Paperless office - soon to be a reality?

Desks free of piles of paper, offices with empty shelves, documents available digitally anytime, anywhere, data backed up, and filing optimized—a project team led by Chancellor Hollstein and consisting of representatives from HRZ, DTG, DFP, and ERP Coordinator Ms. Korb, has been working on this since 2021.

With the introduction of an enterprise content management system / document management system (ECMS/DMS) at the beginning of this year, an important foundation was laid for the digitization of administrative processes. In particular, the legal obligations associated with the introduction of e-invoicing prompted the University Administration to consider an alternative to paper-based filing with a view to electronic and audit-proof long-term data storage. The digitization of the invoice receipt process was identified as the first subproject within the scope of the ECMS/DMS implementation.

It was not only the legal requirements that ultimately led to the issuance of a request for proposals for an ECMS/DMS in June 2022, but also the goal of advancing digitization and taking a significant step toward a sustainable and modern University Administration. The effects will also be felt at the interfaces with other university departments and stakeholders outside the university.

Since September 2022, iklaro GmbH has been partnering with Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences to implement the ECM/DMS system. iklaro GmbH has been commissioned to install and customize the DocuWare software, as well as to provide consulting and training. The service provider has already successfully carried out similar projects with other universities in Saxony.

Following the installation of the DocuWare base system in October 2022, the first milestone was achieved: as of January 1, 2023, the electronic and audit-compliant long-term archiving of all incoming invoices became possible, regardless of their format (PDF, XRechnung, or paper). All invoices are also automatically transferred to the university’s accounting system in the form of an X-Rechnung. In the next step, other (internal) documents—such as journal entries, expense reimbursements, or lecturer fee statements—will also be electronically archived in the ECMS/DMS.

Another important milestone is scheduled for 2023 with the digitization of documents accompanying invoices. These include procurement orders, delivery bills and reminders. The final goal is to provide an e-file for documents from the procurement and incoming invoice process as well as contract management. In addition, the implementation of electronic workflows, particularly for the approval of incoming invoices, is to be driven forward.

With DocuWare's ECMS/DMS, a building block of a future-proof IT infrastructure has been introduced and the prerequisite for digital change in administration has been created. Holistic digitalization, optimization of administrative business processes, increased efficiency, resource-saving IT usage and flexible, location-independent working are long-term challenges. The paperless office will probably be a while yet. But the first steps on the road to realization have been taken.