EDO as part of the company's IT infrastructure: what to consider during implementation
Launching electronic document management (EDM) is not just about buying licenses for a web service and telling the team: “Now we sign everything with a button.” In practice, it often turns out like this: the service is there, the EDM has been purchased, but employees still copy data manually, look for “the same file” in the mail, and get confused about which act is final.
The main mistake is to perceive EDO as a separate, isolated tool for file exchange. In fact, EDO is a full-fledged part of the company's IT infrastructure. Its effectiveness depends not on a good interface, but on how organically it integrates with ERP, CRM, accounting systems, archives, and counterparty processes.
If you are a CTO, CPO, or responsible for digitalization, here is a checklist of 7 steps that you should go through before you sign a deal with a vendor.
Launching electronic document management (EDM) is not just about buying licenses for a web service and telling the team: “Now we sign everything with a button.” In practice, it often turns out like this: the service is there, the EDM has been purchased, but employees still copy data manually, look for “the same file” in the mail, and get confused about which act is final.
The main mistake is to perceive EDO as a separate, isolated tool for file exchange. In fact, EDO is a full-fledged part of the company's IT infrastructure. Its effectiveness depends not on a good interface, but on how organically it integrates with ERP, CRM, accounting systems, archives, and counterparty processes.
If you are a CTO, CPO, or responsible for digitalization, here is a checklist of 7 steps that you should go through before you sign a deal with a vendor.
1. Start with the document route, not the service selection
Before comparing rates, outline the real path of each type of document (contracts, acts, invoices):
Where is the document created (in CRM, accounting system or manually)?
Who approves it and in what sequence?
Who applies CEP?
How does the file get to the counterparty and what happens after it is signed?
If you don't fix this route in advance, you will simply transfer your chaos from paper to "digital."
2. Consider your existing IT infrastructure
EDO should adapt to the technology stack that is already in place in the company. If sales managers spend 90% of their time in CRM, it is inconvenient for them to log into a separate web service every time to send an invoice.
The new tool should not create another “isolated folder.” It should become a connecting link between sales, legal, and accounting.
3. Determine where the “original source” is stored
One of the biggest pains after a "rapid implementation" of EDO is the multiplication of versions. The draft is in Telegram, the approved PDF is in the lawyer's mailbox, and the signed CEP file is in the web cabinet.
Define clearly:
Which system is the single source of truth for document status?
Where is the final archive with signatures and qualified timestamps stored?
If a document exists in multiple places without automatic synchronization, employees will inevitably do double work and make mistakes.
4. Think about integrations and data transfer
The most important part of implementation is seamless data exchange. It is important to answer the following questions in advance:
How does data from the accounting system get into the document form?
How to track statuses ("in approval", "signed", "rejected") in real time?
What happens to a document after it has been signed by both parties?
Practical example: Medoc EDO web service and Medoc program in one process
Let's imagine a common scenario: the sales team works with orders in the Medoc EDO web service, where it approves and sends primary documents to counterparties. After the exchange is complete, the documents are synchronized with the Medoc program, where accounting continues to work with them and stores them in the archive.
In this scenario, the web service does not replace the usual working environment of the accounting department, but allows you to involve other company employees in working with documents. The team works in the web service, and the accounting department receives completed documents in the Medoc program without manually uploading and transferring files between systems.
5. Configure access, KEP and audit log
An electronic document requires stricter rights control than a paper folder in a closet.
Access matrix: Who has the right to only view, who has the right to edit, and who has the right to impose the company's CEP.
Working with KEP: Where are the keys stored (cloud-secured media, tokens)? Who is responsible for delegating signing rights?
Logging: The system should record every step: who opened the file and when, what changes were made, when they were approved, and from which IP address they signed. This is critical for internal audits and legal disputes.
6. Check the exchange scenario with counterparties
Your internal process doesn't end inside the company - there's a counterparty on the other end. And here the questions arise:
Does the counterparty need to pay for registration in the same system just to sign your act?
How will a counterparty receive and sign a document if they do not use the same EDO service?
The interaction scenario should be as simple as possible for the outside party, otherwise you will regularly hear: "It's better to print us a paper version."
7. Implement gradually (Poc & Scale)
Trying to transfer all departments and 100% of document flow to EDO in one day is a surefire way to sabotage by employees and process failures.
Optimal scaling algorithm:
Choose one focus process (for example, certificates of work performed for regular B2B customers or internal employee statements).
Set up the integration and test the process on a small group.
Collect feedback, fix "bottlenecks."
Gradually connect other document types and departments.
Instead of conclusions
The main goal of implementing EDO is not to abandon paper as such, but to accelerate business processes and eliminate manual routines.
If, after connecting the service, your employees continue to manually reprint details from PDF to the accounting system or check by phone “whether the act has arrived” — EDO has been implemented only formally. True digitalization begins when a document goes all the way from creation and approval to signing, exchange and accounting without re-entering data, manually sending files and searching for the latest version.
