Documentation automation
Introduction
Document automation (also known as Document assembly) is the design of systems and workflows that assist in the creation of electronic documents. These include logic-based systems that use existing segments of text or information to generate a new document. Document automation can be used to automate all conditional text, variable text, and information contained in a set of documents.
Automation systems allow companies to minimize data entry, time spent reading and correcting, as well as human errors. Some additional benefits may be: time and financial savings due to less paper handling, document loading, storage, distribution, shipping, faxes, telephone, work and expense.
Document Assembly
The basic functions are to replace manual filling out of repetitive documents with template-based systems, where the user provides information to the software or on the data screen. The information collected fills the document to create a first draft.[1] Today, the most advanced document automation systems allow users to create their own data and rules (logic), without the need for programming.
While document automation software is primarily used in the legal, financial services, and risk management industries, it can also be used in any industry that creates transaction documents. A good example of how document automation software can be used is with mortgage documents. A typical mortgage transaction document may include several documents, such as:
Some of these documents can be 80 to 100 pages long, with hundreds of optional paragraphs and pieces of information. Data automation software has the ability to automatically populate the correct document variables based on the transaction data. Additionally, some programs can create a document set, where all related documents are encapsulated in a single file, making changes and collaboration easier and faster.
Simpler applications, which are easier to learn, can also be used to automate document preparation, without any complexity. Clipboard wizards allow the user to save frequently used pieces of text, organize them into logical groups, and quickly access them for pasting into final documents.