How to Overcome the Top Ten Challenges in ECM Project Management

Nothing worthwhile comes easily. It’s especially true in business, whether you’re targeting a new market segment, relocating, or releasing a product. Such changes require careful research, surveying those who will be affected, then creating and following a detailed plan. Since your documents and their content are among the most important tools you have to run your business, why would you embark on enterprise content management (ECM) without a clear blueprint and the resources necessary to succeed?

Project management is one of the most decisive factors in ECM success. Regardless of who is leading the charge – your vendor, IT manager, or a project champion hired to fill the role – decision makers too often give lip service to project management. Eager to see results, but unwilling to spend time and money for careful analysis, planning, implementation and testing, their haste typically leads to disappointing outcomes.

Project managers (PM) possess enormous responsibility. They must be intelligent, driven, diligent, meticulous about details, and outstanding communicators. It’s a tall order. Yet if your company’s ECM blueprints reflect your needs, you place a strong PM at the helm, and you understand common pitfalls, there’s no reason to fail.

ECM traps to avoid:

1. Budgeting inadequately

The outlay for ECM technology is typically insignificant compared to the human resources needed to succeed. If you expect results, you must budget adequately for planning, consulting, designing, testing, implementing, training, evaluating, and improvement. In addition to hardware, software, and consulting services, your total cost of ownership projections (TCO) should include:

• infrastructure upgrades required for optimal performance;
• professional services fees for customization and systems integration;
• staff resources to create configuration plans, indexing schemes, process designs, test plans, and anything specific to your implementation;
• temporary staffing for initial scanning, back-file conversion, and file indexing so employees can remain focused on customers; and
• ongoing training expenses.

It’s better to start with a small project and to do it correctly than to take on a larger project with inadequate funding or human resources.

2. Failing to see things through from start to finish

A slow ECM implementation can send a welldesigned project to the graveyard of irrelevancy. Although ECM plans should be flexible enough to accommodate unanticipated obstacles, you shouldn’t alter the scope of a budgeted project. If goals constantly change or become elusive, the implementation will take too long and the business needs probably will have changed by the time the solution is in place. Create a detailed plan and stick to it. Morale will plummet if the project is too hard to pin down, too ambitious to be accomplished, or delivers disappointing results.

3. Dropping the ball

Solid project management plans have clear objectives; strategies and timelines for fulfillment; measurement tools; communication plans to make sure each tactic is executed on time, on task, and on budget; and agreed-upon recourse if the vendor or client fail to meet timelines or commitments. Problems occur when assumptions are made, plans aren’t followed, or there is insufficient follow-up. Stand firmly behind your project. Demand the same precision and accountability from yourself as you expect from your project manager. Be clear, concise, consistent and available to ensure questions are answered as they arise and to make sure messaging is consistent.

4. Staffing inadequately

Changing marketplace conditions, demanding customers, and miscommunications ignite business fires that need immediate attention. Yet if your PM constantly faces challenges that take priority over your ECM project, s/he will struggle to bring your project to fruition. You know what challenges typically interrupt your daily business. Plan accordingly. Put extra resources in place so your PM can focus on your ECM implementation.

5. Interrupting with 1001 questions

Although accountability is critical in any ECM project, interrogating your PM constantly can jeopardize progress. Ask thorough questions during the planning phase and build accountability measures into your plan. Establish periodic meetings for progress review. Between meetings, let your PM concentrate uninterrupted on the next objective.

6. Cutting corners that compromise the solution’s performance

It’s better to plan a smaller project, implement it thoroughly, and realize the full benefit than to cut corners on an overly ambitious project and get mediocre results. Conduct a thorough document analysis, create logical indexing schemes, study existing processes for potential streamlining and improvement, and re-design processes for automation. The care you take now will be reflected in the results. If extra time is needed for re-examination or more thorough testing, honor the request. Reworking plans after implementation is costly, resulting in inefficient processes that demand correction, additional training, and damaged morale.

7. Poor communication

Whether you’re planning a single, departmental implementation or engaging in an enterprise-wide rollout, involve every department from the start to maximize the benefit to the enterprise. Document content, security rules, and processing styles often differ among departments, yet usually some content can be shared and common needs can be uniformly addressed. Inefficiencies arise when too many chiefs struggle to control a project or are unwilling to invest in the communication that’s needed to address organizational inefficiencies. Opportunities must be provided for crossdepartmental communication, and expected outcomes must be clear. It’s the only way to avoid inevitable data silos that obstruct true efficiency.

8. Insufficient training

Even superior ECM technology won’t perform well unless you provide adequate training. Most of us miss opportunities for efficiency when we use common applications such as MicroSoft Office or email software because we aren’t aware of 95% of their potential. ECM implementations are similar. Yet with the prospect of cutting costs, improving service, and competing more effectively in the marketplace, why would you sacrifice 95% – or even 25% – of ECM capabilities by investing too little in training?

Workers change companies and positions frequently, so expect ECM training to be an ongoing expense. As employees watch their productivity increase and experience success, they’ll take greater ownership in improving company outcomes.

9. Inadequate testing

The value of thorough testing and training can’t be overemphasized. It’s far less expensive and time-consuming to discover configuration errors, processing design flaws, or system bottlenecks during testing than after a solution is in place. Even if it means you will miss your target implementation date by a few days, take time to test everything thoroughly. You’ll lessen your project cost by discovering and fixing weaknesses proactively and your staff will see positive results more quickly.

10. Insufficient backup and disaster recovery planning

Efficient information access is the most common driver for digital storage and process automation. Ensuring 100% access to your data at all times – even in catastrophic circumstances – is vital. This unique benefit of electronic access is only foolproof, however, when backups and disaster recovery plans are in place.

Understand the value hierarchy of your business information so critical content can be scheduled for immediate restoration when disaster strikes. Include backups and disaster recovery in your plans, and give your PM support and time to ensure they are tested thoroughly. Don’t let hurricanes, pandemics, brownouts, employee turnover, and other major events threaten your business operations. Be prepared so your business can continue without interruption, no matter what happens.

Summary

Managing an ECM implementation properly is a major undertaking, and a determining factor in ECM success. With executive support, thorough planning, comprehensive budgeting, a strong PM, and transparent communication every step of the way, you have every reason to succeed.

For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please Contact DocFinity now.