Enterprise Content Management: Impact on Collaboration and Social Business

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1 An AIIM Briefing Helping you manage and use information assets. Enterprise Content Management: Impact on Collaboration and Social Business Produced by AIIM Training By Bob Larrivee, Director/Industry Advisor aiim.org I

2 Table of Contents Introduction Identifying Potential Problems Technology Tools Opportunities Governance Organizational Challenges Conclusion About the AIIM Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Training Program About AIIM About the Author About this Briefing

3 Introduction Often, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) projects are mandated from above to address a business problem that has emerged or a perceived benefit that will be gained as a result of implementing ECM. At other times, ECM is a strategic directive focused on moving an organization in a new direction based on vision of what the organization could be like in the future. This is where we will often hear references to the use of ECM technologies in support of collaboration and social business initiatives. Organizations want to strengthen collaborative capabilities internally and expand interactions with clients through the use of social media tools. In either case, you will need to identify the organizational vision and goals, and current state problems in achieving those goals. In order to understand these elements, you will need to talk with the project sponsor and potential stakeholders in the initiative as well. These could include but may not be limited to: CEO/President Business unit managers Legal council Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Chief Information Officer (CIO) And stakeholders may be: Legal staff Records managers Librarians IT personnel End users First and foremost, you need to understand that collaboration is something people do and that it is not a technology. In the following pages I will provide you with some examples and guidance on how ECM can support collaboration and social business. 3

4 Identifying Potential Problems Many organizations may accept that there are or could be problems but their challenge is in knowing or recognizing what they are. Rather than assuming all content-related problems will be solved, you must work with the sponsors and stakeholders to identify the problems of the current-state of your ECM or information management environment. Typical issues, as a starting point for discussion, might be: Difficulty finding files across the enterprise Lack of consistent metadata and organizational structure Processes are not defined and standardized Serendipitous processes in place rather than process by design Technology is not used or managed properly Team sites , voice mail, and IM Mobile device use Poor findability, readability, and accessibility of files Paper-based information not readily available Poorly scanned/imaged environment Files may be misplaced, or exist as multiple copies and separate versions Security and access controls The consequences of these problems might be such issues as: Clients and personnel cannot get to the right information at the right time Mistakes made due to incomplete information, undocumented processes Lost productivity, due to time wasted correcting mistakes Inability to locate content Once you have gathered your requirements, developed a strategy, and implemented your plan; you should take the time to periodically assess whether it is still relevant and how it can be improved. Engage your employees, customers, and any stakeholder to be an active part in the process. Solicit their advice and include them in communications about project status. No record integrity Issues with regards to whether the current document/record is actually the VALID copy Poor collaboration due to lack of systems in place to allow reliable, distributed, or virtual collaboration Processing delays due to lack of automated content-based processes, and lost, misplaced, or misrouted content No sharing of best practices, causing failure that could have been avoided if the lessons learned within the organization were captured and shared 4

5 Technology Tools Remember, collaboration is not a technology. Collaboration is something people do; in the context of this discussion, social business is the use of social media tools and practices to extend our reach. In this context, technology should not be viewed as a solution to collaboration and social business but as a tool, or set of tools, that supports collaborative workspaces and social business environments. The idea behind these technologies is to provide options that solicit and support engagement within the community. These can include but are not limited to: Team workspaces Sharing documents, folders, discussions Web Content Management, Wikis, and Blogs Team authoring, editing, development, and sharing of ideas Social Media Applications Yammer, Twitter Facebook, LinkedIn Skype, IM Cloud ECM, BPM, ERM CRM, HR, expense reporting Many more Opportunities There are many opportunities to incorporate or enhance the collaborative capabilities and social business aspects of your business. Internally you may look to: Accelerate employee engagement and interaction Increase your efforts to capture corporate memory Reveal Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) within your organization and foster cross-functional relationship building Looking beyond the walls of your organization, you seek to leverage collaboration and social business in ways that allow you to: Educate your prospects and clients Strengthen current channels and open new channels Extend your reach into new market segments and geographical areas Remember, collaboration is not a technology. Collaboration is something people do. 5

6 Governance Governance in collaborative and social business environments is one of the greatest challenges. The notion that everything is available to all who need it is a wonderful idea, but we must also consider that information must also be protected from those not authorized to access it. This means that in planning the use of technology for collaboration and social business you must also take into consideration the security and management aspect as well. Your governance plan should address areas that include but are not limited to: Levels of security required Access authorization and control Appropriate use and guidelines Processes and procedures to initiate and close team workspaces Extraction of team generated information and ingestion to the corporate memory Organizational Challenges Since all of this will inherently change the way people work, you must anticipate that there will in fact be some challenges along the way. There will be those who remain reluctant to share or are afraid of new technology and may not willingly accept the new direction. There will be those who challenge the security and accessibility of information perhaps suggesting that it opens the organization to risk. No matter what the challenge, the best approach is first to have leadership support you right out front and this is best served by example. Communication from leadership and the project team is essential in gaining and retaining support, but most of all, active involvement is the best approach. Engage your employees, customers, and any stakeholder to be an active part in the process. Solicit their advice and include them in communications about project status. Conclusion Developing a strategy for establishing a collaborative and social business environment using ECM is essential. In order to develop your strategy you must solicit and gather detailed requirements. This is not an easy task and takes a lot of time, planning, and focus. In order to develop your requirements identify: What content and information you have stored and where the information resides? Who owns this information and how should it be shared? What methods of access are currently used and how could this change in a collaborative or social business environment? Who interacts with whom and who should or could be part of that interaction? What technologies would be best suited to supporting your future goals? Once you have gathered your requirements, developed a strategy, and implemented your plan; you should take the time to periodically assess whether it is still relevant and how it can be improved. In this light, there is room for improvement in all you do for your organization and yourself. The AIIM ECM Training Program is designed to bring you new perspectives and provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to move your organization forward in the context of collaboration and social business. 6

7 About the AIIM Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Program 55% have no policy on how long information stored on internal social business sites should be retained, and 32% have no acceptable-use policy for employees.* You want your employees to work together. You need them to do that in a managed way. You ve just seen how collaboration isn t technology, BUT can definitely be enabled by technology. To accurately and effectively manage your organization s content, you need an enterprise content management strategy. Learn how to create that policy for your company. And how content created by and for social activities shouldn t be treated as out there, but as core to the organization as any other piece of content. Be a hero. World-Class Professional Development and Training The course is designed for anyone who is involved in the assessment and implementation of ECM initiatives and developed from the best practices of AIIM s 65,000 strong community of members. A successful ECM implementation requires a strategy and structure for how to capture and manage information. The Practitioner Course covers these basics and prepares you for the Specialist Program, which digs deeper and goes further into best practices and implementation practices revealed in the Practitioner Course. The ECM Master Training Program combines the elements of the previous two programs in addition to a case study exercise. Education Around the Clock... Or In Person Learn at your own pace and at your own convenience by taking the courses online. Available 24/7; learn as you have time. Classroom instruction both public courses and private courses delivered to you is also available. Ready? Master Your Content. Start Today. Want us to contact you? us at [email protected] *Source: State of the ECM Industry 2011 How well is it meeting business needs? 7

8 About AIIM AIIM ( has been an advocate and supporter of information professionals for nearly 70 years. The association s mission is to ensure that information professionals understand the current and future challenges of managing information assets in an era of social, mobile, cloud and big data. Founded in 1943, AIIM builds on a strong heritage of research and member service. Today, AIIM is a global, non-profit organization that provides independent research, education, and certification programs to information professionals. AIIM represents the entire information management community, with programs and content for practitioners, technology suppliers, integrators, and consultants. About the Author Bob Larrivee joined AIIM in 2007 as an Industry Advisor and Director of the Training Center where he works to identify, develop, and deliver specialized training in best practices, technology, and methodologies. Bob is an internationally recognized thought leader with over thirty years of experience in document imaging, content management, records management, and the application of advanced technologies and process improvement. He has also received the Cenadem - Brazil ECM Pioneer Award. Bob is an AIIM Certified Information Professional (CIP), has earned AIIM designations in ECM, ERM, BPM, EMM, E2.0, SharePoint, Capture, IOA, is a CompTIA Certified Document Imaging Architect+ (CDIA+), and a State of Florida Certified Instructor. Bob is a published poet, photographer, and musician. Prior to joining AIIM, Bob held positions within the vendor community, as a consultant, and as a reseller. He entered the emerging technologies industry with Wang Laboratories where he focused on imaging, workflow, digital annotation, and voice recognition systems. Follow Bob Larrivee on About This Briefing As the non-profit association dedicated to nurturing, growing and supporting the community of information professionals, AIIM is proud to provide this white paper at no charge. In this way, the entire community can leverage the education, thought leadership and direction provided by our work. We would like this research to be as widely distributed as possible. Feel free to use this research in presentations and publications with the attribution AIIM 2012, Rather than redistribute a copy of this report to your colleagues, we would prefer that you direct them to for a free download of their own. AIIM 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD