http://www.m-files.

com/blog/the-challenges-of-old-school-manual-quality-processes/

The Challenges of “Old School” Manual Quality

Processes
Posted on March 22, 2012 under Advice by M-Files

Manual approaches to document and data control are rife with flaws that can negatively impact
the integrity of an organization’s quality management system.

For many organizations, information control processes are managed separately by different
departments. This proves ineffective as individuals in one department lack visibility into
important data control procedures implemented within other departments. In addition to the
challenge of coordinating disparate electronic data management methods, the problem is
frequently exacerbated by the use of archaic, manual processes for storing and organizing critical
documentation in physical file folders.

If the questions below are frequently being asked at your organization, it’s time to consider
incorporating a formal electronic information control solution into your quality management
system:

o Who is the gatekeeper? A manual quality process often revolves around one person who
manages all essential quality-related documentation. What happens if this person is sick, on vacation
or if he/she leaves the company?
o Did you get that email? It’s often difficult to get up-to-date information about the state of
quality documentation and processes because related information and communications are often
dispersed among unrelated collections of paper documents, electronic data, emails and other
content. Are you unable to get a quick answer to a simple question such as “have the required
people read the new instructions we approved two weeks ago?”
o How are quality processes managed? Many companies have instituted quality policies featuring
specific repetitive tasks such as weekly system health checks, periodic maintenance, monthly data
recovery tests, or regular SOP reviews. Do you find it challenging to ensure these tasks are
completed on time and according to policy guidelines?
o Where does our documentation reside? Quality management is information-intensive, and the
number of associated documents can grow exponentially over time. Many quality-related records
require approval by signature, which traditionally has meant storing paper-based documents in
physical file cabinets. If you operate in a manual paper-based quality environment, do you find it
difficult to locate documents and verify the existence of back-up files of signed records?
o Have quality issues been resolved? Audits, inspections and normal daily operations all produce
different kinds of issues — non-conformities, audit findings, protocol deviations, etc… Manual quality
issue management is not only tedious, but also error-prone and tends to deteriorate over time. Does
your issues management process consist of sending endless email reminders and making follow-up
phone calls about pending corrective actions?

http://biels.com/the-problems-of-manual-data-entry/
The Problems of Manual Data Entry
Jun 29, 2015 | Automation, Workplace Efficiency
Manual processing can be a very tricky and mind numbing process. Data entry consists of
transferring data from a physical state into a digital state with other various procedures
involved as well. In recent times, where technology is at an all-time high, there is less and less
need for manual data entry because everything is being done through computers and
advanced technology. By using new technology it decreases and solves the problems of manual
data entry.
Too Much Money
Manual data entry takes a lot of money to conduct efficiently. Employees need to be properly
trained for any kind of data entry and training is a huge amount of time and money for the
company.
Human Error
The next really important problem in relation to data entry is human error. Everyone knows
that humans are not perfect and there are going to be times when mistakes are made, whether
it is spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Using automation will reduce the margin of error.
Time Consuming
When entering information manually, it takes up a lot of time, no matter how fast one can type
or process information, it will never be as fast as it needs to be. Typing in a lot of information
can be tricky and cause individuals to lose focus and this will also add to the time it takes for
data entry. Not being fast enough leads to a big delay in data availability.
Misinterpretation
The last issue with data entry is misinterpretation; this means that because the entries are
being conducted by humans there is always room for misunderstanding. Everyone’s mind
thinks differently and understands things in different ways and the same goes for data entry.
There are many problems associated with manual data entry but there are also many ways to
combat these problems through advanced and upcoming technology. In the future, manual
data entry can be changed completely, who knows what is to come ahead.

https://www.invensis.net/blog/data-processing/top-6-manual-data-entry-challenges-companies-face/

According to an AIIM survey titled ‘Paper Wars 2014’ 1 of 444 respondents in 2014, 68%
believed that business-at-the-speed-of-paper would be unacceptable in a few years,
and 46% stated that removal of paper has been the biggest single productivity
improvement for most of their business processes.
As organizations increasingly adopt digitization of paper documents to improve
efficiency, co-ordination, productivity and management, manual data entry is one task
that continues to grow in importance. Whether inbound documents take the shape of
feedback forms, catalogs, purchase orders, invoices, or any other, it is critical to capture
all relevant information from these documents into software applications, Excel sheets,
ERP applications or cloud-based applications for further processing and utilization.

However, in-house manual data entry comes with its own set of challenges for an
organization, when it comes to the quality of output, speed, accuracy and other
factors. Six of these pain points are described below:

1. High Error Rate: The reasons for a high error rate could vary – from inadequate training
of data entry professionals to human error, illegible handwritten forms, misinterpretation of
comments, and so on. Whatever the reason, the net impact could be one that is
debilitating for the business, whether it has a negative effect on internal operations,
customer satisfaction or external supplier relationships. It is important for an organization
to take action, firstly by identifying the error rate that is taking place. One way to do this is
by picking a sample of records on a periodic basis and entering the same fields into the
output of the query for verification. The average benchmark for data entry error rate is
generally acknowledged to be 1%. Thus, any higher error rate could be a matter of grave
concern for the business.

2. Slow Turnaround Time: It is generally held that a good speed of data entry from paper
documents varies between 10,000 and 15,000 keystrokes per hour. Capturing data from
images is believed to be slightly faster. The number of keystrokes per hour can be
higher for data entry tasks that are text heavy or require understanding of the text. If
turnaround time consistently falls below this accepted benchmark, it is likely that the
manual data entry process is not optimized within the organization.

3. Unclear Fields and Formatting: As per the publication ‘Data Quality Assessment’ by
Arkady Maydanchik, a typical data entry challenge that operators run into is missing
values. Assigning blank values, meaningless substitutes, default values or the first entry
that appears in a box can create discrepancies in the desired output. For this challenge to
be overcome, the paper or scanned documentation and the software application should
have easy to understand fields and their organization, which is not always the case.

4. Quality Check: The application of the 1-10-100 rule to data entry translates into the
following: it costs $1 to verify data accuracy at the point of entry; it costs $10 to clean up
or correct data when it is in batch form; and it costs $100 or more for each record if no
action is taken. From this principle, it is evident that quality check is an integral part of the
manual data process. Businesses need to invest in additional personnel to vet the
 accuracy of manual data entry tasks, and should implement practices such as Double
Entry System to ensure only the right output is obtained.

5. Spike in Volume of Data Entry: An eCommerce business that announces a big sale
may require large volume of data entry from paper catalogs to their website in time for the
marketing initiative. Similarly, a manufacturing company that opens a new office in
another location may have a sudden influx of purchase orders from new customers.
Managing an unexpected spike in manual data entry work will put tremendous pressure
on in-house manual data entry professionals, and may cause an increase in errors as
well.

6. Loss of Focus from Other Core Tasks: If manual data entry is not one of the core
tasks of the business, it can divert employees from completing other important activities.
This itself can have a detrimental effect on the organization in the long run, as a targeted
effort to achieve strategic objectives might get diluted.

While technology performs its function of making data capture easier, manual data entry
will always have an important role to play, particularly for unstructured content and
validation. Several successful organizations all over the world have found immense
value in outsourcing manual data entry tasks to overcome the challenges they have
faced by executing the process in-house. A BPO company that offers high quality of
data entry, scalability of operations and optimal turnaround time would be the
ideal partner for manual data entry outsourcing.

https://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/rcradmin/topics/data/tutorial_12.shtml

Example of Problems
The following are some briefly described problems that might arise in the management of research,
financial, or administrative data.

 Technical data not recorded properly. This occurs in research programs when the data are
not recorded in accordance with the accepted standards of the particular academic field. This
is a very serious matter. Should another researcher wish to replicate the research, improper
recording of the original research would make any attempt to replicate the work questionable
at best. Also, should an allegation of misconduct arise concerning the research, having the
data improperly recorded will greatly increase the likelihood that a finding of misconduct will
be substantiated.
 Technical data management not supervised by PI. In this situation the principal
investigator might inappropriately delegate his/her oversight responsibilities to someone in
his/her lab that is insufficiently trained. Another situation might arise if the principal
investigator simply does not dedicate the appropriate time and effort to fulfill responsibilities
related to proper data management.
  Data not maintained at the institution. This situation could occur in a collaboration in
which all data is maintained by one collaborator. It would be particularly problematical if each
collaborator is working under a sponsored project in which their institutions are responsible for
data management. In other cases, researchers might maintain data in their homes, and this
can also present problems of access.
 Financial or administrative data not maintained properly.This basically means that the
information is not maintained in sufficient detail, is inaccurately recorded, or not maintained in
identifiable files. External auditors or reviewers would find these matters to be a serious
breach of exercising appropriate responsibility regarding the proper stewardship of funds..
 Data not stored properly. This could occur with research, financial, and administrative data.
Careless storage of the data that could permit its being destroyed or made unusable is a
significant matter. In such case, the institution and/or researcher have acted negligently, have
not fulfilled their stewardship duties, and have violated sponsor policies as well as the terms of
the sponsored agreement.
 Data not held in accordance with retention requirements.As noted previously, it is
absolutely essential that those involved with sponsored projects know how long different kinds
of data must be retained to satisfy all compliance requirements as well as to offer appropriate
support in the event of lawsuits or disputes over intellectual property.
 Data not retained by the institution. This is a major problem that would occur if a
researcher leaves the institution and takes the original research data and does not leave a
copy at the institution. In the event access is needed, it places the institution in an untenable
position since it has not fulfilled its fiduciary responsibility to the sponsor.

https://www.invensis.net/blog/data-processing/sources-of-inaccurate-data-in-data-entry-process/?
utm_source=invensis-blog&utm_campaign=blog-post&utm_medium=content-link&utm_term=top-6-
manual-data-entry-challenges-companies-face

There are several reasons why data entered into the system at an organization might be
inaccurate. It might have been entered wrongly by mistake or it could have been entered
incorrectly, deliberately. It could also be due to an error in the system. Whatever be the
reason, the sources of such mistakes must be probed in order to rectify mistakes before
they lead to catastrophes.

Listed below are some sources of inaccurate data.

Reasons for Errors in Data Entry Process 

1. Human Errors:
In an extensive data entry process where hundreds of words and thousands of
numbers are being entered every day, it is impossible to maintain absolute
accuracy. Even though quality checks may be in place and the content is always
reviewed and re-reviewed, it is still possible to encounter typographic mistakes
and incorrect information incorporated due to a lack of concentration. An extra
number here and a wrong word there could lead to serious consequences.

2. Flawed Process:
 The data entry process itself, in many companies, might be flawed. For instance,
paper documents that are given to operators might not be filled in correctly.

o There may be scanned copies of paper documents lacking clarity, being

circulated in the firm. Businesses have seen several instances where information is faxed
on poor quality paper in a machine that lacks a good toner and which gives poor output.
o The most common mistake is that of wrong information being entered in the
wrong fields. Sometimes, the information is left open to interpretation by the operator and
he or she enters data that is different from what the sender meant. There are even times
when the type of English used causes trouble for the operators; the content might be
written in US English while the operators are trained in UK English. The documents also
arrive in different formats and styles. When the origin of the information itself is not
correct, then every other step along the way also becomes error prone.
3. System Errors:
These are a major cause for concern. Data in securities firms, brokerages, banks
and financial services companies are known to be error prone because the data did
not get transmitted accurately from one system to the other.

o In securities firms, front office systems and back office systems are different. The
traders enter the data in the front office systems, and as the information passes through
the wires and codes and embeds itself in the back office tools, some of it gets lost while
other pieces of data are only half filled. Accounting firms find that the entries do not settle
in the correct ledger accounts.
o Sometimes, there are so many codes that the accountants do not know which
code to enter for which transaction. This can often lead to confusion when two or more
codes refer to closely related transactions. The banks find that their systems incorrectly
calculate interest payments on the wrong date or using the wrong percentage. Deposits
are not renewed on the correct date because the system malfunctioned and sweep
entries in savings accounts are not done on time. That is why Inter Systems reconciliation
is a massive and continuously occurring activity in the world of finance.
4. Intentional Errors:
There are cases where incorrect data is entered deliberately in order to harm the
business. There may be dishonest workers in every firm and they often look at
finding transactions that could be used to their advantage. Providing employers
with incorrect data is one of the ways in which corrupt workers try to take
advantage of benefits that belong to others. Credit card frauds and loan scams are
frequently the result of data manipulation.
Several departments, including finance and marketing, thrive on information and if the
information is inaccurate, then their business might not survive in the long run. Regular
reconciliation, frequent employee training, timely updating of systems, and outsourcing
of activities to data entry specialists, are some ways in which inaccurate data can be
minimized.

For more information on how Invensis Technologies will deliver value to your
business through Data Entry Outsourcing Services, please contact our team on US +1-
302-261-9036; UK +44-203-411-0183; AUS +61-3-8820-5183; IND +91-80-4115-5233;
or write to us at sales {at} invensis {dot} net








http://w pu.ir/ilbo4
Shortlink: 

Posted in: Data Processing

About the Author: Gopinadh Gulipalli, Operations Manager – DPA,

Logistics and Payment Solutions, Invensis Technologies
Gopinadh brings 10+ years of experience in the outsourcing/off-shoring domain, and has effectively
handled data capture, document management, exception management, payment processing,
contract management, and audit and analysis for companies in various verticals. He is also proficient
in the efficient delivery of insurance BPO services for clients in the sector. For more information on
how Invensis’ services can add value to your business, please contact Gopinadh at sales {at}
Invensis {dot} net today.