Few words evoke such a negative picture of government operations.
Yet, government is an information-intensive enterprise with a legal obligation to create and maintain huge volumes of public records. The paperwork problem exists in part because these records are caught up in processes that are antiquated, slow, error prone, and expensive. Document imaging and work flow management systems merge several technologies to convert paper documents to electronic images. They offer safe, economical storage and quick, reliable access to documents. A well-designed system sharply reduces the costs of filing, locating, and moving paperwork.