| Having been involved with a number of enterprise | | | | costly and ultimately can create a very confusing set |
| content management (ECM) projects throughout my | | | | of interfaces. |
| career, many factors can impact the success or | | | | Document Policies and Procedures |
| failure of such an initiative. Oftentimes, organizations | | | | Another big challenge in an ECM implementation is that |
| inadequately assess their business needs or | | | | companies either don't document policies and |
| prematurely select a system before defining their | | | | procedures for document/records/content |
| processes. As a result, getting ECM right can be a | | | | management, or don't have sufficient governance and |
| challenge for even the most unlimited technical and | | | | oversight over those digital objects. This may not be |
| financial resources. | | | | as evident in ECM implementations where the assets |
| Utilizing technology, ECM provides organizations with a | | | | are contracts or HR files, but it becomes a major |
| framework to define processes associated with | | | | problem when the ECM implementation is about digital |
| creating, enriching/annotating, managing and delivering | | | | assets. In those kinds of implementations, it is not |
| content to both internal and external stakeholders. I | | | | unusual to find numerous duplicate files, or worse, small |
| have found that ECM has come to signify more a | | | | changes in versions that are almost imperceptible, but |
| broad range of technologies and business needs than | | | | not documented. The challenge I have found is that |
| an actual monolithic product offering. | | | | people just stuff those old files into their ECM like they |
| Getting Started | | | | would old mementoes in a box in the attic, those |
| One of the very first challenges organizations | | | | assets will be as difficult to find as the sundry |
| encounter when looking at ECM is what the solution | | | | knick-knacks of yesteryear. |
| should encompass. Kyle McNabb at Forrester | | | | Understand the Data Types |
| Research asserts that ECM encompasses document | | | | One of the biggest challenges that many companies |
| management, Web content management, document | | | | must overcome is how to manage chunks of |
| imaging, records management, and digital asset | | | | information in different file formats. That data has to |
| management, and is closely aligned with collaboration | | | | be stored in elemental form and its physical, business, |
| and business process management ("Topic Overview: | | | | and semantic properties somehow captured, either |
| Enterprise Content Management" Kyle McNabb, | | | | automatically or through manual data entry. While an |
| Forrester, March 2008). Recently, Tony Byrne of CMS | | | | ECM solution can seem expansive and complex, it is |
| Watch and several other industry analysts working on | | | | my opinion that companies should think small and look |
| the ECM3 initiative (Enterprise Content Management | | | | to the objects themselves that need to be stored. |
| Maturity Model) have offered up the notion that ECM | | | | That way, even if there were missteps in the ECM |
| should not cover Web content management and | | | | implementation, at least you have protected yourself in |
| "related publishing-oriented disciplines." (cite: ecm3.org) | | | | the future by properly storing and describing the |
| My bias is actually around the management of content | | | | masses of content elements. |
| objects for the purpose of preservation and reuse in | | | | Metadata and Taxonomy |
| different contexts. This includes delivery to print, Web, | | | | Still another area of challenge in ECM is defining, |
| mobile, e-reader devices as well as repackaging | | | | applying, and managing descriptive information about |
| different content objects to create new offerings. My | | | | content objects. Companies are often overzealous |
| view of ECM consists of Web content management, | | | | about the information they'd like users to apply to |
| digital asset management, some aspects of document | | | | content, and in the process create dozens of fields of |
| management, and other multi-channel application | | | | metadata that need to be entered with each upload of |
| components. Additionally, for content publishers, I | | | | an object. Recently, companies are looking to |
| believe XML server and natural language processing | | | | implement natural language processing (NLP) tools that |
| technologies may be closely aligned with an ECM | | | | can extract meaning out of textual content objects |
| strategy. I am not saying that records management | | | | based on specially-prepared taxonomies that are |
| and digital imaging cannot be part of an ECM strategy | | | | relevant to the business. |
| - only that my particular clients typically handle those | | | | This is a promising trend, but the technology is |
| business requirements separately from the actual | | | | expensive, and I currently am not seeing that wide |
| needs around creating, annotating/enriching, managing | | | | adoption of text mining engines. However, companies |
| and delivering content. | | | | that view this as a severe problem and are investing in |
| First Process, Then Technology | | | | the research to determine their return on investment |
| Getting started on ECM can be overwhelming as | | | | will buy these NLP solutions. As the price points go |
| there are so many critical components - people, | | | | down, more systems will have NLP embedded as part |
| process, technology, budget, management buy-in, etc. | | | | of the solution, this will increase adoption. |
| What we have found is that our clients are perfectly | | | | Don't Go it Alone |
| satisfied to focus on the specific challenges they are | | | | It always amazes me when companies elect to |
| trying to solve and not get hung up on the broad range | | | | implement ECM solutions by themselves. The |
| of what ECM means to industry analysts or software | | | | technologies and workflows associated with |
| vendors. For example, if a client is looking to manage | | | | document, records, and digital asset management |
| records or documents, they will gather requirements | | | | require deep technical expertise. However, I can |
| and document use cases specific to that need, which | | | | understand that a big issue companies have is that |
| may or may not include digital asset management. This | | | | vendors or consultancies may send technical |
| does not exempt the company from trying to map | | | | resources with expertise in the technology but not the |
| their overall ECM strategy and the appropriate | | | | subject matter expertise. This is invariably one of the |
| technologies that will support it. However, it speaks to | | | | biggest challenges where business and functional |
| the need for a phased approach to implementing the | | | | requirements, use cases, system architectures and |
| various domains of ECM as opposed to trying to | | | | integration plans fall short. |
| implement it all at once. | | | | One way to get around that is to make sure that you |
| One Size Does Not Fit All | | | | hire a consultancy who is not only expert in the |
| Vendors and others in the industry may argue that to | | | | technology but has also worked within your vertical |
| implement ECM successfully you need to stick with a | | | | market(s) and understands the business challenges. |
| single software provider's application stack. In reality, | | | | Otherwise, the next-best thing is to get your subject |
| different vendors are stronger in certain areas - say | | | | matter experts (SME's) trained in the technology and |
| document management, for instance - but weaker in | | | | hire a technically deft consulting shop to support the |
| areas such as digital asset management or Web | | | | SME. |
| content management. Given the considerable costs of | | | | Take a Phased Approach |
| implementing an ECM platform, this is another strong | | | | I've seen companies try to implement too many things |
| case for focusing on solving the business challenges | | | | at once, which is less an issue about ECM than about |
| that either offer up measurable productivity gains or, in | | | | enterprise project management. It is worth repeating |
| the case of multi-channel publishing capabilities of ECM, | | | | here that a phased approach with 30/60/90 day |
| new revenue models. | | | | development and integration cycles remains the safest |
| Start With Your Business and Functional Requirements | | | | way to implement any kind of technology(ies). Also, |
| Try to organize those requirements into the domains | | | | when in doubt about an approach, performing proof of |
| of functionality that ECM appears to handle. Do NOT | | | | concept or spike tests is a good way to test technical |
| start from product suites, since you will get distracted | | | | hypotheses to determine their efficacy. |
| by the product capabilities and potentially lose sight of | | | | Define the Scope |
| your specific needs. | | | | On a regular basis I get called into customers at the |
| Analyze Workflow | | | | departmental level to help that group get what they |
| Companies often get caught up with trying to | | | | might call an "enterprise content strategy" documented. |
| implement workflow in ECM initiatives, which is a | | | | However, it becomes clear that this is an enterprise |
| worthy endeavor if workflows are well defined and | | | | strategy for their own departmental needs, and in fact |
| adhered to. However if you have issues with existing | | | | there might be other departments that already have |
| workflows, you may re-enforce bad processes with | | | | ECM technologies and practices in place that would |
| technology, which will make matters worse. | | | | not be relevant to my customer. I don't have a magic |
| Additionally, if you do not have consensus about | | | | answer here - I think the safest thing to do is to |
| workflow(s), you may run into change management | | | | document the department's requirements, then go to |
| (user adoption) issues when you go to rollout phase. | | | | other divisions/segments of the business to see if |
| Companies often have poorly-defined workflows or | | | | what they have implemented can fit the documented |
| too many exceptions within a workflow, and trying to | | | | needs. |
| capture them all in your ECM implementation will be | | | | |