AIIM Knowledge Center Blog

Do you have the next big idea?

 

Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

 

 

 

According to American Entrepreneur Dean Kamen, “An innovation is one of those things that society looks at and says, if we make this part of the way we live and work, it will change the way we live and work.” Note this statement does not indicate the size or type of innovation as much as it implies acceptance of the innovation by society. So, with that in mind, you do not have to be the inventor of a new mode of transportation or miracle fastener to be an innovator. You simply have to look at something differently and offer suggestions on how to improve upon it in a way society or your organization will accept it. In short, we all are capable of innovation and coming up with the next big idea.

As an example of this position, let’s use process improvement for our discussion. We go through our workday filled with activities to accomplish our goals. We take in information or product parts, process it, mold it into its next shape and move it on through until it reaches its final state and destination. Whether the final product is a toaster or marketing brochure, the basic premise is there, we enlist a process to transform something from raw materials into a finished product. It is the process where innovation can sometimes make a big impact. Let’s say for some reason, there is a bottle neck in the process that slows things down. Everyone knows it is there, it always has been, but an innovator will look at it and find options to open the bottleneck. Someone with an idea that would change the process in such a way the bottleneck disappears and the flow is now more steady and consistent.

In my view, we are all innovators. We all have the capability to assess a situation and present alternatives to the current methods and processes in place. The difference is not one of coming up with the alternative but one of taking action to present the alternative and gain acceptance to incorporate the change. When Ford built and presented the first car, people scoffed. When the Wright Brothers flew for the first time, many thought they were insane. Look where we are today. When the first document scanners appeared on the market many balked. When an assembly line worker suggested materials remain at the assembly station during shift transition rather than return to the supply room only to be brought back, it made a difference and saved his company tens of thousands of dollars in the first year. They are all different yet they have one thing in common, the courage to act and present their ideas.  You do not have to be a Ford or Wright or Kamen to be an innovator. You simply have to have the courage to make the suggestion.

What say you? Have you had some innovative ideas for your organization? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you.

 

Looking to learn more about intelligent information and process management?

Join us for the BPM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

We look forward to seeing you there. Do you have several individuals who need training?

Contact us to find out how a private class can save you on registration costs.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Quick Wins in ERM Implementations

Submitted by Carl Weise, AIIM Industry Advisor

 

 

 

 

One consideration we teach in AIIM’s ERM Specialist course is taking advantage of Quick Wins during the system implementation.  A lot of time and effort is put into the development and implementation of the system, especially when it is enterprise-wide.  By arranging for quick results – quick wins - it will ensure that we will continue to get senior management support.

 

We recognize there are many projects that management has to support and address.  There are new demands and requests placed on their shoulders all the time.  By showing results of the ERM implementation, we can be confident that we will continue to get their attention and backing. Quick wins also acts as a valuable marketing tool to show success and the new ways of working to other managers and staff members.  The idea is to show success and get the message to other employees that we have a better way for them to carry out their everyday activities. While this is very important for the successful implementation of an ERM environment within our organization, this idea of quick wins is not really new to us in records management.  Many of us have been using this strategy for years to improve the records management programs within our companies.

 

Many of us are alert for an opportunity to help a department or section.  Jumping at these opportunities, we bring about additional control of records and information and help directors and managers properly manage their records and improve their office activities. On a number of occasions with new jobs, I have had other managers tell me how bad the records department was and how they were going to avoid using our department.  That gave me more incentive to appraise the previous situation and take steps to turn around the thinking of these managers.  One of my greatest satisfactions with a career in records management has been changing the attitudes of many of the people I worked with.

 

Having success in certain areas of the organization, we can then use those successes to expand our influence to other departments and areas of the company.  Here, we would use the success we had achieved and utilize it for greater gains throughout the company. Quick wins – marketing our successes has proven to be very beneficial in improving the records management influence in organizations.  Using the same strategy in implementing an ERM solution will ensure continued support of management and open new opportunities of influence in the companies we work for.

 

Tell us about your success stories in improving the records management program in your organization? Give us your thoughts on successfully implementing an ERM solution?

 

Join us for an ERM Certificate course in:

• Tampa     04/06/10 - 04/09/10
• Chicago   05/11/10 - 05/14/10
• Toronto   06/22/10 - 06/25/10

Students who are Certified Records Managers (CRM) should apply for ICRM maintenance credits at a rate of 6.5 credits per classroom day! 

 

Join us for an EMM Certificate course in:

• Silver Spring    05/04/10 - 05/07/10

We look forward to seeing you there!

Carl Weise – AIIM    cweise@aiim.org

Also, visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org – AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

What is driving organizations to be paperless?

Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

 

 

 

 

Whether you are a fan or foe, believer or naysayer, the mantra of paperless office is still here and to a degree, getting louder. A couple of questions come to mind when I hear this. First, what is driving the move to paperless? There are mandates out there likes the one we in the US heard from President Obama, that all patient records will be digital by 2014. This is certainly something the healthcare industry must address as there are fines associated with noncompliance, but there is still a grey area in how everyone will move in that direction. The Electronic Health Records industry has its view and other business entities theirs not only in how to make it happens but more fundamentally, what constitutes a patient record.

 

Then there is Check21 which took effect October 28, 2004. In simple terms, this US Law enables recipients of paper checks, to create a digital version of the check eliminating the need to handle the paper check. Now banks can simply scan the original and use the scanned image for future processing needs. It is estimated that 70% or more of US banks are now taking advantage of this process. So, even though this allows banks to move closer to a paperless environment, it is still not completely paper-free.

 

In the insurance industry, I have seen a move toward paperless environments from the agent perspective. Agents combine ECM with specialized electronic signature tablets to transact business and the claims offices are now converting their materials into digital form for processing. While there are no mandates here that I am aware and it seems completely voluntary though accepted, State by State there are differing views as to what is acceptable and what is not. One State may accept the electronic signature while the next still requires retention of the original wet ink signature in hard copy.

 

When I do research on this topic, I cannot find conclusive evidence that it has happened within any specific sector only that small segments of a business have moved in this direction. In my view these are indicative of the continued effort to streamline operations, increase efficiency and establish better governance over information, yet I am not seeing the surge and wide acceptance that many hope for. So the questions I have for you are:

 

What mandates do you have driving you to become paperless?

 

What steps have you taken to be paperless?

 

What definitive research is available that demonstrates a move toward the paperless environment?

 

What say you? Can the paperless office become a reality or do you know of research demonstrating its probability or impossibility? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you.

 

Looking to learn more about intelligent information and process management?

 

Join us for the BPM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

 

Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

 

We look forward to seeing you there. Do you have several individuals who need training? Contact us to find out how a private class can save you on registration costs.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

Electronic Records Management Contest.

 Help your peers. Share your knowledge. Win $2,000

Have you developed or used templates, guidelines, and/or checklists to get an Electronic Records management implementation up and running? Do you know what works? If you have an existing template/framework (or an idea for one), enter our contest. We are looking for any templates, guidelines, frameworks, and/or checklists for Electronic Records Management (determining value, project planning/components, user requirements, change management, ROI, project planning, retention planning, etc.). Let's learn from and help each other.

Competition rules:
1. ALL submissions will be posted to an AIIM Electronic Records Management wiki and freely available, under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license agreement (that means we'll be able to work together to improve/update these submissions over time).
2. Submission deadline is April 9, 2010.
3. We will create a poll for voting. The template with the most votes wins.
4. We will announce the winner on May 11, 2010
5. The winner will receive a check for $2,000 (either paid directly to the winner or to a charity of the winner's choice).
6. All entrants can feel good about adding to the collective knowledge of Electronic Records Management.
7. You must have permission to use your submission as part of this contest.

How do you enter?
· Email to bduhon@aiim.org with "ERM CONTEST" in the subject line.
· Send as a Word file (any version).

Thank you. Let's move the industry ahead together.

Questions? · Email to bduhon@aiim

Do you understand?

 

Do you understand?

 

 

 

 

Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

 

 

This seems like a simple question but in reality, while we think we understand and believe others understand us, it is not always the case. For example, if I ask you about business drivers and issues, what would your response be? To put it in simple terms, what is moving you and your business in a certain direction and what barriers do you face in doing so? As an example, a business driver might be increased competition, loss of market share and even legislative mandates. Issues that slow your ability to meet these changes might include slow response times, poor communications and lost information.

 

One of the first things to do when you embark upon an ECM journey is to assess the general understanding of those involved in your project. There needs to be a common understanding of terms and definitions. If I use the acronym ERM to discuss records, I also need to define it as Electronic Records Management and not Enterprise Records Management or Enterprise Report Management. It needs to be placed in context, clearly, so that others do not misinterpret your intent.

 

In my view, this is a typical communication issue and one that is easily resolved by providing the definitions for all rather than making assumptions that everyone knows the context of reference in your mind. Formulate a communication plan for your project and provide a glossary that will enable others to understand your perspective. Starting out from the same place and having a clear understanding of terms can make a huge difference in the end result.

 

What say you? Have you developed your communication plan and glossary? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you.

 

Looking to learn more about intelligent information and process management?

 

Join us for the BPM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

 

Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

 

We look forward to seeing you there. Do you have several individuals who need training? Contact us to find out how a private class can save you on registration costs.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

A trip around the organisation in many small steps

 

Submitted by Alex Visser, AIIM Industry Advisor

 

 

 

 

This week I was working on an information strategy for a UK based organisation and in the same week a professor defended his dissertation.  At first glance one would wonder what a dissertation has to do with an information management strategy. Well as it turns out it has rather a lot to do with it. The dissertation was based on an evaluation of a large number of ECM implementations. One of the main conclusions was that we apparently find it hard to learn from our previous experiences. The writer referred to a book that was written almost 20 years ago and in his words it would be just as valuable if it was printed again today as it was when it was first printed.

 

Part of this has to do with the fact that we do not really feedback lessons learned very well into our project teams and organisation. This is of course one more reason to make certain that the team members for an ECM implementation are well trained in both project management and in the best practises of ECM implementations. The other reason why we still often fail in the intent of the ECM programme is the size of the project. ECM has the potential to cover all areas in an organisation. The information strategy I was working on was once again a clear example of this. It would filter through every level of the organisation and every department of it too. The size of such programmes means that many people will have to be part of the programme and that many egos’ and political agenda get through in the mix as well.  These elements are the ones the professor was referring to as one of the biggest mistakes we still make and one of the biggest reasons the ECM project fail.

 

For those of you who have followed the AIIM survey this will not come as a big surprise. Underestimating the effort needed for an ECM Project, the internal politics and the lack of training are the steady top 3 for reasons why ECM project fail. The information Strategy I was working on had the same potential pitfalls as initially. First of all let me say that it was a pleasure to work on this strategy since so many organisations try to skip this important step. This is a danger in itself since it could lead to trying to implement a programme that does not have a clear goal. Seeing the effort that went into the strategy, this was clearly an organization that wanted to things right. The revision of the strategy was also taking into consideration the potential problems of wanting too much too fast. It was almost heading into the professor's main dissertation conclusion, but this was stopped short.

 

The method for this was a simple one. Keep the long term vision but instead of trying to go for one big project make it many small once that will ultimately cumulate into that big vision, while at the same time keeping it all at a manageable scale. Do you also agree with the dissertation that we have not learned enough in the last 20 years, while we easily could have? Let me know.

 

If you feel that maybe some of AIIM training course can help you or your organisation prevent some of those mistakes, feel free to attend one of the training courses or look for more information on the AIIM website.

 

The upcoming ECM courses are:

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

London 05/04/10 – 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Utrecht  05/18/10 – 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

 

Alex Visser – AIIM   alex.visser@aiim.eu

Follow me on Twitter @AlexVisser

 

Who is this for?

 

 

Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

 

 

My first reaction when I hear this question is to ask, who wants to know? The one who needs to know is the project leader for ECM initiatives. Not only should they know who it is for but why and how they need to receive it. At this point you are probably asking what I am referring to and that my friends is content.

 

Effective content management initiatives not only assess how to manage but also how to capture and distribute content. Who needs it? What do they need it for? How do they access it and where does it go when they are finished? These are all critical questions to ask when assessing the needs of an organization and each will have a different impact on how you proceed. The needs of your external customers, those who buy your goods and services, are different than those if your internal team. Within your organization, a road warrior will interact with content differently than those who work in the office. It doesn’t mean the information or content is different, just how it is accessed, delivered and used. Imagine accessing information through your cell phone, PDA and now devices like iPad or even Kindle or Nook. If you are pushing information out to customers like invoices or statements, how will they receive it? Will you use PDF? Will you use Fax or email?

 

In my view, organizations must take the appropriate time and steps to identify the content types, value and use within an organization. They look at the information flow and determine source, use, value and destination. This information in turn is used to create business requirements that are used to select a content delivery approach and technology to make it all happen. Even then, once you have accomplished your goal, go back and assess how well it works and how to make it better.

 

What say you? Have you developed your strategies and more importantly, to what purpose? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you.

 

Looking to learn more about intelligent information and process management?

 

Join us for the BPM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

 

Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

 

We look forward to seeing you there. Do you have several individuals who need training? Contact us to find out how a private class can save you on registration costs.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

ISO/TR 26122:2008, Functional Analysis

 

 

Submitted by Carl Weise, AIIM Industry Advisor

 

 

In 2008, ISO published ISO/TR 26122:2008, Information and documentation – Work process analysis for records.  This technical report describes a framework for conducting a work process analysis for those processes that will be used to create and/or manage records.

 

In a previous blog, I mentioned that it consists of two types of analysis: the functional analysis to break functions into component work processes, and the sequential analysis within each process to identify the flow of information as the transactions progress. Taking a closer look at this analysis, the functional analysis is a top-down analysis of your organization and is used to determine how the organization is put together.  It begins with a strategic view of the organization; as the analysis progresses it identifies more and more granular constructs.  These start with functions and proceed through programs and projects before culminating with individual processes. 

 

ISO 26122 recommends that this analysis be done separately from the organization structure because the functions and processes may not directly align to the organization structure.  Some functions could be handled across multiple departments or locations.  And the organization structure is prone to change – in fact; it is not at all uncommon for restructuring to occur on a regular basis.  But whether a particular function is done by a group called customer relations this year and by accounts receivable next year, the function will still need to be done.  This is a significant factor as to why ISO/TR 15489-2:2001; Information and documentation -- Records management -- Part 2: Guidelines recommends a functional classification structure. ISO 26122 outlines the following basic process to conduct the functional analysis. 

 

The first step is to identify the goals and strategies of the organization.  Information to support this can be found in your organization’s business plan, its charter, its mission and vision, and other key strategic planning documents.  Next, the analysis seeks to identify which functions carry out the strategies in support of the goals.  At the same time, this provides an opportunity to review the various functions and map them to the goals and strategies – and perhaps identify functions that do not align properly (or at all).  Some of this information will come from surveys and interviews, particularly from management, while other information will be found in the various strategic planning documents listed above and from the plans created to achieve the goals. 

 

For each function identified, you need to determine what processes the function performs, and again, look at the processes identified in the contextual review and determine which function performs them.  In some cases, some processes may be performed in different parts of the organization; in other cases, a similar process occurs in multiple areas within the organization.  For example, planning, project management, and recordkeeping tasks will likely occur throughout the organization.  It is therefore important to identify processes in the context of their function within the organization – strategic planning vs. project planning, or capital expenditure recordkeeping vs. personnel recordkeeping, to ensure that all of the processes are captured. 

 

Finally, the functional analysis concludes by identifying the specific tasks and transactions that make up the individual processes which is produced primarily through the sequential analysis, which I will talk about in a later blog. A favourite general management principle I believe in is – you cannot manage what you don’t know about.  I believe this has been the situation with past and current office work.  These analyses to identify and document your organization’s functions and work processes are critical for the successful implementation of ERM systems.

 

Tell us about your success stories in analysing the work processes in your organization?

What challenges did you have to overcome to be success?

 

Join us for an ERM Certificate course in:

• Tampa     04/06/10 - 04/09/10
• Chicago   05/11/10 - 05/14/10
• Toronto   06/22/10 - 06/25/10

Students who are Certified Records Managers (CRM) should apply for ICRM maintenance credits at a rate of 6.5 credits per classroom day! 

 

Join us for an EMM Certificate course in:

• Silver Spring    05/04/10 - 05/07/10

We look forward to seeing you there!

Carl Weise – AIIM    cweise@aiim.org

Also, visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org – AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

What's in your eRecords?

 

 

Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

 

 

Here I sit in the Club room waiting for my flight to board and near me is a discussion on how legislation is changing records management practices. First up is the definition of a record and the fact that electronic files can be and in fact are records. Electronic files of all types whether financial, benefits or radiographic, all are records and organizations have a duty to preserve and manage them properly. The next question is typical, how do you know   you have for eRecords and in some cases, what’s in them? What applications have been used, file types exist and can you actually access them.

 

This leads us to a discussion about preservation and proper planning to migrate from older formats to newer formats like PDF/A which is believed to provide a strong strategic position for the future. You need to conduct an information survey across departments and the enterprise to assess what you have and how accessible they are. You need to plan accordingly to move those older files to a newer format along with the metadata associated with those files and supplement the metadata with additional metadata as required.

 

In my view, this is a very important element in managing eRecords and one that is often overlooked. Take the time to plan, assess, implement and take action to ensure you are preserving information you need, deleting information of no value and maintaining compliance with the regulatory constraints you must adhere to before it is too late. Minimize your risks and enhance your practices now.

 

What say you? Have you developed your strategies and more importantly, to what purpose? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you.

 

Looking to learn more about intelligent information and process management?

 

Join us for the BPM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

 

Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Kirkland 04/13/10 - 04/16/10

Dallas 04/27/10 - 04/30/10

San Diego 05/04/10 - 05/07/10

Denver 05/18/10 - 05/21/10

Calgary 05/25/10 - 05/28/10

Silver Spring 06/08/10 - 06/11/10

Houston 06/15/10 - 06/18/10

 

We look forward to seeing you there. Do you have several individuals who need training? Contact us to find out how a private class can save you on registration costs.

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

 

Is Europe taking the lead?

 

 

Submitted by Alex Visser, AIIM Industry Advisor

 

 

For those of you who have been following my blog postings and for those who also looked at my name it is probably clear that I am a European. What not everybody might know is that Europe for some time already has supported a pan European focus on Record Management. MoReq2 is the first major update of the original MoReq which was published in 2001. Both of these standards are a result of importance that the European Commission has given to Record Management in general. Of course the question rises then why did Europe give funding to people in order to get to this Model Requirements document called MoReq. There are other well know Standards available in the area of Record Management after all, the most well known ones being the ISO15489 and the US DoD5015.2 (DoD= Department of Defence).

Well one of the big drivers behind the European standard was that the currently available standards did not focus on the European situation and were often initiated by US government agency for their own benefits. The MoReq standard was from the onset aimed at a larger scope. It was to be a document that could be applied to both public and private industry, and across the different borders in Europe. This is obviously different form the narrower focus of other standards even though those are being used as well outside of their original scope. This is also where things get very interesting since so far MoReq is the only document that tries to be so wide in its scope.

It therefore has the potential to become a popular standard. Vendors and international organisations can work off one standard and other organisation can feel better knowing that they are using international best practices. MoReq has also changed to include more than the original concept and include practical elements that are not found in other standards. It has segmented some requirements since all possible record management sections will apply to all organisations. This makes it easier to apply it to different organisations with different needs.

Since MoReq then, it has been updated to include better metadata models and include definitions and methods that will allow for record management to be applied to compound documents, like website that consist of many small files that combined create the record. The last addition to MoReq has been the use of a testing regime by which vendors can have their product certified to be compliant with MoReq2. The first company to do this was an Austrian company called FabaSoft. Other (major) vendors have been supporting the MoReq standard for a long time already and ie. EMC announced on their last partner meeting to fully support the MoRe2 standard in their Documentum Records Manager. All of this makes MoReq2 a modern standard that can and has been be applied in many types of organisations and country with the use of systems that are certified against the standard, even beyond the European region.

So how important do you think the MoReq2 Standard will be for your organisation or region? Please let me know your thought on this topic.

If you want to know more about MoReq2 you can visit the MoReq2 website and/or have a look at the AIIM MoReq2 Essentials course that in 4 online modules gives you a complete introduction into MoReq2 by one of the key consultants that drafted both MoReq versions.

If you want to know more about Record Management in general you are welcomed to attend one of the AIIM Electronic Record Management courses in which MoReq2 is also discussed on the following location

· Silver springs March 23-March 26

· Tampa April 6-  April 9

· Chicago    May 11- May 14

· London     June22-  June 25

· Toronto    June 22 -  June 25

· Utrecht    June 29 – July 2

· Alex Visser – AIIM   alex.visser@aiim.eu

· Follow me on Twitter @AlexVisser