Information Management Glossary (A TO Z)

Business Process Management (BPM) - Activity undertaken by businesses to identify, evaluate, and improve business processes.

With the advancement of technology, BPM can now be effectively managed with software that is customised based on the metrics and policies specified by a company.

This type of action is essential to businesses seeking to improve process performance related issues so that they can better serve their clients.

Data Capture - Input of data, not as a direct result of data entry but instead as a result of performing a different but related activity.

Barcode reader equipped supermarket checkout counters, for example, capture inventory related data while recording a sale.

Data Management - Administrative process by which the required data is acquired, validated, stored, protected, and processed, and by which its accessibility, reliability, and timeliness is ensured to satisfy the needs of the data users.

Data Management Software - Program that merges files from several databases, extracts, filters, and summarizes the data without loss of integrity and without interference, and presents it in an easy to use format. Also called data extraction software.

Document Imaging or Document Scanning - Digitisation of paper documents for easy storage, retrieval, and distribution.

Document Management - Coordination and control of the flow (storage, retrieval, processing, printing, routing, and distribution) of electronic and paper documents in a secure and efficient manner, to ensure that they are accessible to authorised personnel as and when required.

Document Management System (DMS) - Electronic system designed to organise and manage documents. These documents are usually organised with software, which provides the user with the ability to access, modify, and centrally store the documents.

Document management systems handle tedious tasks such as archiving, distribution, and creation of documents. An example of a document management system is the online banking section of a bank's website that allows users to manage and access their monthly banking statements.

Information Management - Application of management techniques to collect information, communicate it within and outside the organisation, and process it to enable managers to make quicker and better decisions.

Invoice - Non-negotiable commercial instrument issued by a seller to a buyer. Also called a bill of sale or contract of sale, it identifies the both trading parties and lists, describes, and quantifies the items sold, shows the date of shipment and mode of transport, prices and discounts (if any), and delivery and payment terms.

In certain cases (especially when it is signed by the seller or seller's agent), it serves as a demand for payment and becomes a document of title when paid in full. Types of invoice include commercial invoice, consular invoice, customs invoice, and pro forma invoice.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) - Ability of a software to convert scanned (digitized) image of printed or handwritten text into a form that can be recognised and manipulated by a word-processing program as alphabets, words, and numerals.

OCR is employed in storing the contents of books and documents without the need of retyping or rekeying.

SAP - Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing. Software which allows businesses to track customer and business interactions.

SAP is well-known for its Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) and data management programs.

Workflow - Progression of steps (tasks, events, interactions) that comprise a work process, involve two or more persons, and create or add value to the organisation's activities.

In a sequential workflow, each step is dependent on occurrence of the previous step; in a parallel workflow, two or more steps can occur concurrently.

Workflow Automation - Use of software technology to increase the efficiency of a workflow by improving the coordination of the activities of the people involved.

Workflow automation helps to ensure that at the right time the right person gets the right information about what needs to be done and in what order.