AIIM Knowledge Center Blog

Enterprise 2.0: Are you ready?

For the last several years, more and more people have started to talk about Enterprise 2.0 and look at these tools as a viable alternative. Although our own research has shown that understanding and lack of viable case studies has hindered progress, the technology has not stood still.

Today, many of the features and functionalities that we know and end-users have come to expect from their external and web-based applications have moved into the extended enterprise. Social Networks, Blogs and Wikis are both accepted and used in large and small organizations to improve information sharing, collaboration and communication. The technology strategy is probably to easiest to deal with and often gives the least amount of challenges. Users however have a certain motivation for using these tools outside of their workplace, but inside the workplace this is a different issue.

 An implementation needs to deal with more than just new procedures, it needs to be transported across and be integrated with the beliefs and values of employees as they put all of their information, data and knowledge into the new tools. The main aspects here are:

• Structure
• Process
• Current Practises
• Team Strategy
• Communication
• Innovation
• Leadership
• Strategy
• Industry
• Technology

Each one of these need to be evaluated! How are they influenced by culture and how do they influence culture. Also, is this a hindrance or a boon to Enterprise 2.0 Ways of Working?

The best way to do this is a spider-web chart onto which each one of these factors is captured and then filled out by employees, management and senior management. This can then help to identify shortcomings and whole, both in reality as well as perception.

 

  

 

Each one of these factors needs evaluation and an acceptance of the conclusions to go forward in order to improve. Best practice and experience however tells us that this is not always easy or even achievable. But not looking into these factors and not accepting the conclusions of the analysis is a sure-fire way of not achieving the goals you set out to achieve. Which brings me to the main issue of needing - A solid Business Strategy!

Here it is important to realize what the organization is trying to achieve; first as a business organization, and second with the use of these new tools and ways of working. It is surprising how many organizations are still struggling to reach a consensus on business strategy and how to move forwards as an organization. What are the Critical Success Factors and how can they be measured? Is it only about more turnover and margin or is there more to it than that? Once these have been defined and accepted, then it is time to bring in Enterprise 2.0.

 What are the areas defined as part of the organizational culture that need more support and need to be improved. Which tools can help us to achieve this? Is it collaboration or findability we are trying to improve, or is it an email replacement strategy? Maybe improve customer service, speed up a process and create a new Reality by having Wiki’s instead of classical Document Management Systems, giving people more places to leave their ideas to drive Innovation inside the organization and across departments? Each one of these goals needs to be looked at, evaluated, and checked against the stakeholders in the organization, this is not as easy as it seems.

Finally some free advice for every organization before moving your project forward. Remember that these tools can generate a huge amount of additional unstructured content. Some of it is very much relevant, may be discoverable and may need to fall under whatever Records Management Policy is already in place. These tools may present new problems in each one of those areas. Let’s also not forget that content is created in many different places and these tools may need to integrate with a number of existing applications.

Enterprise 2.0 is full of opportunities, but it also presents its own set of challenges that need to be faced before an implementation can be deemed a success. There are plenty of examples out there where this is the case, but rather than re-invent the wheel, make sure you sign up for some best practice training first.  Why not try AIIM’s Enterprise 2.0 Certificate program on www.aiim.org/freetraining and use the code E25PA9?

The author of this post is Hanns Kohler-Kruner, my colleague and one of the Enterprise 2.0 trainers of AIIM. Hanns can be reached by email at hkohlerkruner@aiim.eu or www.twitter.com/hannskk

What say you? Are you ready for Enterprise 2.0? Have you or are you now incorporating Web 2.0 technology into your business environment and practices? We want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

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.

 

The Power of Open Source: Implementing ECM with MIKE2.0

When you hear the term Open Source, it is often related to software as this is where the initial concept began. Open Source software is typically developed outside of the normal realm of a corporation, by several individuals, with the intent of providing it for free to any and all willing to use it. This includes the source code itself and if you are able to enhance it, the modifications are welcome and provided back to the community to be shared with others. Software is not the only element to leverage this concept. Today, there is the sharing of methodologies to include as part of the Open Source community. MIKE2.0 is one of these elements.

Originally developed by Bearing Point, MIKE2.0 is an Open Source delivery framework for information management across an enterprise that provides project level flexibility using a 5 phased framework.  This strong and proven implementation methodology provides a very practical step-by-step approach for implementing ECM. The 5 phases to the MIKE2.0 methodology are:

 

Phase 1 - Business Assessment and Strategy Definition Blueprint
Phase 2 - Technology Assessment and Selection Blueprint
Phase 3 - Information Management Roadmap and Foundation Activities
Phase 4 - Design Incrementally
Phase 5 - Incremental Development, Testing, Deployment and Improvement

This iterative approach of MIKE2.0 divides the development and rollout of an entire system into implementation cycles defining and prioritizing portions of the system for construction and deployment. Each iterative step has feedback mechanisms to evaluate results and initiate improvements on future implementation cycles ensuring the project remains focused and delivers the expected results. This approach ensures higher levels of success and user acceptance.

AIIM has chosen the MIKE2.0 methodology to be the foundation for the AIIM ECM Specialist Certificate program. Not only is it a recognized and proven methodology, the fact is Open Source means that over time it will become more refined and evolve to continue meeting the stringent demands of successful implementations and on going continuous improvement for ECM environments.

The time is now to take the necessary steps to learn about implementation approaches based on Open standards. The time is now to register for the AIIM ECM Certificate program, until August 31 you can book selected AIIM ECM Master Class for 30% discount, contact training@aiim.org for the details.

What say you? Have you or are you using MIKE2.0 as your implementation standard? If not, why? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

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.

 

 

 

 

Forever set in our ways

In the 1980’s when imaging first came about, the vendor community of which I was part, made the claim that we would still do things the way we always did and imaging would have no impact on those processes. We lied. We did not know it then, and it was not intentional, we just did not realize the impact it would have on everyone.

The same holds true today, though it is not the vendors telling us technology won’t change the way we work, it is us, telling ourselves we won’t change. Many times I have heard those in an organization say there is no need to change what we do because it has always worked and still works today. While this is true to a degree, if we do not change our ways eventually we fall behind, become less efficient than our competition and begin to lose customers. As an organization, we need to improve and strive to better ourselves and our service levels. The approach to change is what makes the difference.

When we plan for an ECM implementation we need to look at the user’s world. We need to understand how they get things done today and plan for how things will get done tomorrow with ECM. The only way to do this effectively is to include user feedback from the beginning of the project. Inclusion of a user representative on the project team and establishment of a communication plan help to gain user acceptance of the project and support for the new ways of working with technology.  

How have you addresses change management in your organization? What steps did you take in gaining support from the users? What suggestions might you have for readers of this blog?

I look forward to hearing from you and remember that AIIM can help you address change in your organization. Change is part of the discussion in our educational offerings. www.aiim.org/training

 

Bob Larrivee - AIIM

Have you met MIKE2.0?

Perhaps one of the fastest growing occurrences in the industry today is the acceptance and use of MIKE2.0 (Method for an Integrated Knowledge Environment), the open source delivery methodology for Enterprise Information Management.

The MIKE2.0 methodology was originally focused on structured data but can be applied across many projects within an enterprise information environment that include:

·         Information Governance

·         Integration

·         Migration

·         Data warehousing

·         Enterprise Search

·         Enterprise 2.0

·         Business Intelligence

·         Enterprise Content Management

One of the reasons to use a methodology is to establish a framework that delivers repeatable and consistent results. MIKE2.0 appears to do this in such a way that it fosters open collaboration encouraging user involvement which is key and critical to the success of a project, yet this is one element that is often overlooked and many times the cause of project failure due to lack of user acceptance.

Establishing and nurturing environments open to innovation and emergence of ideas to better the information management efforts of an organization is an element of change that cultivates success and strengthens the organization for the future. It is my belief that we will see much more of MIKE2.0 in the near future, as this is one methodology that strikes me as being truly open and forward looking to drive and support innovative idea generation from among the rank and file where the highest levels of business process and activity knowledge resides.

Leveraging expertise and seeking expert advice from the source is rarely a bad thing and should be embraced. It seems to me that MIKE2.0 provides this and more.

What are your thoughts?

 

Bob Larrivee - AIIM

How does your organization stack up?

Do you have an ECM solution in place? Is it working at peak performance? How would you know? Perhaps you have an imaging system in place and are thinking about expanding it to the broader ECM environment and you would like to know what others have done as a benchmark, before you move forward. Until now, it might have been a challenge to get this information. Information that is vital to your ongoing success in the use of ECM and continuos effort to make it better.

This coming Wednesday, October 29, 2008 from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, AIIM in partnership with Doculabs is hosting a webinar entitled "Improving the use of ECM via Peer-group Benchmarking" with a focus on ECM Application Delivery, Compliance and E-Discovery Readiness, Capture Capabilities and Unit costs enhanced by discussions about Best Practices from Wachovia, Conseco and Fidelity.

In addition, Doculabs and AIIM will provide an overview of a new industry peer group benchmarking assessment service they are launching this fall to assist organizations with improving their ECM operations.

This is one web event that you do not want to miss and is sure to provide you with valuable insight that you can begin to use in your own organization. To sign up and register go to http://www.aiim.org/Events/register.aspx?id=284

Bob Larrivee - AIIM

The Use of a ‘Model Office’

The Model Office approach to implementing an ERM system provides an opportunity to refine the ERM system before it is made widely available to large numbers of users.

It takes place in a specially-created physical location separate from day-to-day business activities.  It is a more controlled environment in which development, prototyping and refinement of the functionality of the ERM system, the revised business processes, the user interfaces and the training materials can be undertaken most effectively and with low risk to the business.

A Model Office is used to develop, test, improve and finalize all aspects of the new ERM system before moving towards implementation.

A Model Office may be seen as an ‘extra cost’, but it is very effective if the ERM requirements include the development of new business procedures and ways of working and the final environment is likely to be better-tuned to the organization’s requirements.
 
There are, of course, costs involved. While creating a Model Office is likely to incur costs, it may well save money and time later, as the subsequent implementation of the system is likely to run more smoothly and identify fewer problems needing solutions.

Costs fall into four main categories: hardware, software, support, and users' involvement.  Some ERM application software vendors may offer advantageous pricing for a Model Office, in the expectation of more business to come - it's worth asking.

Several benefits arise from adopting the Model Office approach.  It provides an opportunity for: technical evaluation of the system (proving its functionality and suitability for helping users and their involvement with records); finalizing the system configuration, functionality, and the details of the user interface.

It provides an opportunity for users to test the environment and provide feedback on its ease of use and any difficulties or problems encountered, so that the implementation team can refine the user interface (and associated training materials and ways of working) and finalize the configuration and the functionality of the environment.

With a Model Office, it will often be possible to examine more options and assess alternative approaches to meeting business needs – especially if they are somewhat complex in some areas.

You can also use the Model Office to develop training materials, including real screenshots and click-by-click instructions where necessary.

Overall, the key reasons for having a Model Office as part of an ERM implementation program are:

First, to minimize rework that otherwise would need to happen in the next stage.  It should be clear that it is highly advantageous to identify the need for rework, or reconfiguration, as early as possible, not least so as to minimize annoyance among what will always be a larger group of users in subsequent stages.

The second key reason for having a Model Office is to promote goodwill among the other users across the organization for the subsequent stages of the ERM program and how the organization will operate once the ERM system has been fully implemented.

By Carl E.Weise

Building an ERM User Group for the Successful Implementation of an ERM System

First, a senior management person who is appropriate to serve as lead user needs be identified and their commitment to the ERM and the project needs to be gained.

Such a person should be:

• respected and influential;
• a believer in the ERM project; willing to promote it among their peers and staff.

When this person is found, they should be fully involved and ‘nurtured’. That is, they should have everything to do with ERM and the project explained to them, including:

• what the project is trying to achieve,
• how the organization will look and feel once implementation is complete, and
• what the benefits will be.

Careful 2-way consultation and communication should be maintained with this person and they should be supported in regards to the ERM system.

Secondly, this lead user should be included on the Program Board to be the overall representative of all of the users.

And thirdly, an ERM User Group should be created under the Chair of that lead user.

Creating and working well with the ERM User Group involves inviting the appropriate people to join it. Working with the Chair of the User Group, invite others to join. The members of the User Group should cover the total organization.

The User Group should not have too many members – 10-15 is generally an appropriate number, depending on the size of the organization.

Advice should be taken continuously from the Chair, the Records Management function and the Senior Responsible Officer regarding membership. It should always be remembered that the ERM User Group is the Chair’s group.

Having created ERM User Group, the next step is to prepare and agree on Terms of Reference (TOR) for the User Group with the User Group itself and with the Program Board

The third step is then to educate the User Group. This involves explanation, consultation, communication and support.

Then the ERM Implementation team has to work with, and through, the User Group on:

• The specification of the current situation and the organization’s needs;
• The approach to the Business Classification Scheme;
• The testing of the candidate ERM systems; and
• The selection of the preferred ERM system.

By Carl E.Weise

Revised and New Business Procedures and Processes after Implementing an ERM System

Before Implementing the ERM system, a Pilot (and perhaps a Model Office) should have been used to check and refine basic ERM-related business procedures, as well as testing the user training necessary for them to be followed effectively with the new environment.

However, this is not the end of the story. Once users and their business groups have become familiar with the new ERM system, and are confident in their use of it, they are likely to suggest additional procedures, or significant revisions to existing ones, exploiting the new system even more effectively to improve business performance.

A need to develop new business processes – or revise existing ones – is a natural outcome of introducing an ERM solution, for the following reasons:

1) to ensure that it is used correctly,

2) that it is capturing authentic (and complete) business records, and

3) that it is actually providing benefits, both to individual users and to your organization generally.

No doubt your pilot system had at least basic procedures and processes defined for the new ERM environment. But it is likely that these will need some refinements in the light of experience of using the environment. Remember that most users will be unfamiliar with the new procedures and will need to be some way along the learning-curve before they can confidently use the ERM system and make suggestions for improvements.

The ERM implementation team will need to work with all groups, helping them to revise their business procedures in the light of the new system and procedures, and ensuring that any changes and improvements they want to make are functionality compatible with the ERM system.

By Carl E.Weise

Know the Flow

Many times, we start a project thinking we know how things work, who does what and why they do it. We take what we know in our heads to be true, and use this as the foundation when looking to implement a technology solution. Truth is we may in fact be enhancing a problem that we do not realize exists.

Before you begin any technology program, it is wise to walk through the underlying business processes that take place in order to accomplish specific tasks. In the eighties, many vendors talked about how document imaging would have minimal impact on the work environment and would enhance the workers activities through faster access to information. While the latter part of this statement is true, reality was that document imaging dramatically changed the ways people worked. The process had to change because we were moving form a physical paper world to electronic files stored on a computer. File rooms and clerks slowly gave way to imaging managers and scan operators. People could access information from their desktop without the need for some to assist in finding it. The process also had to change in how they shared or passed the information from one to another in review and approval cycles.

Today we still see similarities in that projects are begun without a clear understanding of what is going on in the business environment. In many cases, this is the cause of unanticipated issues and potential project failure. Most work processes or flows are the result of need and happen serendipitously rather than through a conscious design effort. Something has to happen, someone makes it happen, the result is the expected result and it stays in place as the way we do things. No one really knows why or how it began but id did and we do it that way today.

Start at the process and look at the what, how, and why of a process then ask if there is a better way to do it. Once you have made the changes and refined the process, look at enhancing it with technology that supports the process and opens the door for further refinement because, you guessed it, this is not a one-time thing it is a continuous practice and one that should be part of the overall culture.

Bob Larrivee - AIIM

. 

Monday Morning Quarterback

The game is over. It is now Monday morning, a time we get to reflect on what happened and discuss how if we were the team's leader, we would have changed things that we feel would have made the difference. Funny how we can look back at things and note what could have been done different, especially in someone else's world but it is difficult at times to look at our own situations of the present and not see those things that would make a difference now and for the future.

This is most true in business. We often look at those around us and see what could or should be done, much like a Monday morning Quarterback, but cannot step back to see what needs to be done in our own part of the business world. Rather than be that Monday morning Quarterback, why not be the Quarterback and lead your team toward victory. Victory over email glut and information bloat. Be the leader who sees the opening, takes the shot and scores big for the team.

As a coach, the first step to winning is the formulation of a strategy or plan to get you there. As a team player, the first step is to learn the rules of the game and train to win. In order to do this, you must find a place to teach you all you need to know about the game, the rules and the steps to achieving your goal of winning. In the realm of ECM, the place to learn is AIIM.

AIIM is the world leader in providing the training you and your team need to move forward, take charge and win in your battle of information control. Current courses focused on ERM (Electronic Records Management), ECM (Enterprise Content Management), BPM (Business Process Management) and IOA (Information Organization and Access) deliver the strategy, concept and process aspects of planning and implementing a complete environment that incorporates standards and places consistent controls over your information.

AIIM is dedicated to bring you the training you need to lead your team in information management. You owe it to yourself to get out of the Monday morning Quarterback's chair and get into the game by taking that first step onto the field with the best possible trainer in the game. AIIM.

Bob Larrivee, AIIM