Organizational Maturity and Sustainability Orientation Influence on DMS Life Cycle—Case Analysis

Abstract

The topic of the article addresses the management of the document management system (DMS), which represents one of the important steps for organizations to speed up the implementation of business processes, achieve better control over documents, and ensure safer operations. When implementing and using DMS, the importance of the organization’s maturity shall not be forgotten, as it gives the organization a framework to evaluate and improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the organization’s DMS, which can contribute to better decision-making and increased productivity. On the other hand, sustainable-oriented organizations are likely to show interest in choosing, implementing, and using DMS. In the article, the impact of an organization’s maturity and the role of sustainability on the DMS lifecycle are researched. Results are presented based on a case analysis of Company X. Supporting the case analysis, structured interviews with the project leader on the clients’ and the project leader on the providers’ side have been performed, which shall give a deeper insight into DMS implementation and the importance of sustainability and organizational maturity, resulting in more successful DMS implementation and use.

1. Introduction

The massive increase in the electronic document flow, especially due to the pandemic, has led organizations to improve their existing systems, optimizing their business process workflows with minimal human intervention during the process [1]. To remain competitive, organizations must constantly follow digitization trends. Every organization that chooses a digital way of performing business uses various methodologies to introduce new business models, processes, and systems to make the work of employees easier and accelerate currently existing processes. In 2019, KPMG and EASY SOFTWARE surveyed digitization covering 401 German organizations with over 100 employees [2]. The main findings were that half of the respondents are not satisfied with the digitalization process in their organizations, despite digitization being a decisive factor in promoting the long-term competitiveness of organizations. They emphasize that the possibilities for developing new business models based on digitization are great but underutilized. They highlighted the main benefits that organizations expect from digitization, namely an increase in customer satisfaction (85.7%), greater efficiency (71.3%), reduction in costs (64.1%), quality improvement (59.1%), increase in employee satisfaction (58.9%), more user-friendly business processes (53.8%), increase in profit (49.0%) and exploitation/exploitation of new business opportunities (46.7%) [2]. Another digitalization study by Bitkom and EASY SOFTWARE in 2019 shows that most organizations desire to go digital but have struggled with the implementation process [3]. According to the Bitkom study, 86% of large organizations have the right software in place, yet for medium-sized organizations, the figure is much lower, 19% [3]. Abbasova [4], Andriansyah et al. [5], and Rolland and Hanseth [6] highlight the meaning of digital transformation around the world, the role of digital technologies, and the use of electronic media in organizations. The importance and progress in this area are also seen by various researchers, e.g. [7], who believe that progress in this area allows organizations to transform their complete business so they can start making a profit, are more structured, and are much more ambitious on the market. That also includes the development and implementation of various information technologies (IT), which enable quick and more structured generation of different documents [8]. The modern environment forces organizations to be more and more efficient, making the digitization of documents crucial. That is why organizations began to realize that they can continue and grow their successful operation only by reorganizing work and changing business processes, which requires better management of business information and processes. Limanowski [9] pointed out the need to manage unstructured content, leading organizations to develop the first documentary systems or so-called electronic document archives. However, documents represent the basis of almost every business process, which is why the management of document systems also means the management of an organization’s business processes.

A business process is a combination of activities with a certain input at the beginning and an outcome at the end, while digitization of the business process means changing a set of inputs and outcomes into electronic or digital ones [10]. A clear perception and a precisely defined strategic plan are the keys to a business process’s digitalization success. The purpose of digitization is to eliminate the repetitive tasks in the organization but still enable employees to complete the tasks that are crucial for the operation of the organization [11] and support achieving higher efficiency, profitability, and better productivity, to reduce business costs [12]. Digitalization of processes opens new ways for organizations and offers a competitive advantage over other institutions/organizations [13]. One of the challenges of managing information in this fast-paced technological world is management, easy searching, and filtering. Every information system (IS)/IT manager faces the challenges of managing new technologies that emerge daily and how they can be integrated into the changing needs of the organization [14]. Abaci and Medeni [15] define the basic idea of document management as a possibility to give institutional memory to an organization when needed.

One of the effective ways of managing the digitalization of processes is the use of a document management system (DMS), as it enables the paper to lose its importance. The implementation of the DMS provides support to organizations as well as employees in the effective management of unstructured data and information [8]. The use of DMS represents many advantages, such as the collection of documentation in one place, faster work processes, less use of paper, and savings in work time and costs for the employer, which can be profitably used with the help of the technology. [5,16,17]. The period from the initial consideration of a DMS to the cessation of the use of DMS is called the DMS life cycle [7]. Muminova et al. [18] and Ali et al. [19] successfully researched the DMS life cycle. They pointed out the importance of the electronic document life cycle when organizing, managing, and automating working processes.

DMS can thus help organizations with sustainable business development, which is becoming increasingly important in modern organizations. Moreover, sustainable business development can influence not only the selection and implementation of a DMS but also the use of a DMS, so it becomes an important factor in the entire DMS life cycle.

Another possible factor for a successful DMS life cycle could also be the maturity of the organization, which can be assessed using one of the maturity models. The idea of evaluating maturity models is increasingly used in the field of information systems (IS) and management as a continuous improvement approach [20,21,22]. Assessing an organization through one of the maturity models is a common technique that has proven valuable in evaluating business processes or certain parts of organizations, as it characterizes a path to a more organized and systematic way of doing business [23]. Through maturity model assessment, we can measure the level of maturity in an organization, allow stakeholders to clearly identify areas needing improvement, and accordingly prioritize what to do to achieve higher maturity levels [21,22]. We can speculate that the level of maturity of the organization has a significant impact on the DMS life cycle, as the level of maturity of the organization is important both in having a well-established data management infrastructure and in having a clear understanding of its data needs. An organization at a higher level of maturity is likely to have a more successful DMS lifecycle than an organization at the initial level of maturity and is just beginning to establish its data management capabilities.

Based on the literature researched, we can say that no research has studied the relationship between the sustainability orientation of an organization and the DMS life cycle, as well as the organizational maturity and DMS life cycle, where we see a research gap. However, the case study will show that there is a relationship between the sustainability orientation of an organization and the DMS life cycle and organizational maturity and the DMS life cycle, which has a high impact on the implementation and use of DMS.

The following sections are structured as follows: Section 2 includes theoretical starting points regarding DMS followed by DMS bibliometric analysis, DMS life cycle, the connection of organizational maturity with DMS, the connection between sustainability orientation and DMS, as well as research methods and research process. In Section 3, the selected financial organization and the process of selection, implementation, and use of DMS (i.e., DMS life cycle) are presented as a result of researched internal documentation and structural interviews of the project leaders. This is followed by a discussion section and a conclusion section.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Document Management Systems

The history of document management goes back to the late nineteenth century, starting with the invention of the archive. Edwin Grenville Seibels designed a vertical file system in 1898. For most of the twentieth century, his method remained the main way of storing documents in the business world [24]. In 1980, basic forms began to develop into a modern system when systems for document imaging processing (DIP) began to appear. DIPs were electronic versions of filing, where documents were stored and later indexed. Later on, more developed systems made it possible to route documents in organizations, for example, the incoming mail, which was scanned and distributed within the organization [25].

In the 1990s, Electronic Record Management System (ERMS) appeared for the first time, and it could already largely manage the indexing of the content. ERMS standards were developed, and European instructions were written in MoReq (English Model Requirements for the Management of Electronic Records) and IDA (English Interchange of Data between Administrations) in the mid-nineties of the last century. In 2006, Serco Consulting, together with several experts, began to develop updates for the MoReq2 document, which then replaced the basic document. The problem with the basic MoReq document was that there was no tool to maintain and develop the needed recommendations and no possibility to test the compliance of the software with the MoReq requirements [26]. Document management changed in the 1980s with the increased availability of computer technology. The development of servers enabled organizations to store documents electronically on centralized computers. This was the beginning of electronic DMS.

Bjork [27] divided documentary systems into two groups: archival document systems and systems for the electronic management of documents and processes (today called DMS). Archival document systems are limited exclusively to document management, meaning they capture documents equipped with metadata, archive them, and make basic search and review possible [27,28]. While DMS, in addition to everything that an archival documentary system enables, also supports the creation and editing of documents, tracking of changes, and management of the flow of events [27]. DMS also supports capturing data/documents and their storage, sending/distributing documents, document processing, and storage of documents in electronic form [29]. Therefore, organizations have been directing all their activities to select and implement DMS to automate business and decision-making processes [30]. Using DMS allows organizations to improve and renovate business processes. The key role of the organization is the implementation of DMS, both organizational aspects and process changes, as well as compliance with regulations and legislation [4,31]. DMS also enables an easier flow of documents within organizations and long-term documentation storage [5,32]. The critical task of DMS is to enable users to use it more easily and to access information quickly and efficiently.

Sprague [33] highlights the importance of easier access to documents, their updating, easier user cooperation, and shortening the life cycle of documents as an advantage of DMS. Thus, the main advantages of DMS are cost-saving, time-saving, improvement of processes, compliance with the regulations, and electronic audit trail [4,5,34]. Managing large amounts of documents represents high financial costs for any organization. With DMS, an organization can automatically, easily, and quickly facilitate the management of certain processes, which reduces costs (e.g., printing, use of human resources, etc.), and savings can be used for more profit-making business processes. The next advantage is time-saving, the ability to provide quick access to information without going to the office. This will benefit all DMS users and offer them more time for other activities they need to do in their work. A simple DMS makes it easy to find data, information, and files, as well as improve processes. A good DMS improves work processes because it makes it possible to reduce the number of steps required to carry out a procedure, which directly contributes to increasing the efficiency of work processes, as employees will find the information or documents they need for their work faster. In addition, an advantage is compliance with regulations, meaning ensuring compliance with legal norms and updates is essential for all businesses. Fulfilling all obligations can be complicated, especially in organizations subject to legal provisions. A good DMS will support the implementation of regulatory and legal frameworks, as well as protect data and information. One of the results of the last financial crisis was the increase in audits that many organizations must now undergo to confirm that all set norms and laws are met. DMS enables the recording of all steps necessary to perform a certain activity within the DMS [34]. Based on case studies, Adam [35] pointed out that the benefits of DMS can be further divided into measurable and non-measurable benefits. Measurable benefits are [35]

• Faster document search. On average, users save 2 to 5 h per week by switching to electronic business.
• Lower costs. Mainly arising from using paper, copying, and storing. In the case of electronic business, all of this is almost eliminated. Storage costs are reduced, as large archive space is not required.
• The profitability of the investment, which is based on a study, amounts from 50% to 84% annually if the implementation is successful.

There are also non-measurable benefits [35]:

• Efficiency. Faster and easier access to documentation, time-stealing processes such as document travel around the organization are abandoned; users can access documents remotely, so they do not need to be in one place; the ability to do several things at the same time; and the possibility of group work (documents are stored in shared files that several people can access).
• Security. There is less chance of losing documents, as they are stored electronically; an audit trail is enabled, allowing management to review accesses; and compliance with the standards of archiving, storage, and other business processes must be ensured.
• Costs, such as travel time to photocopy, are reduced. Studies have shown that users waste a lot of time daily by photocopying. It also often happens that going to the photocopier doubles the wasted time, as often users not only stop at the photocopier but also by the colleagues they meet in the corridors or the offices. The number of copies of the same document is also reduced. Organizations and their users often make copies of the same documents, which they use for security if the originals are lost.

But there are also some disadvantages to the use of DMS [36]:

• Initial investment. The high initial investment costs are mainly based on purchasing equipment, like computers, printers, scanners, servers, etc.
• Training costs for users and technical staff. Training and education of users and technical staff must be done before DMS use because otherwise, it will not be possible to start the entire process successfully.
• Disrupted system operation. In the event of a system failure, the work stops completely. At that time, the support of technical staff is required.
• Work may be poorly distributed among users. Very often, the work is poorly distributed between users, so there can be a deadlock in the process, putting an additional burden on the work process.

2.2. Bibliometric Analysis

To emphasize the importance of analyzing the literature on DMS, a bibliometric analysis has been made. The bibliometric analysis was prepared by the authors based on data from the Scopus database on 14 February 2023. The authors used the keyword “document management system” within the article title, abstract, and keyword, limited to the English language and document type conference paper, article, book chapter, and book. As a result, 1050 document results appeared from 1980 to 2024. From Figure 1, it can be seen that interest in DMS research began in 1980 with the first publication of the article “AMANDA: A computerized document management system” by Schwartz, Fortune, and Horvich in the journal MIS Quarterly, where the authors researched an online intra-organizational document retrieval system called Automated Management of Document Access (AMANDA), that was used in several US intensive care units, a division of American Hospital Supply Corporation [37].

The most cited article with 814 citations is “Influence processes for information technology acceptance: An elaboration likelihood model” by Bhattacherjee and Sanford from 2006 [38]. This article studies how external influence processes form IT adoption among potential DMS users in an Eastern European government agency, vary across user populations, and whether these effects are long-lasting. This research can be classified as IT acceptance research. The second most cited article with 341 citations, also from authors Bhattacherjee, Perols, and Sanford from 2008, titled “Information technology continuance: A theoretic extension and empirical test” [39]. This article suggests a theoretical expansion of the continuance model by connecting continuance intention with behavior. The model includes two additional factors—IT self-efficacy and facilitating conditions—linked to IT continuance intention and behavior. Longitudinal research on DMS use among administrators and staff in a government agency in Ukraine provides empirical support for IT adoption and use.

The interdisciplinarity of the DMS field is also reflected in the variety of fields covered by the scientific publications in Scopus with the selected keyword. Most documents seen by subject area are from computer science (30.4%), followed by engineering (21.8%), social sciences (7.2%), mathematics (7.1%), business, management, and accounting (5.7%), decision sciences (4.7%), and others.

Even though researchers have been researching DMS since 1980, looking at Figure 1, we can see a peak in two periods for researching DMS. The first period was from 2005 to 2010, and the second period lasted from 2018 till today. In the second period, 235 documents were published. The surge of interest in DMS research also coincides with accelerated research in the field of digital transformation. In the Scopus database, we found 14,465 documents with the keyword “digital transformation” and the same limitations as we had with DMS. The first three articles on the topic of digital transformation appeared as early as 1968, but the majority of documents (13,559) are from 2018 onwards. The second wave of research in the field of DMS coincides with the growth of research in the field of digital transformation, which has risen with the help of new technologies (i.e., cloud computing, industry 4.0, blockchain, machine learning, etc.) and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The main method in the context of bibliometric analysis is mapping, intended to produce various bibliometric maps that allow an impression of the structure of scientific publications in a particular research field. One of the most popular methods of utilizing bibliometric mapping is the identification of specific research areas in a chosen scientific field, with the special objective of increasing understanding of the size of the field and related subfields and their interconnection [40]. Visualization of Similarity (VOS) is a mapping procedure and has been applied to design bibliometric maps in different analyses. This technique was implemented in the computer program VOSviewer and was used in our bibliometric analysis. VOSviewer has a very good visualization and is capable of loading and exporting information from many sources [41]. It follows five steps to produce a term map based on a corpus of documents, which are (1) identification of noun phrases, (2) selection of the most appropriate noun phrases, (3) mapping and grouping of concepts, (4) visualization of mapping and (5) grouping results [40,41,42,43]. With the help of a network visualization analysis made in VOSviewer [44], where we limited the keyword to appear at least five times, we found that DMS (also eDMS) is most often associated with the keywords document management, knowledge management, workflow, ontology, information systems, machine learning, e-government, metadata, project management, security, blockchain, XML, etc., which can be seen in Figure 2.

From Figure 2, we can see that DMS research was not focused on the DMS life cycle nor individual phases of the DMS life cycle (i.e., selection, implementation, and use), as these phases are not found in the bibliometric mapping. The phases of sustainability and maturity also did not appear in the bibliometric mapping.

2.3. Business Information Solutions Life Cycle

Since the 1990s, some studies have been made on the impact of DMS on overall organizational and employee effectiveness. One of the key challenges is certainly the fragmented way of managing data between departments. For most organizations, DMS is only intended for archiving documents. However, DMS is not only for bookkeeping or archiving; data plays a key role in strategic planning and trendsetting in the market where an organization operates [14,45]. Although the use of DMS brings many advantages (see Section 2.1), the organization AIIM estimates that 50% of implementations of DMS are unsuccessful; some of the reasons for this are given by Patel [46]:

• Incomplete implementation enables users to use the system only partially.
• Users do not want to use the system in full or do not know how to use it. Therefore, it is necessary to include the users in the implementation at a very early stage.
• Incorrect classification of documents—therefore, it is crucial to harmonize the organizational system and the DMS system.
• Integration problems because the solutions are incompatible with the existing system or among each other.
• Modular solutions, as organizations often implement the solutions in stages.
• People working on the integration are not sufficiently qualified to work with the new technology.
• The process has not been fully reviewed during the preparation phase for the DMS implementation.

A very important challenge when implementing DMS in an organization is its adaptation to the existing systems. The adaptation is not only a system change but also a change in the organization’s existing business processes to comply with DMS. Capturing documentation means the processing of received documentation. If the documents are not electronic, they must be converted (scanning). When the documents are scanned, they need to be converted into a text document, then indexing follows. The document is then stored in DMS. Distribution of documents also means defining security policy, i.e., access to documentation (a right, how long the document will be stored, document traceability, etc.). Document processing means carrying out activities at the level of the document itself. Storage is the last stage in the whole process. DMS enables the storage of a large amount of data, for which access rights and retention periods can be defined. The above-described process is called the document life cycle and must be supported by DMS.

Sutton [28] pointed out that the selection and implementation of DMS is a very complex project and means a big change in the operation of the organization. In most cases, the implementation of DMS involves the purchase of dedicated solutions and not the independent development of an IS. The solution is then adapted to the needs of the individual organization, which impacts the individual phases of the process [20]. He divided the implementation project into ten steps: (1) project planning, (2) system planning, (3) pilot project and training of end users, (4) inspection and testing, (5) education of end users regarding the use of the software, (6) software implementation, (7) simultaneous use of the “old” and “new” electronic system, (8) education of end users regarding processes, (9) the implementation of the electronic document management policy and completion of the project, (10) audit of the use and operation of the system.

The successful implementation of the DMS project should not be the endpoint, as we see the advantages of implementing DMS when used in the organization. The normal life cycle of implemented business information solutions (where we also include DMS) is usually more than ten years. The period from the initial consideration of a business information solution to the cessation of the use of business information solutions is called the life cycle. It consists of a selection project, an implementation project, and the use. Adam and Sammon [47] warn that neglecting any of these three phases can lead to organizational failure, even though organizations pay more attention to the implementation than to the use of business information solutions. Completing the implementation of business information solutions in the organization is not the final goal but rather the starting point of using the solution; therefore, monitoring the performance of business information solutions after the implementation is necessary [48]. Huang and Yasuda [49] point out that there are 26 different traditional business information solution life cycle models. These models can also be used to monitor the DMS life cycle. In the following, key activities are presented according to the phases of the business information solutions life cycle [7,49,50,51,52], which can also be used for the DMS life cycle.

The selection project of business information solutions includes the definition of requirements and the selection of a provider. The key activities of this phase define reasons for the decision, costs and prioritization, formation of the project team, and determination of requirements, which must be included in the business information solution. Finally, the project ends with the selected solution and signing the contract with the provider.

The implementation project includes three steps: (1) the preparation and maintenance of conditions for the implementation project, (2) the deployment project plan, and (3) the go-live. The preparation and maintenance of conditions for the implementation project require a good organization of the project team and a clear definition of their roles, active support for the project, a constantly updated project plan, the ability to manage crisis management, managing the relationship with the selected provider, installing hardware and software, and developing an education strategy. The implementation project plan must be compiled by the project team, processes must be clearly defined and developed, documentation must be prepared, users must be educated, data from the existing IS must be transferred, and integration with other IS must be done. This is followed by a go-live, where a good organization of problem-solving and revision of the deployment project is required.

The use of DMS also includes three stages: (1) stabilization, (2) advanced use, and (3) retirement. Stabilization normally lasts up to one year and enables the elimination of potential errors, user training, and effective user support. Advanced use includes maintenance, upgrading, user support, additional training and education of users, the implementation of more advanced modules, business processes and functionality, and improvement of business processes. The last stage is called retirement, where upgrades and integration of new technologies are no longer possible.

The Panorama organization [53] points out that the majority (72%) of the implementation projects of business information solutions end with a go-live date, where the main functionalities of the solution are implemented. Furthermore, they pointed out that major business and competitive advantages are not achieved in this stage (i.e., the stabilization stage). Organizations must therefore move to the second phase, which we call the advanced use stage, where organizations have to implement advanced modules and functionalities, integrate additional functionality from other providers, reengineer business processes, etc., so that they have a sustainable competitive advantage over other organizations, and adapting DMS will enable the organization to keep, maintain or even increase their competitive advantage over their competitors.

2.4. Impact of Organizational Maturity on DMS

Maturity is a criterion to evaluate areas of capacity connected to processes, process management, or process orientation [54]. Blondiau et al. [55] and Proença and Borbinha [23] expose that maturity models are recognized as a tool to show moderate but systematic development and/or improvement of general skills, processes, structures, or conditions of organizations. Gibson and Nolan [56] are considered the founders of the maturity model, as they created a model that was the first to use computer resources in organizations. At the request of the US Department of Defense in 1986, the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University introduced a capability maturity model based on the principles and practices of total quality originally developed by Crosby [57]. Since 2002, the number of publications on maturity models has increased tremendously, indicating that the topic has become much more important for individual research [23]. The use of the maturity model certainly appeared in the field of business informatics. Still, its use quickly spread to other fields, such as medicine [58], supply chain management [59], education [60], e-governance [61,62], project management [63], business process management [64], and maturity model for Industry 4.0 [65].

According to Helgesson et al. [66], it is the organization that decides which improvements need to be implemented, which is one of the main reasons why maturity models are used when a process is changing. In other words, maturity models are usually used to evaluate and improve an organization’s processes, capabilities, and overall performance. They provide a framework to identify areas of improvement and goal setting for achieving a higher level of maturity in those areas. Maturity models also provide a way to benchmark an organization’s performance against industry standards and best practices. Determining the level of maturity is crucial for the stable operation of organizations, so the greatest value of the maturity model is the ability to capture the current state of organizations without the help of external consultants. Additionally, maturity models can be used to identify gaps in an organization’s processes and capabilities and to develop a roadmap for improvement. Maturity models also help organizations evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their business processes and compare processes with the quality standards and best practices of other organizations [67].

Koshgoftar and Osman [68] and Proença & Borbinha [23] have summarized the main features of different maturity models. They researched 22 different maturity models. According to the research of authors, maturity models can be categorized according to numerous things, the most important of which is the number of maturity levels included in the model, its isolated or constant nature, if obtained results are measurable or not, and if they accept an idea of constant improvement.

Five maturity models are mostly used in the field of business information solutions, namely Crosby’s quality management maturity model [69], the Process and Enterprise Maturity Model (PEMM) [70], the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) [71], the integration of the capability maturity model (Capability Maturity Model Integration–- CMMI) [72] and business process maturity model (Business Process Maturity Model–- OMG BPMM) [73]. The most common goal of many studies has been to develop practice-based maturity models. Despite the great popularity of maturity models, they still receive a lot of criticism. One of the criticisms is that maturity models are introduced gradually and lack empirical foundations [74]. Roglinger et al. [74] claim that, despite the great similarity of the various models, the documentation for their implementation is still not satisfactory. Cronemyr and Danielsson [75] argue that maturity models are very demanding and complex to use, but the methods of assessing the level of maturity are very simple.

Based on the analysis of the above-mentioned five models, we assume that the PEMM model introduced by Power [70] is the most suitable for assessing the organizations’ maturity level in connection with the DMS life cycle. The PEMM model includes a process that helps the management with planning, evaluating, and understanding the business processes. Compared to other models, the PEMM model contains precise criteria and appropriate improvements when assessing the maturity of organizations. The distinctive feature of the model is the distinction between the organizations’ maturity and process maturity and between the process and business models [70,76]. The business model distinguishes between four capabilities and four maturity levels [70,76], which are

• Leadership: style, behavior, disposition, and awareness.
• Culture: attitude to change, duty, customer focus, and teamwork.
• Knowledge: people and methodology.
• Management: process model, integration, and responsibility.

The process model distinguishes between five capabilities and four maturity levels:

5.

Design: documentation, content, and purpose.

6.

Performers: behavior, skills, and knowledge.

7.

Owner: body, activities, and identity.

8.

Infrastructure: systems for human resources and information systems.

9.

Metrics: use and definition.

Maturity models can be particularly important in the context of DMS because they provide a way to evaluate and improve the processes and capabilities associated with managing and maintaining documents. They can help organizations to identify areas where their DMS may be lacking and develop an improvement plan. Some of the key areas where maturity models can be used in the context of DMS include

• Governance: maturity models can help organizations to establish clear policies and procedures for managing documents, including how to create, store, and destroy them.
• Security: maturity models can help organizations ensure their DMS is secure, including protection against unauthorized access and data breaches.
• Compliance: maturity models can help organizations ensure their DMS complies with relevant regulations and standards, such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA.
• Retention: maturity models can help organizations to manage their documents over their entire document life cycle, including how long to keep them and how to dispose of them.
• Collaboration: maturity models can help organizations to improve collaboration and knowledge sharing among employees by providing a centralized repository for documents.

Overall, maturity models can provide a framework for evaluating and improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency of an organization’s DMS life cycle, which can, in turn, contribute to better decision-making and increased productivity.

2.5. Sustainability and DMS

Kilbourne, McDonagh, and Prothero [77] say that sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present without jeopardizing the needs of future generations. Sustainable development consists of three pillars: environmental, social, and economic. The environmental pillar covers the consumption of natural resources, environmental management, and pollution prevention. The social pillar covers living standards, education, community, and equal rights. And the economic pillar covers profitability, economic growth, business efficiency, research, and development. All three pillars of sustainable development are closely intertwined. Before the beginning of the 20th century, organizational performance was measured only quantitatively. As a result, many successful organizations saw success only in terms of profitability, liquidity, and capital. However, since the competitiveness of organizations is increasing, they have begun to redirect their way of thinking to the qualitative performance of organizations as well [17].

DMS can have an important role in helping organizations to become more sustainable-oriented in that way that DMS can help organizations to minimize their impact on the environment (environmental pillar), to promote and maintain the well-being of their employees, customers, and other stakeholders (social pillar) and to be financially sustainable, by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing revenue (economic pillar). Therefore, DMS can contribute to all three pillars as follows [16,34,46]:

• paper reduction by digitizing documents, reducing the need for printing, and simplifying document sharing and electronic access;
• waste reduction by reducing the amount of paper used and associated waste such as toners, cartridges, etc.;
• compliance with regulations related to sustainability, such as those related to waste reduction, recycling, and carbon emissions, regulation related to the risk of fines and legal penalties, and regulations related to data protection, can help to protect the privacy and security of employees and customers;
• carbon footprint by enabling remote working, which reduces the need for commuting, and by hosting the system on data centers powered by renewable energy sources.
• paperless procurement by implementing sustainable procurement processes, such as sourcing paper from sustainable or FSC-certified suppliers;
• increased efficiency by helping organizations to improve efficiency by automating document-related processes, reducing the need for manual data entry, and increasing the speed of document retrieval;
• cost savings by reducing the need for paper and associated printing and mailing costs and the need for physical storage space;
• increased productivity by making it easier for employees to access and share information, which can help to speed up decision-making and improve collaboration and customer services;
• easier decision-making by providing access to accurate and up-to-date information, which can help to reduce errors and improve the quality of decision-making;
• increased revenue by improving customer service, providing quick access to customer information, and improving collaboration among employees;
• improved employee engagement by making it easier for employees to access and share information, which can help to improve collaboration and knowledge sharing;
• etc.

On the other hand, we assume that if an organization is sustainable-oriented, it can affect each individual phase of the DMS life cycle. Due to the above-mentioned advantages that DMS brings, sustainability-oriented organizations will show a greater interest in choosing and implementing DMS. Even during the use of the DMS, they will look for ways to make better use of the DMS or use the advanced functionalities of DMS and/or redesign business processes to achieve greater sustainable effects.

2.6. Methods and Research Process

Based on the literature, we designed a conceptual research model consisting of three constructs, as shown in Figure 3, and conducted the case analysis to investigate how the DMS life cycle is influenced by two factors: organizational sustainability orientation and organizational maturity.

Additionally, it answers the following research questions:

Q1: Does organizational sustainability orientation affect the selection process, implementation process, and use of the DMS?

Q2: Does the level of organizational maturity affect the selection process, implementation process, and use of the DMS?

This research answers the above questions by focusing on one Slovenian financial company. The subject of study was a financial company; as such, financial organizations have a lot of paperwork, complicated processes, rigorous legislation and rules, and traceability must be ensured. Therefore, the research was carried out with the help of a review of internal documentation and with the help of structured interviews with the project leader on the side of the financial organization and the project leader on the side of the implementation partner.

To achieve the aim of this research, the case study method is used. Crowe et al. [78] pointed out that the case study approach is especially valuable when there is a requirement to find an in-depth understanding of a problem, result, or phenomenon of concern in its real-life perspective and typically involves a person, group, or organization. The goal of the case study approach is to understand a complex phenomenon within its real-life context and to identify important factors that may be adding to the phenomenon [79,80]. Yin [80] pointed out that case studies are used to explain, describe, or investigate phenomena or events in the daily situations in which they appear. Case studies can be quantitative or qualitative and can include a range of different data collection methods, such as document analysis, observations, and interviews [78,79]. The case study approach can add additional understanding into what differences exist in its approach or why one strategy could be selected over another. Pearson et al. [81] point out that this can refine theory or improve progress. They are often used in fields such as sociology, psychology, business, and education [78].

Stake [82] exposes three main styles of a case study: instrumental, intrinsic, and collective. The instrumental case study is used when a specific case is to achieve a wider understanding of a problem or phenomenon. In contrast, an intrinsic case study is usually used to find out about a single phenomenon. The researcher must identify the exclusivity of the phenomenon, differentiating it from others. The collective case study includes researching several cases at the same time or successively to make an even wider understanding of a particular phenomenon or problem.

Different approaches of case studies can be used depending on the researcher’s epistemic attitude, which are the critical approach, interpretative approach, and positivist approach [78]. The critical approach includes asking about one’s personal beliefs and bringing into account the broader social and political environment. An interpretive approach includes knowing processes/context/meanings as understood from several perspectives and, based on this, seeking to identify personal and collective social meanings. The emphasis is on theory building. Finally, a positivist approach is oriented in the direction of the principles of natural science, such as concentrating on generalizability.

We used a qualitative case study, where data was collected through document analysis (i.e., internal documentation) and structured interviews. The advantages of using documentation are; namely, it is stable, as it can be reviewed several times; it is unobtrusive because it is not created as a result of a case study; accurate, at least contains accurate names, references, and event details; and allows for broad coverage over a longer period, many events and many settings. The disadvantages of using documentation are accessibility, which can be low; biased selectivity if the collection is incomplete; bias reporting reflects (unknown) author bias; as well as access that may be intentionally blocked. The advantages of interviews are that they are targeted, they focus directly on the topic of the case study, and they can be insightful by providing perceived causal inferences. The weaknesses of interviews can be bias due to poor question construction, response bias, inaccuracies due to poor recall, and reflexivity, as the interviewee gives what the interviewer wants to hear [80,83]. Interviews can be highly structured and formalized or completely unstructured in the form of an informal conversation. An interview is a technique of collecting data through conversational communication, in which the interviewer (researcher) asks questions, and the respondent (interviewee) answers the questions [84]. A structured interview is a formalized way of questioning in terms of content and the sequence and formulation of questions [85]. Specific questions with standardized content are asked in a specific order, and there are criteria for evaluating answers and rules for using additional questions as needed. The answers are noted on the fly, and a final note is made immediately after the conversation [86]. During the interview, the interviewer must also pay attention to non-verbal communication, i.e., behavior, facial expressions, and tone of voice, as non-verbal communication is also very important for showing a verbal answer. Regarding the style of the case study, the instrumental case study was used with an interpretive approach.

Crowe et al. [78] and Yin [80] emphasize that even in the case of a research study, we must follow the main five steps, which are (1) definition of the case, (2) selection of the case (or cases), (3) collection and analysis of data, (4) interpretation of the data, and (5) reporting findings, which we will strictly follow during our research. The first step, which is the definition of the case, was elaborated on in Section 2, so we continue with step two, which is the selection of the case.

The researched company has been a financial company in the Slovenian market since 2002. In general, for financial institutions, digitalization primarily means supporting business processes with the help of available IT [87]. Company X was a medium-sized company with several employees of approx. 220 and was a subsidiary of one of the leading financial institutions in Austria and CEE. Its market share in Slovenia was very small, approx. 3%. Its mother company is a leading corporate and investment financial institution in Austria, which also compromises various other financial service providers, such as leasing, asset management, and M&A (mergers and acquisitions). Sustainability has been a high-priority issue since 2004 by its mother company, consequently also for its subsidiaries, mainly focusing on sustainable management and corporate responsibility, sustainability in the core business, inhouse ecology, employees, economic sustainability, protection of customer data and data security, customer satisfaction, complaint management, sustainable financing, and investments, even establishment of an in-house sustainability program. Sustainable corporate management in the company consists of the control level, management board level, management and program level, local implementation level, level of initiatives, and memberships relevant to sustainability. Company X was also an advanced user of digital services as it invested a lot in the lean processes of all its subsidiaries, namely they detected time-consuming processes in the company and replaced them with digital versions while at the same time ensuring that the process met all the necessary standards and laws prescribed by the field of work, despite digitization. Looking at its maturity level according to the model PEMM, we would say that Company X belongs to the maturity phase 3 of the PEMM model (described in Section 2.3), as we could see that the management developed the vision of the company and processes and has well-distributed responsibilities and knowledge of processes, process owners were responsible for supervising the implementation of the change, teamwork was at a high level, employees felt responsible for the company’s results and supported the changes in the company. The processes were organized in a way that they served to optimize the work in the company, process documentation was made in such a way that it also covered intermediate phases, employees were trained and authorized to make decisions that were required of them, the owners’ processes were extremely dedicated, and the process measurements had a strategic basis.

Section 3 includes the third step of case study research, which is the collection and analysis of data, where we collected and analyzed data through document analysis and structured interview from the viewpoint of the project leader on the side of the client and structured interview from the viewpoint of the project leader on the side of the company implementing DMS. Finally, Section 4 includes the fourth step, which is the interpretation of the data, and the fifth step, where the research findings are highlighted.

3. Results

3.1. DMS Implementation in Company X

A DMS life cycle consists of three stages: selection, introduction, and use. The selection process, including the service strategy, was performed around 1997 as Company X introduced its first modules of the Hibis solution in 1999. Hibis has been selected as it is a unique integrated solution of the company Hrc d.o.o. (Ltd.) (Zalec, Slovenia) that covers all areas necessary to operate a financial institution with numerous modules [88]. The Hibis model for financial institutions is a concept that offers a standard solution to meet a specific client’s needs. Therefore, it is a standard off-the-shelf solution. With this, Hibis was able to offer many advantages for solution users. Moreover, in times of rapid changes and the need to adapt to the needs of the market and regulators, the implementation of ready-made solutions for financial institutions can be a key advantage. Namely, it means significantly faster implementation and a more affordable choice compared to custom-made software solutions (“custom-made” or “tailor-made solutions”). In addition to the time and financial components, the provenance and, thus, the quality of the solution were also crucial. Something that works in several systems has already covered many cases, situations, and even exceptions. All the above formed an optimal solution, which with its breadth, satisfies (at least all the basic) needs of Company X. Instead of preparing a complex specification, Company X could easily adapt their processes to the existing solution. For Company X, this meant a significant saving of resources and faster and more affordable implementation of solutions [88].

For Company X, implementing the first modules of the Hibis system in 1999 was the largest transition to a new IS in Company X’s history. The acceptance of the so-called Hibis model solutions that, with a wide range of software, satisfied the integrated operations and took care of the automation of existing business processes and their adaptation to the best practices on the market. At the same time, this solution means proven, stable and reliable support, which brings the built-in good practice and optimization of work, as well as constant improvements in the quality of the software. In times of rapid changes and necessary adaptability to the needs of the market and regulators, this way of working is a key advantage over the competition. First, to be implemented in 1999, were all modules connected to the banking system (transaction account legal entities, mobile bank, credit business, purchase of receivables, saving accounts, balance accounts, e-banking, infrastructure for business with natural persons, interbank business, core modules). The last module implemented by the end of 2000 was the electronic storage of documents. DOMIS (Document Management Information System) is an independent solution for the e-storage of documents (designed especially for financial institutions). It is closely connected to the central Hibis solution, so processes are optimized and are running faster than external solutions. Company X decided to implement the solution DOMIS, as it brings many advantages for the company and its workflow, namely

• documents can be viewed directly from Hibis screens,
• documents can be captured from the source,
• documents are accessible to the business network promptly,
• the possibility of automated capturing of documents from Hibis to DOMIS,
• quick basic parameterization and initial charging,
• simple and fast adjustments, as there is no coordination between multiple providers,
• user rights are managed faster and applied in HIBIS and DOMIS, and
• the implemented solution would enable Company X to perform their work with almost no paper and become a more socially responsible and sustainable developed company.

With the implementation of DOMIS, Company X has utilized the following functionalities [72]:

• Capturing documents in paper form: digitization of documents (scanning), conversion to a suitable format for long-term storage (PDF/A), and determination of metadata and notes, with the help of which documents can be efficiently searched later in the e-archive system.
• Importing electronic documents into the e-archive system, conversion to a suitable format, and capturing electronic signatures.
• Storage and search of documents through a single interface (in/out interface).
• Digital signing and, if necessary, timestamping of documents.
• Management of electronic documentation in a way that complies with the law, regulations, and recommendations.
• Storage of documents in accordance with their classification and grouping into logical groups (e.g., credit folder).
• The subsequent modification of metadata (e.g., the archiving period for credit documentation).
• Elimination of documents (transfer to the state archive or destruction).
• Required maintenance work in electronic archiving (re-timestamping and signing).
• Access rights management for e-archive documents (based on rights in Hibis) and controlled transmission of the document (separate rights for printing and e-mail).
• Audit trail on the system (accesses to the system) and document level (history of coverage, insights, and controlled intervention).

Company X and the provider of the solution planned the implementation of the solution together, considering the following basic guidelines for successful implementation: an understandable definition of the project goal, the project group must include members with knowledge and practical experience from all fields, a clear definition of responsibilities, clear definition of deadlines regarding the project implementation, clear definition of financial resources, the project should meet the given financial frame (the project must be divided into individual phases), and the implementation of DMS should not be completely handed over to the provider of the system, as they do not know the internal systems, the needs of the users, the work of the organization and its culture [89].

The project was successfully implemented, with the first modules in 2000 and the last module DOMIS till the end of 2001. After implementing the first modules, Company X, together with the provider and the users, performed a six-month testing and adjusting phase for the first implemented modules and three months of testing for the module DOMIS. The go-live date for the first modules was set for the middle of 2000, and module DOMIS end of 2001. The timeline for the go-life date had to be prolonged for the first modules, as the adjustment to the existing system was quite challenging in terms of data protection and laws connected to financial institutions and clients. Yet, the go-live for module DOMIS was on time. After the new modules were live and running, Company X decided to run the new modules, and the existing IS in parallel for the next three months to stabilize the processes and workflows of the company (i.e., the stabilization phase). The decision has proven to be wise, as there were still some corrections needed to meet all the regulations of the financial sector (e.g., data protection). Once using the solution, Company X has organized regular updates of the Hibis system, followed by regular educational training for the employees and best practice incorporation into the Hibis system. Now Company X is a merged company still using and improving the modules of the Hibis solution.

To avoid the weaknesses of internal documentation research, we interviewed the project leader on the side of Company X and the project leader on the side of the solution provider. The results of the structured interview of both project leaders should enable them to make such implementations better and smoother. Both project leaders were asked to present their viewpoints to the following questions/statements, namely,

10.

Give us a short professional background and how do you see cooperation in the project? (Q1)

11.

Were the expectations met (about the cooperation when implementing the solution) (Q2)?

12.

Were the timeline and financial plan agreed upon at the beginning (Q3)?

13.

Would you say that the sustainability orientation of the company influenced the successful implementation(Q4)?

14.

Was the education of the users performed and how (Q5)?

15.

Explain what stage of the maturity model (PEMM) the company was in when the DMS was implemented. Do you think the stage of maturity of the company affected the path of the DMS implementation (Q6)?

16.

Which factors, would you say, were critical for the successful implementation of the solution? Please divide them into the phase of selection, implementation, and use (Q7).

3.2. Structured Interview of the Project Leader on the Side of the Company X

At first, a structured interview was performed with the project leader on the client’s side. The project leader was asked to answer the questions in the order they were asked. The answers were written simultaneously.

The project leader had four years of experience in the project leading field, five in the professional field, and a group of experts in the team, which were all experience in their professional field (e.g., IT, Compliance, Legal, Process management, etc.). Still, this project was one of the biggest projects, which was led by the project manager. The project groups on both sides were professional, as well from the structure of experts as from the operational knowledge (Q1).

The expectations were generally met. Both sides have given their best to communicate and implement the solution. What was generally missing was prompter responsiveness on the provider’s side (Q2).

The timeline and financial plan set at the beginning were not completely met. The closure of the project was longer than set at the beginning. The reason was not enough resources on the project from the client’s side and no prompt responsiveness on the provider’s side. The financial plan was not completely met, as some adjustments to the present system had to be made, which were not planned at the beginning (Q3).

The project leader believes that the sustainability orientation of the company has an indirect influence on the successful implementation, as it is a key component of the company’s corporate culture, consequently on employees and their way of thinking and accepting changes (Q4).

The education of the users has been performed as well from the project group as from the provider. Yet the problem was that users did not completely understand the terms used in the education and were afraid to ask (Q5).

I would say that Company X was in maturity phase three by the PEMM model, which was visible in the dedication of the management, clearly distributed responsibilities, high level of teamwork, and dedication and support of the employees. The stage of maturity has a huge influence on the course of the implementation, especially because of the employees and highly developed processes, as it makes it easier to introduce new technology, upgrade existing processes and understand the changes in the workflows (Q6).

The most important factor in the selection phase would be management support, as the management must define a good service strategy for the implementation of DMS. In the implementation, I would point out good communication, the dedication of employees, and a well-selected project team, as the change has to be well communicated to be understandable, it has to be excepted by the employees to be properly used, and it has to be managed by the most professional team to be successful. In the use phase, I would point out again communication, as it is crucial that the users are communicating any user experience (good or bad), which could be important also for other users (Q7).

Overall, the client was satisfied with the cooperation with the provider, yet there are steps in the process which could run better. The client has exposed the responsiveness on the provider’s side and communication on its side. Each project must have a precisely defined timeline and financial plan, which has to be agreed upon with the provider before the project starts. The project team on both sides have to be aware that if one of them does not stick to the agreed “terms and conditions” the project will never be successful.

3.3. Structured Interview of the Side of the Solution Provider

After the structured interview was performed with the project leader on the client’s side, we also asked the provider of the solution for its viewpoint. The project leader was asked to answer the questions in the order they were asked. The answers were written simultaneously.

The project leader had six years of experience in leading implementations in big systems and financial institutions. Yet this implementation has been very challenging as the implementation of the solution Hibis had to be adjusted to the existing system and the system of the mother company (in some parts). The project groups were professionally leading the project, and the communication between the project leaders was good. Yet it was visible from the beginning that the company did not put enough human resources into this project (Q1).

The expectations were met, yet the problem is the shortcoming in the number of human resources in the project team and implementation staff leading to a slower performance/implementation of single steps on the client’s side and communication of the change, which has not been persistent the whole time (Q2).

The timeline and the financial plan were not met in full. The timeline was not met as there were not enough human resources on the client’s side and due to additional adjustments to the existing process. The latter was also the reason why the financial plan has not been met (Q3).

The sustainability orientation of a company is an important factor when implementing a new solution for a company. Companies which are highly sustainable-oriented, see the coming changes more positively than the ones that aren’t. Company X had a highly developed sustainability in sense of ecology and employees, so I think that sustainability influences selection and all phases of the implementation (Q4).

The education has been performed by the client and for the top management by the provider. The education was performed in form of guidelines and live education and practical work (Q5).

I would say that Company X is in stage three, in some parts, even in stage four. Company X has a high strategic viewpoint on the developments made and has management leading with vision and processes which are fit for optimizations needed. Where I see the company even in stage four is in IT—IT systems had modular architecture and fit all required standards and management—management is leading with vision and strategy and monitors process metrics. Based on the mentioned, I would say that the level of maturity of the company is important for any implementation and influences it (Q6).

The most important factor in the selection phase would be communication and dedication, meaning toward the provider and the employees, as only if the communication is timely and constant everyone can know what the next steps are. In the implementation phase project team and focus on the processes are crucial, as the main changes would be done on the existent process, and the project team is the one which has to implement the change. In the use phase, we see employees and organizational culture as the most important factors, as the changes in the process have to be accepted, used, and maintained (Q7).

The provider of the solution was satisfied with the way the whole project was led and has exposed communication and a low number of human resources on the client’s side. Communication was not the key in every phase of the implementation of DMS to the company. Still, it should be, and it should always take place “top-down”, as employees always orientate themselves on their top management. It is by no means enough that only the project team communicates any change in a company. The number of project team members must be sufficient and allow them to do their work on the project (participation in the project should not be just an additional activity).

The main findings of both structured interviews are also presented in

Table 1. An extract of the main findings of the structured interviews.

	Project Leader on the Side of the Company X	Solution Provider
Professional background (Q1)	Senior project leader.	Senior project leader.
Were the expectations met (Q2)?	Expectations met; prompter responsiveness from provider expected.	Expectations met; not enough human resources dedicated to the project on the company’s side.
Timeline and financial plan (Q3)	Timeline plan was not met due to a lack of human resources on the company’s side and slow responsiveness on the provider’s side. Financial plan was not met due to adjustments to the existing system.	Timeline plan was not met due to a lack of human resources on the company’s side. Financial plan was not met due to adjustments to the existing system.
Influence of sustainability orientation (Q4)	Indirect influence.	Important factor.
Education (Q5)	Education is performed by the project group and provider.	Education is performed by the project group and provider in the form of guidelines, live education, and practical work.
Stage of the maturity model (PEMM) (Q6)	Maturity phase 3; maturity stage has a huge influence on the course of DMS implementation.	Maturity phase 3 in some parts, even phase 4: maturity stage is important for the course of DMS implementation.
Critical factors (Q7)	Selection phase: management support. Implementation phase: communication, the dedication of employees, and the project team. Use phase: communication.	Selection phase: communication and dedication. Implementation phase: project team and. Use phase: employees and organizational culture.

.

The next chapter will discuss the results of the case analysis together with the theoretical background.

4. Discussion

Organizations are increasingly looking towards digitization as they have realized that this is the only way to be competitive in the market [7,8,13]. The use of DMS, otherwise known as the paperless business, is the key for every organization nowadays, not only to reduce costs but also to enable work from different locations, store documents in one place, and control access to documentation [5,8,16,17,34]. DMS offers organizations many advantages; we have summarized the most important ones [34]:

• Cost savings: Managing large amounts of documents brings high financial costs for any organization. With DMS, an organization can automatically, easily, and quickly facilitate the management of processes, which helps significantly reduce costs of printing, human resources, etc., which can be used more efficiently for profitable business processes.
• Time-saving: DMS enables quick and easy access to information without going to the office, which offers users more time for other activities. A simple DMS makes finding data, information, files, and processes easy.
• Improvement of work processes: A good DMS makes it possible to reduce the number of steps required to carry out a procedure or procedures, which directly contributes to an increase in agility and efficiency of work processes as employees will be able to find the information or documents they need for their work faster.
• Regulatory compliance and audit trail: Ensuring compliance with legal norms and regulations and ensuring updates are essential for all businesses. Fulfilling these obligations can be complicated, especially in organizations subject to legal provisions. A suitable DMS will support the implementation of the regulatory and legal framework, protecting data and information. One of the consequences of the last financial crisis was the increase in internal and external audits that many organizations had to undergo to confirm that they had implemented all necessary regulations. DMS enables the recording of all necessary steps to carry out a specific activity.

DMS is a very broad field, but above all, it is still a fairly unexplored field. Its implementation enables organizations to have documents in one place and for the user to use them quickly and easily. Selection, implementation, and use of something new (i.e., life cycle) require good preparation, which also includes a well-prepared strategy, good service design, transmission, as well as performance and improvement of the service. Adam and Sammon [47] warn that neglecting any of these three phases can lead to organizational failure, even though organizations pay more attention to the implementation than to the selection and the use. Dalin et al. [90] point out that successful implementation often depends on mastering the complete process. Absorptive capacity (ACAP) is an organisation’s ability to identify, assimilate, transform, and use external knowledge, research and practice [91]. Cohen et al. [91] pointed out that “ACAP is the measure of the rate at which an organisation can learn and use scientific, technological or other knowledge that exists outside of the organisation itself. It is a measure of an organisation’s ability to learn”. The importance of ACAP concepts enables organizations to acquire, assimilate, transform, and exploit knowledge and transform it into innovation processes. ACAP requires organizations to identify the required knowledge in the environment and transform it into internal knowledge [90]. This concept could also be applied when implementing DMS into the organization, as it would give the organization’s management a higher possibility to implement new knowledge successfully. According to Cenamor et al. [92], absorptive capacity to acquire knowledge has an indirect, positive impact on an organization’s performance, as employees can clearly identify which knowledge can be shared and which needs to be protected. Successful implementation and use of DMS demand acquiring and assimilating specific knowledge (i.e., new processes, electronic signatures, electronic documentation, file-sharing, etc.) to be transformed and exploited (use and implement best practices acquired along the way) when implemented.

Recently, organizations are increasingly aware of sustainability, which consists of three pillars: environmental, social, and economic [17,75]. The impact of DMS on the sustainability orientation of the organizations is visible through the benefits of DMS and relates to all three pillars. DMS can contribute to the environmental pillar of sustainability through paper reduction, energy saving, waste reduction, carbon footprint, green procurement, etc. DMS can also contribute to the social pillar of sustainability, including improved employee engagement, increased access to information, remote working, increased transparency and accessibility, compliance, etc., to promote and maintain the well-being of their employees, customers, and other stakeholders. Furthermore, the economic pillar of sustainability includes increased efficiency and productivity, cost savings, better decision-making, and increased revenue, compliance, etc., which can help secure the long-term financial health of the organization.

This research presents a comprehensive review of procedural, entrepreneurial, and social aspects of the implementation of DMS in Company X and shows a case study of a company where the implementation has been successful; still, there are many things that could go better. Organizations that strive to meet their needs without jeopardizing the needs of future generations and those that are focused on their business policy in addition to the basic concern for profit are organizations that can more quickly accept the implementation of changes in the company, and they are much more aware of the importance of digitization not only for the well-being of the company as such but also for its employees and the environment. By studying the internal documentation, we found that sustainability orientation has been a high-priority issue since 2004 by its mother company and also all subsidiaries, mainly focusing on sustainable management and corporate responsibility, sustainability in the core business, inhouse ecology, employees, economic sustainability, protection of customer data and data security, customer satisfaction, complaint management, sustainable financing, and investments, even establishment of an in-house sustainability program [88]. Sustainable corporate management in the company consists of the control level, management board level, management and program level, local implementation level, and level of initiatives and memberships relevant to sustainability. Considering the opinions of the project leaders from Company X, sustainability orientation has an influence when implementing a process change in a company, as responsible and transparent business management is important to strengthen and maintain the understanding and trust of employees and clients. From the case analysis, we can answer the first research question (Q1), that the selection, implementation, and use of DMS can be influenced by the sustainability orientation of an organization by creating value (long-term success), trust, and transformation (addressing major societal challenges).

The second aspect of our research is to investigate the impact of the maturity level of the organization on the selection process, implementation process, and use of DMS (second research question—Q2). Through maturity model assessment, we can measure the current level of maturity of a particular aspect of an organization in a meaningful way, allowing stakeholders to identify strengths and areas of improvement and prioritize what to do to achieve higher levels of maturity accordingly [21,22]. PEMM and other maturity models (e.g., CMM, CMMI, and IMG BPMM) show a useful way to evaluate an organization [92]. All models have their advantages and disadvantages. We consider the utility value of the PEMM model to be the greatest for DMS, as the model consists of a business and process model and contains precise criteria and appropriate improvements in assessing the maturity of the organization. By studying the internal documentation, we can conclude that Company X’s maturity level, according to the model PEMM, belongs to the maturity phase 3 of the PEMM model (described in Section 2.3), as we could see that the management developed the vision of the company and processes and has well-distributed responsibilities and knowledge of processes, process owners were responsible for supervising the implementation of the change, teamwork was at a high level, employees felt responsible for the company’s results and supported the changes in the company. The processes were organized in a way that they served to optimize the work in the company, process documentation was made in such a way that it also covered intermediate phases, employees were trained and authorized to make decisions that are required of them, the owners’ processes were extremely dedicated, and the process measurements had a strategic basis. Based on the structured interview of both project leaders, we consider Company X as a company in the third maturity phase (based on the model PEMM), meaning that Company X has a highly developed strategy, vision, processes, and attitude toward sustainable development of the company. From the case study, we can conclude that maturity affects the selection, implementation, and use of DMS, as an organization with a higher maturity level, can easily understand, perform, integrate, and accumulate any change in a company.

While preparing the case study, we also found that there are factors that have an important impact on the successful implementation of DMS. Authors Markus and Tanis [93], Esteves-Sousa and Pastor-Collado [94], Beheshti, et al. [95], Xie et al. [96], Deloitte & Touche [97] and Sternad Zabukovšek et al. [7], and many others highlighted critical factors for business information solutions. While Downing [98] and Alshibly et al. [99] list the most important factors for implementing a DMS: management support, organizational culture, time, cost efficiency, focus on processes, and project group/support. During the structured interview of both project leaders, we discovered that communication is one of the key success factors of a successfully implemented DMS. If communication is not performed actively from the beginning till the end of the implementation process, there will always be problems understanding the change in the system and its work procedures. Both parties in the case study exposed the lack of communication and the problems it caused during the implementation. Researchers (e.g., [7,93,94,95,96,97] of other business information solutions have reached the same conclusion. The project managers also highlighted the users as a critical factor. When implementing innovations, organizations are often focused mainly on changes at the process level, but they often forget about the employees, i.e., the users. Users are the key to the successful implementation of DMS in the organization, as in all other business information solutions [7,95,96]. Therefore, it is important to include them in the desired change very early because only then will they feel part of the overall change. Only users who can align themselves with the change are the ones who will be able to successfully use the desired system in the end. We believe that they are of different importance in individual phases of the life cycle of DMS. Project leaders of Company X believe that in single stages of the DMS life cycle, different factors are crucial for the successful implementation of DMS. We would also note that the project leaders did not highlight the same critical factors of the individual phases of the DMS life cycle (see Table 1, Q7). We believe that it would be reasonable to investigate in more detail which factors are important from the organization’s point of view in the individual phases of the DMS life cycle from the customer’s point of view and the solution provider’s point of view.

5. Conclusions

Our research has important theoretical and managerial implications. The main theoretical implication is that no area of DMS is as researched as other areas of other business information solutions (for example, ERP and CRM solutions). In the Scopus database, we made two separate queries for the keyword “enterprise resource planning” and for the keyword “customer relationship management” on the same day as for DMS with the same limitation parameters (see Section 2.2). For the ERP, 13,543 document results were shown in the Scopus database, with the first article appearing in 1970. For the CRM, 6671 document results were shown in the Scopus database, with the first article appearing in 1996, while 1050 document results appeared from 1980 to 2024 for the DMS (see Section 2.2). Based on the mentioned, we can conclude that in the past, researchers have devoted their time more to researching other business information solutions. Given the importance of the field, we expect that more research will also focus on the field of DMS in the future.

From the case study, we can confirm that organizational maturity has a significant impact on DMS in all phases of its life cycle. Furthermore, we can assume that organizational maturity has a significant impact on other business information solutions as well.

Our research shows that a single area (i.e., organizational maturity and sustainability orientation) was researched. Yet, the relationships between organizational maturity and DMS, as well as sustainability and DMS, were not. This is a research gap in this field, and we believe that further research would help companies to implement DMS more often successfully, as we still witness many unsuccessful or partly successful implemented DMS [46]. To fill the gap in this field, we would recommend also researching the area of critical success factors (CSF) in connection with the maturity of the organization and the DMS lifecycle, as besides sustainability, there are, for example, management support, organizational culture, time, and cost efficiency, focus on processes, project group/support and many more, which we believe influence every single live cycle phases of DMS. Downing [98] and Alshibly et al. [99] have already discussed CSFs DMS but did not connect them to organizational maturity and sustainable orientation of the organization and the DMS lifecycle.

The qualitative case study has rapidly gained acceptance as a valid and valuable research method in many diverse scientific domains [83]. For example, Farquhar, Michels, Robson [100], Brewster [101], and Sharma and Choubey [102] have already successfully used a qualitative case study for their research. In addition, a case study approach enables critical happenings, improvements, policy improvements, and program-based service changes investigated in real-life contexts [78]. To carry out the case study, we researched internal documentation and conducted two interviews to limit the weaknesses of both techniques.

The managerial implications of our research show the importance of using DMS in organizations, as it brings many advantages. It is very important to see the organizations when implementing a new business solution (such as DMS). Processes, employees, sustainable orientation, and DMS life cycle are highly connected and interdependent, as an organization with a high/low maturity level, high/low sustainable orientation, or devoted employees will not implement a DMS in the same way. Therefore, we suggest that organizations pay close attention to all these elements when choosing, implementing, and using business information solutions (such as DMS).

Our case study has limitations. We limit ourselves to the financial sector, i.e., organizations that implement or have implemented DMS in the financial sector. We chose the financial sector because of the use of a large amount of documentation in practically all segments of operations and due to strict legislation and rules. One organization was the subject of the research, where two involved people (i.e., project leaders on the client’s side and the provider’s side) were interviewed besides document analysis, so the results cannot be generalized.

In order to generalize the findings so far, it is necessary to carry out more case studies in the same industry and other industries. In addition, it would make sense for future research to include research on the importance of individual critical success factors in individual life cycle phases (i.e., selection, implementation, and use), which we identified through our case study. Because of the disadvantages of case studies, the conceptual model could be extended with the critical success factors and verified through quantitative research. The research can also be expanded in the direction of acceptance of DMS by users in individual phases of the DMS life cycle. In this field, the technology acceptance model (TAM) proposed by Davis and co-authors [103,104], as a basis, as well as its extension UTAUT model proposed by Venkatesh et al. [105], are most often used. During our research, we did not find any studies that used the TAM model, but we found some studies where the UTAUT model was used (see, for example, [106,107]. The next possible extension of the research could go in the direction of a more rigorous assessment of the sustainability orientation factor in the sense of including the assessment of sustainability through the sustainability maturity model (see, for example, Cogin et al. [108], Vasquez et al. [109]). In addition, from the bibliometric analysis (Section 2.3), we can see that there is also the possibility of further research in the field of DMS in the direction of using new technologies in DMS, such as, e.g., machine learning and artificial intelligence (for example, see Abbasova [4]), blockchain, cloud computing, industry 4.0 and industry 5.0, etc.