Does anyone else have trouble with this "infographic" and what it says? I was very surprised by what it is saying.

In the first section, "What has made the paperless office possible?" it proposes that "Prior to the following innovations, paperless offices were simply nice ideas no one had the means to implement. These developments provided the tools and technology needed to bring the paperless office from the planning page into reality. " It then goes on to say that three tools/technology are:
1. The growth of cloud computing
2. The increased adoption of shared document formats like PDF
3. The rise of remote work arrangements
 
I think this statement is WRONG, WRONG.
 
These three tools/technology may contribute to better adoption in the future, but they by no means made the paperless office possible. For example, cloud computing is simply remote storage of data and/or applications. We have had that ability for many years, in many flavors (file servers, etc.). 
I think what made the paperless office possible was computer networks, that is, being able to link computers to each other and move information electronically between them. And as we all know that's been around for quite a while.
As to "the increased adoption of shared document formats like PDF", while this may be a factor in reducing printing, it did not make the paperless office possible. The dominance of certain applications such as Microsoft Word made the paperless office possible. I can send (via the network) a Word document to a co-worker or someone outside my organization and they will be able to open, read and even alter it. PDFs reduce the hassle factor and contribute to the fidelity of the document, but did not make the paperless office possible. We had ways to electronically share documents and information before PDF.
And "the rise of remote work arrangements"? I believe remote work presses the need to move information electronically so, again, it will contribute to the adoption, but does not make a paperless office possible.
 
As other have already discussed, a lot of what prevents faster adoption of the paperless office has to do with the user's experience - does the paperless system work? does it save me time? can I trust it to have what I need when I need it? (Thank you Carolyn and Simone for pointing this out). We've had "the means to implement" in place for a long time. But we've not done a good job of making the paperwork system, or business process, usable. Working in a remote office and being able to store a PDF in the cloud helps to get us to "paperless", but we still have miles to go.
 
And in the last section, how exactly does pledging to cut your use of paper bags, magazines and toilet paper really have anything to do with a paperless office? 
 
I rest my case. I'd be interested in others' thoughts.
 
Tom Shull
[log in to unmask]

 


> Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2012 10:44:57 -0500
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: The Paperless Office - Why It Hasn't Happened
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
> "The paperless office has been deemed inevitable over the last 20 years. So why, despite these predictions, have offices stubbornly stood still?...." 
> http://visual.ly/paperless-office-why-it-hasnt-happened-and-why-its-going
> 
> 
> Carolyn Mariani, CRM
> Director, Records Management
> Warner Music Group
> 75 Rockefeller Plaza
> New York, NY 10019
> [log in to unmask]
> 212-275-2410
> 
> 
> List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
> Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
> To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
 		 	   		  
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]