AIIM Knowledge Center Blog

AIIM Student Feedback: Chad Rickaby, Petro Canada

I had an opportunity to talk with Chad Rickaby, a recent AIIM ECM Student, about his views on the AIIM Education Programs. Here is an excerpt of our conversation.

Bob: Chad, I want to thank you for allowing me to interview you and for the record, can you provide me with a description of your role at Petro Canada?

Chad: I am a member of the IS (Information Services) group whose focus is on the sustainment of applications after they have been turned over to us from our IS project group. Typically our group takes on support of an application during the final phases of roll out. Currently I provide second level support for a few different applications utilized by our Oil Sands Business Units Engineering and Information Management Teams with the bulk of my time supporting an ECM system with around 1200 users.

We anticipate that as the projects continue to grow we could see a peak of users sitting around the 3000 mark. Due to our ever changing needs I am also involved in initiatives to address a version upgrade of our current ECM platform and front end.

Bob: When did you get the idea to make AIIM Education part of your training focus and what were the drivers for the decision?

Chad: I have been an AIIM professional Member now for just over a year, and was introduced to the organization by a co-worker of mine from our East Coast Business Unit. I guess the light bulb went off to incorporate some AIIM training in my portfolio when I was looking through the ECM Toolkit provided as part of my professional membership. I could see that there was so much more to the world of Content Management than my current understanding of the concepts, and I felt I needed to better understand how other organizations within the industry viewed the management of information.

Bob: What do you see as a benefit for you and future attendees of these programs?

Chad: It is a professional goal of mine to become a subject matter expert in ECM systems and methodology within my company. I recognize that this can lead to excellent opportunities to be involved in corporate wide initiatives to consistantly manage information. My intent is to prepare myself to achieve that goal. I feel that by being trained by the industry leader in ECM, my goals are within reach. As for the benefit to future attendees, the AIIM certificate programs can help any individual in any circumstance within their organization. Not only do we learn the ways of implementing a new ECM system, but the training reinforces the need to constantly evaluate a company's utilization of the tools that they have for information management.

It is important to try and stay ahead of the curve in this industry, especially considering the fact that as the industry grows the options for ECM will continue to change and grow with it.

Bob: For the future, how do you see the role of AIIM education evolving in relation to your position or others in Petro Canada?

Chad: I personally feel that the training I have received is invaluable respective to my current position. It has afforded me the ability to network with industry professionals around the globe. By having access to such a broad perspective it puts me in a position to daily bring to the table industry best practices. As I perform the duties specific to my role I am confident that I have the tools needed to be efficient and effective at my job. Additionally due to the variance of courses offered by AIIM, I feel that should my role expand or change I have access to the training required to fulfill my duties.

At Petro-Canada we always strive to attract the most qualified individual for the job. As the industry builds I can see AIIM certification proving to be a very important asset within our organization. In fact since coming back from the training last week, I have spoken to some of my co-workers and suggested they too look into the training programs that AIIM provides. The more individuals that we have in our organization that are trained in ECM the better positioned we will be for the future.

Bob: I want to thank you for your support and for taking time to talk with me and share your views on AIIM Education with our readers.

Bob Larrivee - AIIM

Spirit Group: Bringing BPM to the Caribbean

While participating in a recent, well attended BPM training in Barbados, I had the opportunity to talk with Ms. Diane Bertrand of the Spirit Group, host of the training session and an AIIM training partner focused on bringing education and technology advancement to the Caribbean market.
Here are a few excerpts of our conversation.

Bob: Hello Diane, I want to thank you for allowing me to interview you. For the record, can you provide me with a description of your role at the Spirit Group?

Diane: I am the Principal Consultant/CEO of the company.

Bob: The concept of providing training of this type as part of an ongoing service is looked at by some as being on the leading edge. When did you get the idea to make this part of your offerings and what were the drivers for the decision?

Diane:  Bob, the idea of providing this training within the Caribbean region with AIIM was born way back in 1996 within a strategic planning session.  The idea was born because as the region began to implement the technology, there emerged a need to educate and develop the human resources within the organizations, to create a state of readiness to effectively use the technology.

The opportunity to partner with AIIM and to deliver this training presented itself in 2006 and I grasped
the opportunity. The drivers for the decision remain the same as when it first appeared within my strategic plan.  I wanted to develop the knowledge and understanding of ECM technology, its implementation methodologies and its assimilation within our organizations in the region to produce radical transformation and contribute to our competitiveness.  This AIIM partnership has allowed us to begin the process.

Bob: As part of the class, I often ask the attendees what they expect to gain from attending and the response is often varied with some common themes like better insight and understanding of industry trends and best practices related to the BPM environment. What do you see as a benefit for the attendees and also for the Spirit Group?

Diane:  The attendees of the class firstly meet individuals from other organizations who are grappling with similar problems.  The value of the networking and cross fertilization of ideas and experiences cannot be quantified.  One of my participating companies sent 12 participants.  This group agreed to form a BPM User Group within their organization to drive change from the bottom up.  This to me is a tremendous achievement of the forum that we have provided, my company and AIIM both.

Another benefit is the demystifying of the technology and the concepts within the classroom.  This translates into providing a more receptive customer, so the inherent suspicions about my company
over-selling services or products are removed and appropriate solutions can be developed to solve the customer's real problems on an even playing field.

Bob: For the future, how do you see the role of this type of education evolving in relation to the Spirit Group and the Caribbean as a whole?

Diane: I would like to establish a consistent schedule of training in the three business hubs across the region; Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica offered to the general public.  I also want to establish a focused stream of training specifically customized for specific business sectors e.g. Financial, Government, Commercial and Manufacturing.  If that can be done effectively over the next five years, I would feel pleased with the achievement.

Bob: On behalf of AIIM, I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with me and for sharing with our readers and fellow bloggers, your insights and perspectives in relation to the importance and role of education for the Caribbean marketplace.

Bob Larrivee - AIIM

Feedback

Tracie Sewell, Senior Business Analyst with the Cayman Islands Government, attended some time ago the AIIM ECM Certificate Program, and she has kindly agreed to provide us with some feedback on the course . The interview was done by Thedra White, Director, AIIM Global Education Services.

Thedra: Why did you take the AIIM ECM course?

Tracie: I had previously taken the AIIM ERM Master course and was impressed with the delivery, professionalism and the structure of the training.  The ECM course was the next natural step in cementing my knowledge in ERM/ECM technologies, methodologies and project planning.  AIIM is a recognized body in the industry that provides training in a non-vendor specific way and the training is more about the methodologies rather than the products used.

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

Tracie: I was particularly interested in learning about the recommended Governance structure for ECM projects and how this applies to our Organization.

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

Tracie: Like in many organizations, there is a general reluctance to changing procedures and processes and their current ways of working, in particular to thinking about content as an information asset. We plan to overcome this by demonstrating the improvements in productivity and ease of use to users and managers and re-educate them to show how the new approaches not only make data more easily available and accessible but also searchable whilst also avoiding duplication in retaining content.

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

Tracie: I would like to see AIIM to continue to offer up to the minute training on new concepts and ideas within the Industry and ensure their certificate program is internationally recognized within the Industry.

Tower Software: Taking Education Seriously

I was recently a participant at Tower Software 's TRIM  User  forum (www.towersoft.com) held in Mesa, Arizona where I found an extremely high level of commitment and partnership between consumer and supplier. My level of participation was one of delivering an AIIM Practitioner class to a mix of Tower Software  customers and staff. When finished, I had the opportunity to talk with Krista Curtiss. Here is an excerpt of our conversation.

Question: Krista, I want to thank you for allowing me to interview you and for the record, can you provide me with a description of your role at  Tower Software.

Krista: I’m the Marketing Director for TOWER Software.  My role is to spread the word about our successful customers into the market and provide tools for our customers to stay current with their TRIM Context implementation and the changes in our industry.  We keep our customer informed through our customer Extranet, our  online User Forum, SDK wiki, the TOWER Software blog and our annual TRIM User Forum (TUF).

Question: The whole concept of providing training of this type as part of an annual User Forum is looked at by some as being on the leading edge. When did you get the idea to make this part of your event and what were the drivers for the decision?

Krista: Many of our long time customers originally purchased their TRIM solution for a physical records management system over a decade ago.  Our product has grown from a robust records management system to a full Enterprise Content Management solution.  The first AIIM class was offered to help our customers who wanted to start the ECM journey to learn the vocabulary and some structure to the process.  We have about a 60/40 split of customers to staff in the classes.  We think it is important for our expert services team members to have the AIIM certifications and the industry vocabulary instead of just our own internal terminology. The ECM session was so well received the first year that we decided to do the ERM version this year.

The eMail Management course looks like strong contender for next year but we’ll survey the customers and see what their driving need is before we decide.

Question: As part of the class, I ask the attendees what they expect to gain from attending and the response is often varied with some common themes like better insight and understanding of industry trends and best practices related to the ERM environment. What do you see as a benefit for the attendees and Tower Software?

Client Mike  – “The AIIM training is a great idea, as it will help me advance in both the industry and my job.”

Client Emilie  – “This course solidified what I already knew.  It was easy to connect the dots because we use TRIM and it fits AIIM’s model”.

Staff Brenda  - “It provides a good introduction to the main pressure points surrounding ERM. A great way for the new IM professional to get a handle on what could be facing them in their foray into ERM products and how to organize themselves in order to be properly prepared to automate. It is particularly solid in presenting the latest standards in the field of RIM.”

Staff Peter - “There are many benefits to come from my attendance at the course, and they are from differing perspectives. Firstly, as a consultant that believes in delivering the best solution to his customers, it avails me with information from the industry on “best practices” around the subject matter, in this case, Electronic Records Management (ERM).

From a personal perspective, it helps solidify, or in some cases, highlight inadequacies in the approach that I take when developing and delivering a solution. The most valuable outcome for me though is the ability to sit in an open learning environment with our customer base, who in a lot of cases have never worked with me, or even with TOWER for deployment and configuration tasks, and learn what their understanding is of the subject matter, what issues they are facing, and what avenues they intend to undertake to address those issues.

In some cases, it involves TOWER getting involved, but to a large degree, the opportunity for them to discuss the situation and gain input from our staff as course attendees rather than paid consultants is all that is required, and I believe, highly valuable. This is the second such course I have attended as part of our TUF program, and I look forward to attending again in the future.”

Staff James – “From my view it was great to get a complete understanding of ECM on the whole as a sales person it really helps me understand what my clients business is about and the challenges they face.”

Question: For the future, how do you see the role of education evolving in relation to Tower Software?

Krista: TOWER Software has always supported using best practices in our industry.  Why struggle and try to reinvent the wheel? When best practices align as well as TOWER Software’s do with AIIM’s we all benefit from leveraging these classes.  It provides a third party validation that we have a process that works.  When a AIIM students hear about the TOWER approach they recognize it is based on the same principles.

An AIIM educated prospect makes the sales process move along a lot easier.

Thank you Krista.
Bob Larrivee - AIIM

PDF/A Training Courses Scheduled in Chicago, Silver Spring, and San Diego

AIIM announces the introduction of a new training course on PDF/Archive. Beginning in April, this two day training focused on PDF/A (ISO 19005-1) and its use as a file format for archiving and preserving electronic data will be available as either web-based, public or private class offerings. This course will enable the person attending to speak more knowledgeable about PDF/A as well as know how and when to apply the use of PDF/A in their organization. With the ever growing number of electronic documents being used today, PDF/A will allow organizations to preserve their critical documents without the need of printing them for scanning prior to storing.

AIIM is the leading authority for PDF standards responsible for the majority of the PDF family of standards which includes PDF, PDF/E, PDF/UA, PDF Healthcare and PDF/A. The concept of PDF/Archive began as an AIIM stnadards committee and went directly to ISO for publication. Our experience in developing the PDF standards gives AIIM the expertise necessary to be able to provide reliable, accurate training for the PDF/Archive standard.

Day 1:

• Introduction to PDF/A
• Digital Preservation
• PDF/A: The Standard
• Preservation Metadata

Day 2:

• PDF/A Indepth - Part 1
• PDF/A Indepth - Part 2
• Using and Creating PDF/A Files
• PDF/A Implementation Issues

Location & Dates:

• May 21-22, 2008 Chicago, IL
• June 3-4, 2008 Silver Spring, MD
• June 24-25, 2008 San Diego, CA

Contact Betsy Fanning (bfanning@aiim.org or 301-755-2682) to register or schedule a private class for your organization. The online courses will be available April 1, 2008.

By Atle Skjekkeland.

Feedback

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

Thedra:  Why did you take the AIIM ECM course?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ignorance is no excuse!

We are seeing many different reasons, from businesses of all sizes, to automate and gain control over information resources and processes. They range from executive level top down directives to bottom up customer and employees initiatives. The business drivers are also far ranging and while efficiency and cost reduction still prevalent, compliance and risk aversion are quickly moving into the the number one slot.

This is due the increase of digital information, more than 90% being originated electronically, and stronger solutions to capture and manage this information. Confirmation of this is found in the 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) on eDiscovery requiring that businesses of all size and type are held accountable for their information and the production of said information as evidential material in civil litigation. Lack of knowledge regarding information stores and the law are no longer considered appropriate responses to discovery and disclosure requests.

This presents a major challenge and dilemma as technology advances and use increase. Today we are challenged by the use and control of information created through email, instant messaging and on-line video conferencing. Tomorrow, and tomorrow is not as far away as we think, we face the challenge of managing wikis, blogs and information re-purposing through mash-ups, in ways that meet our governance practices for regulatory and legal compliance.

The future is certain in that change is inevitable and ignorance is no excuse. We have to gain and maintain control over our information resources regardless of how and when they are created in order to avert risk. As a result, we will see gains operating efficiencies and reduction in operating expenses, provided we approach this wisely. Attending the AIIM training courses on Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Electronic Records Management (ERM), Business Process Management (BPM), Information Organization and Access (Search/IOA), Email Management (EMM) and Enterprise 2.0 (E2.0) is a great way to start.

These, in combination with the additional resources available through via the AIIM website, webinars, publications and various events, provides you with the knowledge and skills you require to address and meet these challenges head on. You can prepare for the future today but you must be willing to take the first steps.

Bob Larrivee - AIIM

Feedback

We will during the next few months publish a number of interviews with people that have attended the different training programs, and the first one is with David G. Evans, Technology Consulting - Consultant Specialist from Kaiser Permanente. The interview was done by Thedra White, Director, AIIM Global Education Services.

Thedra White: Why did you take the AIIM ECM course?
David G. Evans: My individual training plan at Kaiser calls for this sort of training/certification. It was my choice to select a short program that would lead to some certification in my field; KP paid for it. My Electronic Document Professional (EDP) certification from XPLOR also requires continued training to retain certification. Two birds with one stone...
 
Thedra White: Which features of the ECM course were most useful and why?
David G. Evans: The access to documentation was most useful. I say this because I must produce analysis and business cases that cite trusted sources. The bank of information provides ready access to sources I can use to "build my cases."
 
Thedra White: What are the main challenges you face in your projects and what will you do to overcome these?
David G. Evans: The challenges I face are essentially 'political' and not functional or technical. To overcome, I try to develop fact--based discussions in answer to strategic or tactical issues that lead to or are characterized by measurable artifacts: so many hours of outage, so many dollars spent, this many business people impacted for that long.
 
Thedra White: What would you like to see from AIIM in the future?
David G. Evans: I like the collaboration with XPLOR. I hope the relationship gets tighter.

Get Your AIIM Practitioner, Specialist or Master Pins at the AIIM Exposition & Conference, March 3-6

Are you an AIIM ECM, ERM, BPM or IOA Practitioner, Specialist or Master? Then stop by our booth A100 at the AIIM Exposition & Conference March 4-6 to pick up your Practitioner, Specialist or Master pin. We have some very nice golden pins that we give away for free to attendees that have passed the Practitioner, Specialist or Master exam.

Enterprise 2.0 & Email Management training agenda, location & dates now available on www.aiim.org/training

Detailed agendas, dates and locations for the new AIIM Enterprise 2.0 and Email Management training classes are now available on our website. More information about the courses (incl. access to online courses), venue and available hotels will be available early March.