AIIM Knowledge Center Blog

Is your HealthCare Provider Listed?

 

 Submitted by Bob Larrivee, Director/Industry Advisor

 

Not long ago I wrote about what at the time was the newly released mandate from the current Administration that all patient records must be digital by 2014. Shortly thereafter I wrote about how Health and Human Services came out with another mandate related to the reporting of patient security breaches. (I will be discussing Digital Patient Records in my session next week at AIIM 2010 in Philadelphia.) In preparing for this event, I went back to see how things are in the world of security breaches and visited the HHS site that reports breaches.

 

This site identifies those who have reported a breach affecting 500 or more individuals and began several months ago. As of today, there are more than 55 facilities listed representing over one million people whose private information may have been inappropriately accessed by unauthorized personnel. The locations of where the breaches range from paper to email to laptops and servers. In some cases it is the HealthCare facility itself at fault while in others, it is associated business partners. The form of breach also varies from theft, to incorrect mailings with many citing theft or unauthorized access as the cause.

 

In my view, going digital is not the only solution to patient record security. Organizations must have better control over both digital and physical information which means stronger governance policies and more frequent auditing or monitoring to ensure security is maintained. To a degree, this supports the move to digital for when combined with the tools found in Business Process Management (BPM) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) environments, records and information are tracked to monitor and report all activity. These systems do not take the place of governance but act as tools in support of governance policy and serve to enforce governance policies. While they will serve well in protecting patient information, there is still the human factor that requires regular training on policy, process and technologies used to secure your information.

I hope your provider is not on this list and that they are taking the steps needed to establish a secure environment that combines their Electronic Health Records (EHR) system with other technologies to control and manage all of the information about you and how it is moved through the organization in a safe a secure way.

 

 What say you? Are you a HealthCare provider who is addressing these requirements today? Are you a patient who has fallen victim to a security breach? 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:

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.

Aim! Fire! Hit!

 

 Submitted by Alex Visser, AIIM Industry Advisor

 

For those of you who have not figured it out yet, I am Dutch and in the Netherlands we have an expression, which loosely translated, goes as follows: If you do not fire, you will surely miss. Now this is an obvious truth if you never loosen your arrow or fire you gun, you will definitely not hit your target. The motivation behind the expression is to better try to achieve something, because if you do not even try, you will definitely not achieve anything, but if you try you will always achieve something.

 

Note the expression did not mention anything about aiming, probably since it is a hidden assumption, something of which in a project can be a big pain. I believe that aiming is very important to hit a target and yes not firing will mean I will never hit it, but by not aiming I have not improved my chances much. By now you are probably thinking, what is he aiming at with this story? (Excuse the pun I just could not resist it.) I recently had an experience with an organisation that is taking some big steps to implement an ECM system and by listening to their stories I have to say that they have a very well organised setup to support such a project.

 

However, after having spent some time with them, I walked away with the above mentioned Dutch expression running through my mind. It became clear to me that they did appreciate the value of information and are trying to capture that, but - there always has to be a “but” in these stories - unfortunately I did not get the feeling that they had figured out what their goal, their aim, is. From an ECM implementation point of view I feel that this is a dangerous approach. In the AIIM ECM Certificate program we always spend a lot of time to focus on the drivers and goals for the organisation to start such a project. The MIKE2 methodology also underpins that by focusing the first stage on defining those goals. The following logic can be applied by defining the following:

·         Strategic business vision

·         Strategic critical success factors (CSFs)

·         Strategic key performance indicators (KPIs)

·         Strategic success measures

·         Strategic change drivers

 

First have a big goal setup that will last for longer than the initial project, a long term vision to guide the team and the implementation. From this you start to work to a more granular and specific level each time. What defines a successful project and what indicators can we have that are linked to those success factors? The next step would be to define the actual measurement element for the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) so it can be monitored over time. The last step is closely linked to the vision and success factors, since they are the drivers, internal and external, that will motivate the organisation to work towards the defined vision.

 

It is my belief that defining these elements will be a crucial first step for every ECM implementation because otherwise, you might implement something, but still be uncertain if you have achieved what you want, or in other words you might fire but you have no guarantee of hitting a target.

 

What do you think is crucial at the beginning of an ECM implementation? Please let us know.

If you want to learn more about ECM or one of its related topics feel free to look at the AIIM courses on our website.

 

The upcoming ECM courses are:

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

I'm the customer!

 

 Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

 

 

Technology is a wonderful thing but I think it is at times, overused. As two examples, I had to go to the bank today and also file a claim on a defective USB Broadband stick for my PC. (I must have been working so hard the stick burned itself up, literally!) Anyway, when I went to the bank’s drive up window the only lanes open were the distant lanes with the tube you use for transactions. The drive up window with the slide out tray is no longer there and the windows have been sealed with a reflective metal. The teller interacted with me via video/audio link. This was apparently done as a precautionary measure of security. I suppose if I want the personalized feeling, I will now have to enter the bank as opposed to using the drive up going forward.

 

In the case of my USB Stick, I phoned the carrier and was immediately put into the endless automated systems loop with the voice recognition interface. When asked who I was, I answered that I am a customer and the system did not recognize it. I was then moved into another loop where once again I was moved through a series of questions until I finally reached a point where the system sent to a customer service representative. (Note: there was no way to exit the voice system using the keypad.) This agent cordially listened to my situation, assessed the problem and found a resolution. Replace the defective device, a solution with which I fully agree. At this point, I was redirected to the division that handles claims and once again placed into the netherworld of automated systems. The upside of this one is that it only took answering four questions before I was transferred to a live person.

In my view, technology is a wonderful thing and when applied correctly to the right situation, it is an excellent tool to maximize efficiency and lower costs but you have to also consider alternatives from the customer perspective, and yes, I am the customer. While these systems are good, the key to all of this is the customer experience. When I go to the drive up window of the bank, I do not want a video interface I enjoy seeing the live person and the interaction that follows. If I wanted to interact with technology, I would have just gone to the ATM which may in fact be what they want anyway.

 

In the case of the support line for my Broadband carrier, there should be a way to bypass all of the nonsense of answering to a recognition system that cannot recognize, and allow me to make a keypad selection that sends me right to the representative who will only ask me all of the same questions I tried to answer to begin with. That brings up another point in using technology. If I provided you with the information already, and it is in theory in your system, why do I have to constantly repeat myself every time I am passed to the next in line of your process? Shouldn’t the information I provided transfer and move through the process with me automatically? Something to think about when designing your processes and implementing automation technology; the customer experience. Be one and see how you like your own company when you are done.

 

What say you? Have you been your own customer and how well do you apply automation technologies? 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:

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.

Designing a Training Program for an ERM Implementation

Submitted by Carl Weise, Industry Advisor

 

As we implement an ERM environment within our organizations, training is critical.  It starts with the development of a training plan.  This plan describes what content is to be delivered, to what audiences, and in what fashion.   Training will need to be provided on records management concepts and the importance of records management broadly.  It should also address organizational records management concepts, policies, and expectations.  It needs to identify the responsibilities for records management across the organization and according to role. 

 

The plan should also identify different specific training needs for records managers, for support staff, for other specialized staff such as IT and legal, and for management.  This last may not be training as much as awareness and education.  The plan will outline how to acquire the training – in other words, whether the organization will create all of its own training materials, whether it will acquire them from a third-party for internal delivery, whether it will simply hire a third-party training firm to deliver the content in some fashion, or some combination of these. 


Each of these approaches will require different levels of resources, different types of expertise, and will result in a different approach to the design of the training content and the training process.  The plan needs to identify which approaches to take with regards to delivery of the training.  Options can range from instructor-led, face-to-face training, immersive online courseware, to a simple self-study training manual.  Formal training should be supported by exercises, handouts, and additional references.

 

 Finally, if your organisation will deliver content using your instructors, there will need to be a step in the process to train the prospective trainers, not only on the course materials, but also on adult learning theory, how to teach the content and how to run the exercises. Some form of ‘training needs analysis” should be undertaken as part of this planning.   You will need to:

- Identify the current baseline competencies of general users and specialized staff in IT, records management, and legal; and

 - Determine what users and other relevant parties need to know in order to use the ERM environment effectively, given the expected level of support.

 

 Once, you understand the training needs, you can determine:

 - The best ways and means of ensuring that users have the requisite level of skills by the time the environment goes live and they have to use it.   This may include a mixture of face-to-face briefings, classroom training and/or online training,

 - What level of support will be required after go-live and the best way to deliver this support?

 - What type of ongoing or refresher training is required for general users?

 - What type of training is required for specialized users?

- What type of training is required for the system administrators and support staff?

 

AIIM’s ERM Practitioner Course is an excellent tool to bring awareness and a sound understanding of electronic records management to your staff!

 

Tell us about your successes in developing training programs for your staff.

What challenges have you faced in providing records management awareness to your organizations?

 

Join us for an ERM Certificate course in:

• 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.

Designing a Training Program for an ERM Implementation

Submitted by Carl Weise, Industry Advisor

 

As we implement an ERM environment within our organizations, training is critical.  It starts with the development of a training plan.  This plan describes what content is to be delivered, to what audiences, and in what fashion.   Training will need to be provided on records management concepts and the importance of records management broadly.  It should also address organizational records management concepts, policies, and expectations.  It needs to identify the responsibilities for records management across the organization and according to role. 

 

The plan should also identify different specific training needs for records managers, for support staff, for other specialized staff such as IT and legal, and for management.  This last may not be training as much as awareness and education.  The plan will outline how to acquire the training – in other words, whether the organization will create all of its own training materials, whether it will acquire them from a third-party for internal delivery, whether it will simply hire a third-party training firm to deliver the content in some fashion, or some combination of these. 


Each of these approaches will require different levels of resources, different types of expertise, and will result in a different approach to the design of the training content and the training process.  The plan needs to identify which approaches to take with regards to delivery of the training.  Options can range from instructor-led, face-to-face training, immersive online courseware, to a simple self-study training manual.  Formal training should be supported by exercises, handouts, and additional references.

 

 Finally, if your organisation will deliver content using your instructors, there will need to be a step in the process to train the prospective trainers, not only on the course materials, but also on adult learning theory, how to teach the content and how to run the exercises. Some form of ‘training needs analysis” should be undertaken as part of this planning.   You will need to:

- Identify the current baseline competencies of general users and specialized staff in IT, records management, and legal; and

 - Determine what users and other relevant parties need to know in order to use the ERM environment effectively, given the expected level of support.

 

 Once, you understand the training needs, you can determine:

 - The best ways and means of ensuring that users have the requisite level of skills by the time the environment goes live and they have to use it.   This may include a mixture of face-to-face briefings, classroom training and/or online training,

 - What level of support will be required after go-live and the best way to deliver this support?

 - What type of ongoing or refresher training is required for general users?

 - What type of training is required for specialized users?

- What type of training is required for the system administrators and support staff?

 

AIIM’s ERM Practitioner Course is an excellent tool to bring awareness and a sound understanding of electronic records management to your staff!

 

Tell us about your successes in developing training programs for your staff.

What challenges have you faced in providing records management awareness to your organizations?

 

Join us for an ERM Certificate course in:

• 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.

Imagine if...

 

 Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

 

Imagine if the interface between human and machine was seamless. Imagine that you no longer need a keyboard to type on and all you need is to think or say what you want and it is instantly communicated to those who you wish to reach. Imagine that you are sitting in a remote part of the world, or even in a coffee shop somewhere, doing all the work you need to do without having to be in the office. You don’t have imagine it at all, it is real and here today, the question is how effective is it for what you do.

 

Think about the capabilities available to you today. You do not need to type anymore; there is speech to text recognition. You don’t even have to use that if you don’t want to, you can simply create and send voice files or even better, create small videos and send those so the receiving party can see the expression on your face leaving no room for interpretation. Of course if you do this from the golf course, the idea of discipline may take on a whole new meaning. But the point is we can do all of this today. The question then becomes why we don’t make this leap.

 

The answer in many cases to which I have been witness points to the human factor. Many managers still want to see their employees in the office, falling upon the mindset that if I pay you a day’s wages, I want a day’s work, but not all work these days need be based on hourly performance and not all projects require hourly monitoring. Knowledge workers, a term we have heard through time, typically work on projects with deadlines that are set into the future which does not require timed activity like say a person on the assembly line. This workforce can work from anywhere, anytime and be very effective without having to be constantly watched. But  if you do feel watching is required, you can turn to the BPM industry and incorporate tools like BAM (Business Activity Monitoring) that enable you to monitor and track the status of activity related to a project.

 

In my view, companies need to assess their core competencies and leverage their knowledge workers to maximum levels. In today’s business place with the next generation entering our ranks, we are being challenged as to why things are done the old way and why haven’t we tried the new way of letting people work and produce results without having to be in a building and constrained by the clock. If a project is to be complete in 30 days, does it matter where the work is done as long as it is complete and accurate? Trust and respect play heavy in this area. Trust is given and respect is earned. Take the chance to look ahead into the future and see what change can bring, at the same time, for your own piece of mind; use some of the tools like BAM to keep track and control.

 

  What say you? Have you taken the leap and allowed remote workers to develop? 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:

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.

 

Archivists are not boring and more than just archivists

Submitted by Alex Visser, Industry Advisor

 

Whenever I start talking about my job to people who are not in the field of information management and I drop the term archives, you can just see the eyes glaze over. When this happens I sometimes feel like I can read their mind and see images flashing by of elderly people in basements surrounded with dust covered boxes.

 

This is an image that many people have and one that is outdated at the least. Nowadays the archivist is actually faced with a big challenge. Their job was already much more than dust covered binders. They were managing the information, cleaning up data, making certain it had the right metadata attached to it and make certain information was destroyed according to the retention policy, to just name a few things they had and have to do.

 

However, more and more information is electronic and bigger demands are being made on digital availability of this information. Enter Document and Record Management systems, stage left. These systems are sometimes seen as the miracle solution, but in this world no “solution” is of the miracle kind, it requires a lot of work to make it work. This is where a new archivist’s role is needed.  The archivist will have to work with new technology in order to do some of the things that were done with paper before. New ways of adding metadata will be used and potentially new metadata will be required.

 

This new archivist will have to start look and processes in the organisation and how to link those to documents and make those feasible in the system. This will require more technical understanding of these systems, skills in understanding processes, analysing and optimizing those, but it will also require skills to talk to management in order to support the long term vision of the organisation and support that with the document and record management system.

 

The system will need the knowledge of the archivist and the understanding of process improvement to make certain the new system will not delay the information flow at any point and will add benefits to the organisation. New ways of sharing and using information are possible, but that off course will need to be balanced with security concerns. This again is a position where the archivist can help.

 

If people still believe that archivists are stuck in the dark corners of the basement they are wrong. The modern day archivist is facing many new challenges and opportunities.

 

Do you also believe that document and record management is a brave new world?

 

If you want to learn more of our view on these challenges have a look on the AIIM website or join us in the community of interest Information Zen.

 

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

·         Chicago                May 11- May 14

·         London                 June22-  June 25

·         Toronto                June 22 -  June 25

·         Utrecht                June 29 – July 2

Who, Where, Why, What How?

Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

These are but a few questions you need to ask when you map a process and before you begin to improve and automate it. Anytime you change process you need to consider these questions from both an organizational and enterprise perspective.

 

Who gets the information entering this process?

Where did this information come from?

Why did it come to this person/department?

What do they do with it?

How could or should we do this differently?

 

It seems like a simple concept and I know many of you are saying I already do this but do you really ask these questions for the organization and those adjoining who will receive it when this segment of the process is complete. Remember, the end of one process is the beginning of another so what happens here has an impact on others. This leads to asking the same questions but with a different spin.

 

Who gets this information when it exits this process?

Where does it go to from here?

Why does it go to that person and pass through those areas?

What do they do with it?

How could we do this differently to enhance and smooth the transition?

 

In my view, these are all relevant and very important questions to ask as you move through your process improvement and automation initiatives. They are questions that will help you validate who the stakeholders are and their interests in the project. It will help minimize the possibility that unexpected requirements will surface as you enter the final phases of your project. Take time to assess, ask, analyze and act on your findings. It could mean the difference between success and less than stellar results.

 

 What say you? Have you had the right questions and what else would you ask? 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:

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 Part 3: Sequential 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: a functional analysis to break functions into component work processes, and sequential analysis within each process to identify the flow of information as the transactions progress. Taking a closer look at this analysis, the sequential analysis is meant to be done bottom-up, starting with individual tasks and transactions.  The idea is to be able to trace a transaction from the start, all the way through to the end, identifying every task in the transaction and the order in which tasks are executed.  In some transactions, there will be steps occurring in parallel; others will be much more sequential in nature. 

 

The analysis will often take the form of a sequence of steps or a process map.  It should first identify the routine transaction – the sequence most common to the transaction or that is considered to be the most correct.  It should also identify routine and frequent variations, as well as less common exceptions that require additional intervention to resolve.  For example, municipal police issue vehicular moving violations for things like speeding, etc.  The “ticket transaction” begins with the issuing of the ticket to the motorist and most commonly ends with the motorist paying a fine.  A routine variation involves a court date, either because the motorist is contesting the ticket or because the violation was significant enough to mandate a court date.  A less common exception might be the case of a motorist who mails in the ticket without payment, or using a payment method that is declined (bad check or credit card number).

 

One of the benefits to performing the sequential analysis is to identify the task or trigger during the transaction that result in a record being created or captured.  This can help to ensure that for transactions that result in records, those records are identified and captured appropriately.  It can also then be used to identify opportunities to automate the capture process so that the record is captured automatically, without user intervention (or with minimal intervention), and moved to the appropriate repository.  The sequential analysis will also help to identify and standardize on which data about the transactions are to be created, modified, captured, and maintained as part of the record of the transaction. And, more specifically, it can be used to identify the specific content and metadata that should be captured to ensure the record is authentic, trustworthy, reliable, and demonstrates the integrity and completeness of the transaction.

 

Here is the process to conduct a sequential analysis.  The first step is to identify the transactions that make up a particular process and the tasks associated with each transaction, as noted earlier.  This information will come from interviews and surveys of the users performing the tasks but may also come from existing process documentation and outputs of the process, including audit trails. Once the baseline, most common sequence has been established, the next step is to identify variations in the process and determine whether they are routine variations that are handled as part of the overall transaction and process, or whether they constitute exceptions to the process.  Exceptions still need to be handled, but they may be handled in a more manual fashion or require exceptional intervention such as from a manager or specialist. 

 

Finally, many processes are dependent on other processes.  The output of a process or transaction becomes the input to another process or transaction.  Sometimes this dependency is strictly sequential – something has to be completed before something else can be begun.  To use our court example, there can be no scheduling of a court case until either the date for payment passes or the motorist makes a formal request to the court.  In other cases the dependency is only partial – perhaps the process allows the motorist to stop by the courthouse and pay the ticket fine immediately, without having to wait for the ticket to be formally processed into the system.  The transaction itself would still have to be completed, of course, but the ordering might be different. Once the process is considered to be completely mapped, it should be reviewed by users for completeness and correctness.  In other words,

 

 Is the process complete? Are all steps listed? Are all cases, conditions, and exceptions identified?

 

 Is the process correct? Are the steps in the correct order?

 

It’s very helpful to have multiple users review the work processes for a number of reasons.  First, not all workers do the same work, even within a given process.  Second, two workers sitting side by side might not do the same work the same way.  It’s often the case that as users get more experienced in a particular task or process that they may consciously or unconsciously start to modify the process in a way that is more (or less!) efficient.

 

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:

• 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.

Context is key!

Submitted by Bob Larrivee, AIIM Director/Industry Advisor

 

Many times you will hear or see something in the news or at work and draw conclusions based on that bit of information. In some cases it may be all you need to formulate a decision but are you sure have the information in the right context? We all do this on a daily basis.

 

At lunch someone might reference a person’s actions and immediately images and conclusions form in your mind. “Hey Joe is in late again today, how come he gets away with it?” I have done this before, when I hear about Joe, think yeah he knows someone or maybe I am thinking if he can do it, so can I. Truth of the matter is we do not have the full context of the situation. If we knew the whole story, we would know that Joe’s wife is extremely ill and Joe has to make sure the family is taken care of before coming to work so he gets the kids ready and off to school which in turn makes him about a half hour late each morning and by the way is fully approved by management.

 

When you deal with business process monitoring, you must be sure to get all of the facts before making a conclusion or decision. It must be placed in the right context to fully understand what is happening and the impact your decision will have overall. If you see one person is processing about 15% less than the rest of an organization, investigate the reason before drawing conclusions. In business process monitoring, there is a tendency to use the data as the source yet without context, does it really provide full meaning?

 

In my view, organizations need to monitor the underlying processes in an effort to improve efficiency and lower costs but there is also a responsibility that goes with it. Use the tools to identify potential areas of improvement but take time to fully understand what you are witnessing in the reports. If there is a bottleneck, find out why? Spend time in the process to understand the reason behind the bottleneck or situation you have identified. Ask questions to uncover the root cause and solicit possible ways to eliminate it. Monitoring is essential in an environment that embraces continuous improvement as a standard practice but monitoring without context can sometimes mislead.

 

What say you? Have you had to make some contextual decisions in 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

 

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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.