Feedback

Ramesh Naravulu, Program Manager, Application Delivery at International Finance Corporation attended some time ago the AIIM ECM Certificate Program, and he has kindly agreed to provide us with some feedback on the course . The interview was done by Thedra White, Director, AIIM Global Education Services.

Thedra:  Why did you take the AIIM ECM course?

Ramesh: I wanted to take a vendor neutral course as ECM is not a technology but a Content Management methodology.

Thedra: Which features of the ECM course were most useful and why?

Ramesh: AIIM's ECM course starts of with a high level view of 'What is ECM ?'  and dives into the various aspects of ECM methodology. Very soon one understands the complexity and challenges of an ECM implementation. Starting an ECM implementation without this knowledge - no matter how it is acquired - is certainly not the way to go.

Thedra: What are the main challenges you face in your projects and what will you do to overcome these?

Ramesh: One of the main challenges (amidst many other) I have had to face is the perception of IT management and business that ECM is an out of the box software solution which can be implemented by purchasing software from an ECM vendor. It is this perception that leads managers to think about getting ECM implemented as a turnkey solution (outsourced) like any other software project. To overcome such perceptions -- the concerned Project Manager would have to systematically plan in separating the technology from the methodology - by arranging vendor neutral presentations/seminars (through Gartner, AIIM etc..) early on. This is easier said than done. The key Manager/Sponsor must understand/appreciate this and be able to back the Project Manager.

Thedra: What would you like to see from AIIM in the future?

Ramesh: More information on how successful ECM implementations were carried out.