronic forms alone cannot maintain that discipline because ultimately individuals have to make choices about what they should do, when they should do it, and to whom they should speak. But it is also true that electronic forms can provide a degree of efficiency that will: (a) provide obvious benefits to its users and (b) make use preferable to using "back door" channels of communication.
   

3. A company may marry an electronic forms system to a Web based shopping system to make it easier for customers to place orders, track an order’s progress, and resolve complaints. So doing will solidify the loyalty of existing customers, and perhaps, bring in new ones.
4. One aspect of a job’s overall lead time is the time it takes to quote a job in the first place. Many companies are in businesses where such quoting requires the application of established rules to a complex set of factors. As an example a company that makes books may need to have a customer specify paper dimensions, paper type, number of color illustrations, type of binding, type of cover, size of typeface, margin dimensions, and quantity. A company may cut its overall lead time by having prospective customers submit RFQs with a Web based form, and integrating that information into an automated quoting system. While existing customers may appreciate this service, its true value is its potential to open new markets for the company. They can now bid on rush orders that they would have previously turned down.

We recommend an approach that oscillates between the systematic and the inspirational. As ideas are generated they can be placed within the table, thus providing a sense of what value may derive from any suggested application of electronic forms.

Stage: Business Analysis | Electronic form questions

The basic requirement is an electronic forms application. Decisions about other supporting technologies can be identified by working through a series of steps. The order for these steps will vary with circumstances. As an example, a company may have the wherewithal to address issues of user interface and integration simultaneously. But all else being equal, we suggest dealing with these issues as shown in the accompanying diagram of a "typical" implementation sequence. What makes this typical?

• We begin by identifying the most important business applications. This is always a good place to start when starting a change process.
• While electronic forms may be dedicated exclusively to internal use, any external use will almost certainly require internal forms manipulation as well. Unless a business is very small, incoming information will have be moved from person to person or department to department.
• Networking infrastructure is considered a basic foundation for use of information in digital form. For this reason networking is dealt with early in the process. The only exception is when the primary use of electronic forms is external. Particularly when customers are involved, there must be an early and explicit effort to address their requirements.
• User interface comes before integration planning because in any technology implementation, it is important for users to see results as quickly as possible after implementation has begun. By dealing with user interface early, at least the minimum value of electronic forms will become evident relatively quickly.
• Even when plans call only for internal use, it is always valuable to scan for possible applications with trading partners. First, improving coordination with trading partners is always a good idea. Second, it is likely that as experience with electronic forms is gained, opportunities for use with trading partners will be recognized.

Stage: Design | Electronic form questions

Before calculating the costs it is necessary to have an understanding of what electronic forms functionality you need. Without this information it is impossible to compare cost with value. Your objective should not be to get the lowest cost system, but to get the lowest cost system for what you need.

One type of cost is the outlay you need to implement and run electronic forms technology. These should be calculated both in terms of dollars and time because often one may be available while the other is not. As an example there may be enough money in your budget to buy what you need, but all potential members of your implementation team are too busy to devote the necessary time to the task. In theory the money could buy the necessary staff hours, but in reality this is often a hard exchange to make. When you are ready to calculate costs the following template will prove useful. (Not all categories may be applicable to your situation. As an example, you may already have the necessary computers in your company.)

In addition to costs that can be measured as outlays, there are also opportunity costs to consider, i.e., the cost of not implementing electronic forms. These may be harder to estimate than outlay costs, but depending on the situation, they may also be the most important costs of all. To estimate opportunity costs address the following questions: If I do not implement electronic forms...

• What effect will it have on my present accounts?
• How will it affect my appeal to potential new customers?
• What possibilities are lost for improving my business process, and thereby reducing my costs and the time it takes me to respond to customers?

Stage: Design | Electronic form questions