Document Imaging

Imaging technology has been around for years. With the advent of Spectrum™ Document Imaging, however, it's now practical for construction management. That's because Document Imaging is not just an add-on. With Spectrum Construction Management Software, it's fully integrated, built in from the ground up.

Spectrum Document Imaging lets you incorporate documents - AP invoices, time cards, change orders, etc. - into your everyday workflow. For example, when a vendor invoice arrives, you immediately enter it into Spectrum, press the Image button and put the invoice into the scanner. The invoice is scanned and the image is automatically indexed and attached to the invoice. Automatic indexing eliminates the possibility of error. Reporting is immediately available to show pending invoices, and how long they've been outstanding (very helpful at month end for WIP and for cash requirements reporting). The approver - a Project Manager, for example - receives an email announcing that invoices are ready for approval. The approver goes to the invoice approval screen to view pending invoices. Thanks to Document Imaging, the approver can view the original invoice on screen and can even attach notes to the invoice with questions or instructions. Once approved, the invoices are routed back to accounting for payment.

Here's an example of scanning an AP invoice. An invoice is entered into Spectrum. When the invoice is entered, you press the Image button and put the invoice into the scanner. The invoice is scanned and the image is automatically attached to the invoice. That's all there is to it! From now on, any Spectrum user who looks up that invoice can press the Image button to see the image. The image is stored as part of the Spectrum database and can be viewed anywhere an invoice is viewed within Spectrum.

When viewing a Spectrum transaction on the screen, an Image button is available. Simply click and the document appears on screen. You can print it, fax it, even email it with another click - without ever digging through a file cabinet. Or you can scan a new image or even attach an Excel spreadsheet or a photo. Images may be as many pages as you like, and may be annotated with sticky notes. Images may be in one of over 30 different file formats.

Spectrum Document Imaging makes your important files available instantly. And your documents are more secure. Paper documents are subject to mishandling and loss or even fire. Documents in Spectrum are safe and duplicated by regular electronic back-ups. Can you imagine backing up your paper files safekeeping? You can easily keep off-site back-ups of all your critical documents with Spectrum Document Imaging.

Features:

• Spectrum Full-Text Indexing (also known as Optical Character Recognition or OCR Indexing) provides you with the ability to search documents using any typed text on the scanned document (not just keywords that were entered at the time the image was added to the system).
• An image button on several module screens allows users to attach files more conveniently.
• Drill-down capability is incorporated throughout Spectrum to enable you to view documents quickly and easily.
• Document Imaging is integrated to transactions and events throughout Spectrum such as invoices, change orders, and employee reviews. Integration also extends to master files such as jobs, employees, vendors, and customers.
• Automatic indexing ensures that documents are filed correctly and are easy to locate. Flexible searches make it easy to find a single document or a group of documents. The “Build CD“ feature allows the selected documents to easily be transferred to a CD.
• For documents that do not relate to a specific vendor, job or other Spectrum file, such as tax returns or audit information, you can use Electronic Filing to create your own custom electronic file cabinets, drawers, and folders to hold virtually any type of scanned document. The number of documents and folders is limited only by available disk space.
• Scanned images are stored as compressed TIF files. The images can be scanned at 200 or 300 dpi, at your option. 200 dpi is fax quality, 300 dpi is photocopy quality. You can mix and match among these.
• Document Imaging is integrated with the Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Equipment Control, Equipment Tracking, General Ledger, Human Resources, Job Cost, Payroll, Project Management, Purchase Order, and Work Order modules.
• Images are conveniently stored within multiple folders, where applicable. Once an image has been scanned into SPECTRUM, references to the document may be added to multiple folders.
• Cross-reference files are automatically maintained by the system to link the Time + Material billing files and Job Cost history files with Document Imaging transactions. These files are updated for new transactions as they are posted to Job Cost and Time + Material.
• Some Crystal reports offer drill-down capabilities to Document Imaging display.

Reports

Job Cost History Report: Provides a complete listing of specific job cost transactions. More than a dozen selection criterion make the report extremely flexible. Document Imaging produces a hyper-link to each image reference in the report. Clink on the link to see the image. The ”Create CD“ feature enables the user to build a CD with the report and all the associated images.

Time + Material Detail Billing Report: Presents transaction records for T + M billing. Flexible selections and sorts enable the user to selection exactly the records needed. Integration with Document Imaging provides a link to each image in the report and the ability to build a CD with the report and all associated images. Provide billing amounts and complete transaction level detail to customers in just moments.

Search Image Report: Provides a report listing all transactions selected based on a variety of flexible search criteria. As with other reports integrated with Document Imaging, a CD may easily be created that includes a report and each document in its original format.