Introducing the ECM Evolution Audit
Friday, November 1, 2013
In the book, “Alice in Wonderland,” there is an interesting conversation between Alice and the Cheshire Cat, when she is lost in the forest.
“Cheshire Cat, would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” asked Alice.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. “If you don’t know where you are going… any road will take you there.”
Start with the Business Issue
When it comes to managing content across departments and the organization as a whole, having an idea of your business goals significantly helps determine your path when determining the right mix of enterprise content management (ECM) hardware, software and services. ECM solutions have been used across industries and across many different process, providing significant measurable results, including:
- Proactively communicating with customers, improving customer retention
- Cutting invoice processing costs by 50-90%
- Eliminating excessive HR paperwork, reducing administrative costs
- Reducing ongoing regulatory compliance costs
In many instances, organizations begin to deploy technologies without having a clear direction for measuring results. In the end, they may have accumulated technologies, but they are not working together to solve a business issue. When deployed without an in-depth understanding of their capabilities, they are ineffective at best, and, at worst, can make the issue worse.
Where to Begin?
Many of our clients begin with a basic assessment tool, which provides a baseline from which to work. Think of it like your first visit to a new doctor. They do a complete exam, including bloodwork, EKG, family history overview, and ask a long list of detailed questions about your diet, current state of life and anything else that may be relevant to your health. Answering these questions, along with the test results, helps the doctor understand where you are, and what changes may need to be made.
ECM Evolution Audit
ISSI can perform an ECM Evolution Audit with you to assess your current state. We have decades of experience with these technologies as they have evolved, and have seen how they can be used to solve a wide variety of business issues.
In the end, you will get a detailed diagnosis that includes, but is not limited to, the following information:
- Understanding key workflows and bottlenecks
- Evaluation of your current content management hardware and software
- Identification of problems that needs to be fixed
- Assessment of weaknesses that can be turned into strengths
- Targeting of opportunities that can lead to competitive advantage
All of this will be in the context of solving some of your most challenging business issues. In some cases, you may already have the tools in place. In others, it may require considering other tools to complement your existing infrastructure. In either event, you will now have a roadmap to take you from where you are to where you want to be.
