In a recent document management webinar held by Appian, attendees learned to optimize their workflow solutions by mastering Appian's basics, exploring AppMarket plugins for expanded functionality, and customizing the platform for specific business needs using real-life examples.

Regardless of location, industry, or stage in the lifecycle, staying up to date with modern practices and technologies is essential for any company. One such tool that has been making waves in the world of business process management is Appian, a low-code automation platform that allows organizations to design, build, and deploy applications quickly and easily. Document management is crucial to a business’ data security, efficiency, compliance, and user experience; in a recent webinar hosted by Appian, three key lessons emerged to help users make the most of this versatile platform.

A key aspect of mastering any software is understanding its basic capabilities so you can leverage them to your advantage. In the context of Appian, this starts with exploring and harnessing the platform's out-of-the-box features.

This component allows Appian users to seamlessly upload and store documents within their Appian environment. It's a simple yet powerful feature that simplifies the process of importing documents into the system. This is particularly helpful for businesses that deal with large volumes of documents daily, such as legal firms, insurance companies, and healthcare organizations. With the File Upload component, you can ensure that all your documents are stored securely in one location, easily accessible and organized.

This component provides a structured way to view documents within the Appian platform. It's not just about viewing documents but doing so in a manner that enhances the user experience and streamlines various document-related tasks. From quick access to document review, Document Viewer is a versatile tool for a wide range of use cases. Businesses can use it to facilitate internal document review processes, create an efficient document approval workflow, or simply enable easy access to important documents.

Mastering these simple core tools is like laying a strong foundation for your document management workflows. By understanding and using these components effectively, businesses can significantly reduce the complexity of document handling, improve efficiency, and ensure that their document management practices are both secure and compliant with regulatory requirements.

While Appian's out-of-the-box features provide the foundation for document management, the platform's real power lies in its expandability. Within the webinar we covered how to leverage the AppMarket ecosystem by using plugins to extend Appian's capabilities further. These plugins, such as Apryse WebViewer, offer a wealth of opportunities to add advanced functionality, automate processes, enhance user experience, and streamline complex document-related tasks.

AppMarket is a marketplace for pre-built extensions and plugins developed by the Appian community. It offers a wide array of solutions to common business challenges, including document management. These plugins can be easily integrated into your Appian environment, giving you the flexibility to customize your document management workflows to meet your specific needs.

For example, if your organization requires advanced document versioning and collaboration features, you can explore plugins that offer these capabilities. Additionally, if your business needs to integrate with external systems or cloud storage solutions to manage documents, there are plugins available that can make this integration seamless. The possibilities are nearly endless, and by leveraging these plugins, you can create sophisticated document workflows tailored to your organization's unique requirements.

By harnessing the power of Appian's plugin ecosystem, businesses can elevate their document management capabilities to new heights. The ability to adapt and extend the platform's functionality ensures that Appian can grow alongside your organization's evolving needs, making it a valuable investment in the long term.

Interested in learning more about the Apryse plugin for Appian? Click here.

This webinar also provided valuable insights into real-world examples of document-based workflows in Appian, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Businesses across various industries can implement document management features that cater to their specific needs. Some of the common use cases discussed in the webinar included:

In each of these use cases, Appian's flexibility shines through. The platform allows organizations to customize document-based workflows according to their unique requirements, enabling them to adapt to changing business demands swiftly.

The latest Appian Document Management webinar offered invaluable insights into leveraging Appian's capabilities for document management. By leveraging its core features, embracing the extensibility of the platform through plugins, and learning from how other business leaders are utilizing these tools, companies can transform their document management processes.