How document management could have prevented the Battle of New Orleans

When visitors come in from out of state, they want to experience all that New Orleans has to offer – amazing food like po-boys and jambalaya, jazz as far as the ear can hear and – depending on the guest – a stroll down Bourbon Street.

Over the years I have put together a pretty nice itinerary for visitors that fills up most of a day. It starts with an Irish coffee from Molly’s and a stroll through the French Quarter along the mighty Mississippi. On the way, we pass by landmarks like the French Market and Central Grocery – the home of the original muffaletta. We take a spin at the Carousel Bar, say “hello” to the ghosts at Muriel’s, and have a Sazerac at Huey P. Long’s favorite watering hole. Without fail, we brave the long line for beignets and chicory coffee at Café Du Monde in Jackson Square. Once we’ve wiped away the powdered sugar I put on my photographer's hat in front of the St. Louis Cathedral and the Jackson monument. 

A few weeks ago, I took a friend from Great Britain and his wife from Long Island to New Orleans for the first time. During the photo-op in Jackson Square, something dawned on me that made me think about document management (yes, work is always top of mind). 

Jackson Square is named in honor of the Battle of New Orleans hero, Andrew Jackson. The Battle of New Orleans would have never happened if a document had made it into the hands of the right people. The War of 1812 ended about a month before the famous battle when a treaty was signed in Belgium. 

200 years later businesses face a similar issue – documents not being in the right place at the right time can be very costly.

Like the treaty that was signed, documents need to be captured, stored, managed, and tracked. Yes, we are in a time where traditional document management and ECM (electronic content management) is being overtaken by digital transformation and content services, but a lot of companies still have mountains of documents that need to be captured and managed. More importantly, decisions need to be made based on the content of these documents.

If your company is ready to get its documents under control, we can put together an itinerary to go digital. Your itinerary might include a trip to the scanner for your paper, capture software to corral documents as they come in after a late night or a document management system that will serve as a watering hole for all of your content. 

Get in touch with me if you need a guide in New Orleans (the topic of software will be off-limits) or if you have questions about document management.