I started developing a paperless system 3 years ago, but took an alternative route to the usually very costly and unweildy off the shelf solutions offered commercially.
My first step was to design a document control database using Microsoft Access that listed all our procedures and work instructions etc in one place, and had fields for noting down changes and different revision levels etc..
I then gathered all the paperbased forms, procedures work instructions etc that I couldn't locate original word or excel files for and scanned them into Acrobat PDF documents. Orginals were also printed into PDF format.
All documents and PDF files were loaded onto a shared network drive and protected by main server daily backup procedures. The master documents and PDFs were also hyperlinked from the document control database.
This went down great with our assement body as I could quickly and easily show revisions, and the number of changes to the documented system since his last visit by simply running a date based query and report.
Phase two was to change the old quality policy manual itself from paper (now pdf) to fully electronic.
I taught myself to write webpages in xhtml and CSS (loads of free online tutorials, and you can get your markup code validated for free by W3C which is the group that sets international standards for web launguages so all browsers can read them).
I also used free software (1stpage 2000) but you could also use microsoft word, frontpage, dreamweaver or even notepad if you know markup language well enough.
The website was written up and loaded onto our Company Intranet. Shortcuts were placed onto the desktops of every PC in the organisation.
Our policy was visible to all employees, as were our objectives and our organisational chart.
Process flows and interaction diagrams became truly interactive as clicking on a graphic or link immediately drilled down to the next level procedure or work instruction.
A simple java script shows when the particular page was last updated.
The old pdf procedures and work instructions that were still valid were accessed from a webpage query that linked directly to the aforementioned document control database. All pdf files contain a watermark that states "Document uncontrolled when printed".
I put on educational sections about TS16949, powerpoint presentations relating to new products or improvement programmes, customer specific requirements and external links to customer sites and supplier portals. All our external audit reports are available for anyone to review. I also later added links to sites that contained information about the products we make components for and much more.
The site is constantly under development and improvement, I feel like I am still only just scratching the surface.
The paper system is almost gone but not completely as we still have control plans and drawings in pertinent manufacturing areas, but it is so much easier to control hard copy issues now.
My advice to anyone wishing to try is take the plunge, make friends with your IT manager, and be prepared to put in hours and hours of sometimes frustrating, sometimes boring hard work.
One tip is to make sure you standardise your web browsers throughout your company as there are STILL minor annoying differences between the way microsoft, netscape, mozilla, firefox et al interpret html markup code.
It's all worth it in the end though. I would hate to go back to a completely paper based system.
I have since been asked by our MD to write up a corporate presentation for a major customers visit as a standalone website they could browse through in the boardroom whenever they were asked about anything specific to the project. Success in capturing this order would increase our annual turnover by over £9million in 2007.
We are currently planning our expansion programme, building new machines and recruiting and training new staff!