Technology

From Document Manager Magazine Vol 20 No 04 - July/August

Electronic forms (eForms) have been around for a few short years, while mobile and tablet devices are more recent and have had a rapid effect on the computing experience.

Why do we like paper so much? Is there something in our genes that inextricably binds us to it? While we wait for some clever scientist to discover the link and maybe an enterprising pharmacist to develop anti-paper tablets we can take every morning, what do we do in the meantime?

Back in the eighties when personal computers came into being, pundits predicted the demise of paper - computers and electronic storage systems were going to wean humans off paper. Computers did not solve the problem; in fact they made it worse through widespread access to low cost technology to print more - the growth of ink cartridge shops in our high street could not have been predicted!

EFORMS: THE NUGGET OF HOPE?
Amongst predictions about the impact of amazing developments in hardware and software technologies rested a less publicised nugget about the imminent and rapid growth of eForms. With the growing rise in on-line business and e-commerce, organisations need a simple, cost effective way to capture and track transactions through various processes, to successful conclusion. eForms tick all the boxes in terms of functionality and potential use.

Studies carried out by Gartner and Microsoft clearly show significant and tangible savings where eForms are deployed. The reality on the ground though, paints a different picture - why aren't more organisations using eForms? To answer this question, its worth looking closely at this technology and why this nugget of hope had to wait for a partner to make a real impact on our consumption of paper.

The marketing message goes as follows: "eForms provide the ability to capture and workflow business forms and is completely compatible with any application and any industry. Best of all, the form is very easy to setup and use - the user simply fills out drop down lists, check-boxes, radio buttons, and text fields that can be validated in real time. The form-filling process is intelligent - depending on one answer, different choices are given for the next question(s). As the users fill the forms, data is collected behind the scenes and on completion, is used to generate an actual form in a read-only format, together with the full data set which is re-usable and can be used to automate back-end business processes."

THE CHALLENGE
This sounds good, but is it a viable business proposition and can it really deliver? As a technology, electronic forms certainly deliver the required functionality. But technology on its own will not deliver a cost-effective solution: it is a key component in a framework which includes IT, procedures and policies to deliver strategic objectives, in a world where goalposts keep moving! The world is phasing through incredible technological changes including social media and the consumerisation of IT - users are much more tech-savvy and probably have access to more 'funky' technology at home than at the office. In this regard, the office represents yesterday's world! A world run by IT geeks is morphing into a world driven by the average man on the street through consumerisation. The current fashion is "computing on the go" - users are no longer tethered to their desks with a keyboard and mouse, and are driving savvy "apps" in the workplace. Mobile computing is leading the revolution in man-machine interface, replacing the keyboard and mouse with voice and hand gestures.

A BRIEF HISTORY
Electronic forms have been in existence in various guises since the late seventies. There are several types of electronic forms, ranging from basic (standalone) forms that can be downloaded from web sites, filled in electronically (or by hand) and printed, to interactive and complex (integrated) electronic forms that provide functionality to capture data keyed in by users in an online environment complete with data validation and integration with business processes. There was a rapid rise in use of standalone forms when PCs started becoming available - desktop applications like PageMaker, Word, and Excel allowed users to create forms for data collection and for initiating transactions. However, the design, deployment, and form-filling tasks remained un-connected with the business process and soon these forms served little purpose beyond filling and printing! Worse, lack of processes and management behind these forms led to rising costs due to lost productivity, errors, poor customer service, etc. Soon, these pre-printed or standalone forms lost confidence and favour.

Integrated electronic forms - eForms - provide end-to-end functionality from design, through submission and output management, to fulfil specific business requirements. eForms are essentially structured data entry screens used for collecting data which can be used to feed any number of front and back-end systems used in business processes, for example, HR, ERP, and clinical applications, reporting tools, letter generation, etc. But these forms must not be seen as simply tools for data collection - there is more. The essential functionality must include:

• Ability to use a form that interactively changes according to the needs of each individual user's session. The user simply fills out drop down lists, and depending on one answer, different choices are given for the next questions - intelligent navigation
• Users are led through the process of filling a form from beginning to end with a point and click interface. As a user answers questions, a form is built electronically
• These electronic forms link to supporting documents of all types
• The form design must not involve programming, although it is understood that more complex forms will require some IT input - users who understand the business process are ideally placed to design forms
• The eForms system is independent of any back-end business system, although it can be integrated; consequently, it can be used to collect data for any back-end system, including centralized information repository systems
• Upon completion, the form is automatically saved and integrated into a back-end repository, which allows users to access and search for the form based on data populated in the form. Receipt of the completed forms may trigger back end workflow processes
• eForms must be detached from any front-end application, to avoid counting eForm users as concurrent users, eliminating any licensing implications. The system must support un-limited access by internal and external users

This functionality - identified by users - paints a picture of an eForms Framework which helps to define a business strategy - simply deploying an eForm will not deliver the business strategy. This stems from expensive lessons learnt elsewhere - simply implementing technologies will not solve the problem or generate benefits; the trick is to understand careful application of available (and new) technologies.

In parallel, computing software and hardware moved on at rapid pace - from keyboard and mouse based interaction to rich user interfaces that respond to hand and finger gestures, and moving beyond, touch-less interfaces. While tablet-based PCs have been around for a while, these relied on keyboards and touchpads. The fashionable, trend-setting iPad combined with connectivity - broadband, 3G, and 4G - created a revolution in mobile tablet devices which transformed computing and made it consumer-led. We no longer have to be deskbound to create, access and use information. Newer generations are growing up with mobile devices that interconnect geographically distributed communities, not pens and desktop based devices. The mobile device revolution went further - it made computing fashionable, on the go, and fun!

THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY
Advances in eForms and mobile devices open up new options for collecting and analysing data. The boring chore of form filling - paper or electronic - is in the past. Using an IOS, Android, or Windows tablet, the user is essentially left with the fingers of one hand to carry out data entry tasks. Rich user-interface controls such as sliders and pickers are replacing click based controls such as drop-down lists and calendars.

Simply replacing established data entry controls with new gesture based controls is not sufficient. eForms are being designed to be device agnostic and provide instant feedback during the data collection activities to help the time-pressed user who needs to easily collect and analyse data. As a minimum, eForms must:

• Be usable on any mobile device, without having to manage versions for each device type, i.e. eForms must be device agnostic
• Allow the user to rapidly collect data using rich user interface controls
• Validate the data collected
• Save the data collected for re-use
• Perform simple and complex calculations using the data collected
• Display and feedback to the user selected results to support analyses and reporting, including dashboard-style chartings

The device-agnostic requirement is key. Installing an app on an iPad may be terrific as it provides access to the rich user experience on this specific device. But what about an Android or Windows tablet? Will suppliers develop and maintain eForms for each platform? This will become costprohibitive very quickly. It makes sense to design and develop the eForms once, install it on a secure server and provide access to the electronic forms using any device. Furthermore, the success of the mobile platform stems from the fact that it's a device which connects a mobile user with the office - i.e. it is a connector and need not hold any data locally. This is a welcome message for IT and Compliance people in organisations which worry about mobile devices - losing such a device is an acceptable risk; losing corporate data is not! Consequently, an eForm which senses the device and behaves accordingly is highly desirable.

ENVISAGED BENEFITS
A well thought-out eForms strategy coupled with use of mobile devices will deliver measurable business benefits, including:

• Significantly reduce the time taken to design online forms
• Reduction in data duplication and errors by controlled data collection and validation at source - key the data once, reuse it multiple times
• Reduction in the high printing and management costs currently incurred when a revision of the form is required
• Standardisation of procedures and templates, and a reduction in the use of paper
• Forms may be completed by nonspecialist staff, thereby freeing trained and experienced staff to concentrate on processing applications
• Improved use and access will help promote integrity of business data and its use within business processes.
• Integration with back-end EDM & Workflow solutions and databases
• Use rich user-interface controls on mobile devices for data collection on the go
• Instant feedback and analysis during the data collection stage
• "Make data collection fun!"

More info: www.ccubesolutions.com

Technology