Skip to main content
Advantive

4 Steps to Convert from Paper-Based to Electronic Record Keeping

By Grace Barton Updated
4 Steps to Convert from Paper-Based to Electronic Record Keeping

In the age of electronic data, it’s shocking that 75 percent of manufacturers still rely on manual data collection. While it may seem cheaper to manually administer quality and safety programs on paper, it is not efficient and leaves much room for error. When data collection is not done properly, records can be lost or misplaced, making it difficult to retrieve information, ultimately resulting in costly delays, lost business opportunities, and frustrated plant personnel. Further, in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries, electronic record keeping is required by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) 21 CFR Part 11.

To be compliant and ensure safety for consumers, manufacturers must properly manage documents and records on monitoring traceability and recalls, providing corrective and preventive action (CAPA), and handling food safety audit requirements.

However, whenever a business moves from paper to electronic records, the shift can feel overwhelming to staff and management alike. So, it’s best to develop a plan and take it one step at a time. Here are the four steps necessary to convert paper-based processes to electronic record keeping.

1. Standardize Naming Conventions

This step is first and foremost. A standardized naming convention creates a set of official standards for file naming and storage policies within the organization. To accomplish the change, your team will need to work through the various permutations of testing protocols, naming conventions, and specifications that almost certainly exist in the company, and filter them down to the bare minimum. This is incredibly important because records can then be stored logically, retrieved easily, or browsed efficiently, saving time and minimizing frustration.

Here are a few tips for getting started:

  • Keep file names short, but meaningful.
  • Avoid unnecessary repetition and redundancy in file names and file paths.
  • Use capital letters between words, not spaces or underscores.

2. Select the Deployment Method

Deciding on an implementation architecture for your data collection software is a critical factor. If it’s necessary to get up and running quickly with minimal internal IT structure, then a cloud solution may be in order. But if there’s already a robust and well-maintained infrastructure in place, then an on-premises solution could be preferable.

Also consider ongoing maintenance and upkeep. Will someone be available on staff to maintain upgrades and licensing or would it be beneficial for the software provider to handle that in the cloud? Cost is also a concern; cloud solutions incur a recurring expense and on-premises deployments often require updated technical infrastructure. But, if you carefully calculate all software expenses, not just those affiliated with deployment, you’ll have a better understanding of which deployment option is right for your organization.

3. Digitize Records

Converting the existing paper forms to electronic format can be perceived as a daunting task, but working closely with the software provider’s engineers can greatly reduce the effort. Relying on their experience to efficiently implement a best-practice solution will provide your best chance for ultimate success.

4. Instill Change Management

Finally, the last hurdle will be to make sure everyone is using the software properly and taking full advantage of its features and functionality. Never assume that because there is a change, everyone will know how to adjust. Take time to ensure that every employee knows the proper standards and protocol to make this a seamless effort. Creating a culture of quality and instilling proper change management initiatives will smooth the way to full usage and benefit.

Even though there are only a few steps needed to convert from paper-based to electronic record keeping, it is still recommended that manufacturers start small and then expand iteratively. This agile approach allows the manufacturer to gradually become more comfortable with the software system and how it may change the way staff members think about automated data collection.

Once managers and operators truly understand the power they have at their fingertips, they will begin to modify their approach to gathering and entering quality data into the system. This iterative approach can also be less disruptive to overall manufacturing operations and the individual users, reducing the impact of the change.

Grace Barton

Marketing Specialist

About the Author Latest Posts

Grace Barton is a digital marketing and competitive intelligence professional who crafts strategic narratives by bridging marketing insights with analytical expertise. At Advantive, she creates engaging, data-driven content tailored to the distribution, manufacturing, packaging, and quality industries. Her goal is to deliver impactful messaging that drives engagement and growth based on specific gap closure needs, whether responding to sales organization requirements, pinpointing gaps in content, or meeting immediate market trends.
She thrives on transforming competitive intelligence into actionable insights for the sales organization. Grace manages Advantive’s competitive intelligence platform, Klue, to equip the sales team with the battlecards and market data they need to stay ahead of competitors. Since launch, she’s built 28+ battlecards across four lines of business, ensuring the GTM strategy stays sharp.
Grace has a passion for leveraging market insights with storytelling to guide strategic decision-making, empower sales organizations, and nurture organizational growth.

Areas of Expertise: Digital Marketing, Competitive Intelligence, Strategic Narratives, Marketing Insights, Analytical Expertise

LinkedIn

Editorial standards

Fact-checking & editorial guidelines

Every article on advantive.com is written and reviewed against an internal accuracy standard before publication. Here's what that means in practice.

  • Product claims are verified by the brand team that owns the platform.

    When an article references InfinityQS, WinSPC, PQ Systems, Pinpoint, ParityFactory, ProPlanner, KiwiPlan, DDI System, VeraCore, or any of Advantive's other specialty platforms, the relevant product team checks technical statements about features, deployment, and current capability before the article goes live.

  • External statistics cite their source inline.

    When an article references industry survey results, regulatory benchmarks, or third-party research, the source is linked at the point of citation. Statements without an inline source link are first-party observations drawn from Advantive's product teams or customer base.

  • Publication and revision dates stay visible.

    The original publication date and the most recent revision date are both shown on every article. Topics that change quickly — AI capabilities, regulatory rules, product roadmaps — are revisited on a tighter cadence than evergreen reference content.

  • Corrections are issued openly.

    If a factual error is reported, the article is updated, the revision date advances, and material corrections are noted at the bottom of the article so readers can see what changed and when.

Found something wrong, or have a citation to add? Get in touch with the editorial team and we'll review it.

Subject-matter review

Reviewed by subject-matter experts

Advantive is a portfolio of 14+ specialty software platforms — each one built and maintained by a product team that has spent years inside a specific manufacturing or distribution discipline. Articles in technical channels are reviewed by the relevant team before publication.

  • Quality & SPC content

    Reviewed by the InfinityQS, WinSPC, and PQ Systems product teams — the platforms behind statistical process control, capability analysis, and gage management deployments across food, automotive, pharma, and CPG manufacturers.

  • Manufacturing operations & MES content

    Reviewed by the PINpoint, ProPlanner, ParityFactory, and VIA Information Tools teams, whose platforms run production scheduling, traceability, and shop-floor execution for discrete, automotive, and food-and-beverage manufacturers.

  • Packaging & converter content

    Reviewed by the KiwiPlan, Abaca, and AdvantZware teams, who build software specifically for corrugated, folding-carton, and packaging-converter operations.

  • Distribution, ERP & B2B commerce content

    Reviewed by the DDI System (inFORM ERP), Distribution One, VeraCore, Pepperi, and Commerce Vision teams, whose platforms run wholesale ERP, fulfillment, field sales, and B2B portals for specialty distributors and 3PLs.

Are you a practitioner with domain expertise to contribute? Get in touch — we accept guest contributions from operators in the industries we serve.