Overcoming the Barriers to Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Success

By Laurel B. Sanders, Optical Image Technology, Inc.

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Question: What are the most valuable assets you have for ensuring a successful ECM implementation?
Answer: Good people and solid technology.

Question: What are the greatest barriers between a planned ECM solution and success?
Answer: Good people and solid technology.

If those statements seem inconsistent to you, read on.

Hiring good people with knowledge, experience, and ambition—and finding good technology that meets their needs—can be challenging. Good managers have a clear vision that leads them to find talented people who want to excel, as well as innovative products that meet real needs. Still, too often, ECM solutions are known to fail—in spite of the fact that they are designed to deliver content throughout the enterprise to enhance productivity and efficiency. What are the common traps, and how can they be avoided? How can you guarantee that the excellent staff you have chosen will feel empowered to embrace and make the most of your ECM solution?

This article will help managers to:

Understand the common barriers to ECM success;
Lay the foundation for a solid ECM strategy;
Prepare staff for change; and
Empower staff to succeed.

It also provides several tips for those who have not yet chosen an ECM solution or are considering changing vendors.

Common barriers to success

People who have the knowledge, industry experience, and ambition to succeed are sometimes reluctant to embrace new technologies. Too often, this is based on several factors:

Staff members are comfortable and secure with the familiarity of existing processes;
Managers are insufficiently informed about their staff’s business challenges and needs;
Not enough information is communicated about the technology that is being adopted and deployed;
Inadequate training is offered to staff on the products that are being introduced; and
Success is falsely viewed as a one-time event.

Regardless of the place they hold in an organization’s hierarchy, good workers want to excel. When designing an ECM solution, management needs to talk with members of staff at every level in order to thoroughly understand their daily routines and work processes. This only happens if management makes genuine and regular efforts to communicate regularly, and to solicit honest feedback. Managers sometimes erroneously assume that they understand which information people need and use in their daily processes. This can lead to ECM systems that don’t allow staff to access everything they need in order to perform their jobs well.

Insufficient questioning and communication leads to uninformed managerial decisions. This can have a negative impact on staff’s ability to carry out their jobs, rather than helping them to work faster and smarter as intended. If caring and responsible staff sense that the technology system will not give them 100% of what they need to perform at least as well as they are currently able to work without it, they won’t use it. Management needs to understand the needs of their staff, and to communicate clearly how the ECM solution will help users to be more productive and successful in each of their jobs.

Finally, adequate training needs to be offered to each person who will use the ECM products. Assuming the products you have chosen are truly enterprise capable, the software could appear to be incapable of meeting your needs if insufficient time has been invested in learning to configure and use it properly. Appropriate training should be offered at the right level for each type of user, from the technology experts to those who are excellent performers but not as tech savvy. With proper questions, communication, and training, staff is far more likely to adopt new technology enthusiastically and without fear. This will dramatically improve their success in using it.

Laying the foundation for a solid ECM strategy

An enterprise solution for document and content management depends on a variety of factors. Some of the most important are:

Understanding the document types in each department across the enterprise: which data needs to be searchable, who needs to access which data, and all of the business processes where the document (or information drawn from documents) is used;
Knowing which information is stored in which line-of-business software (accounting software, customer relationship management applications, etc.) and using the document management system to point to its location so that authorized persons can access information quickly;
Finding out which information or documents are stored in multiple places across the enterprise, causing redundancy and potential errors (such as contact information or customer names that are stored in several separate software systems);
Noting which information and documents need to be shared between departments or accessed frequently;
Analyzing each individual business process and understanding how documents flow through the organization during the active phase of the document lifecycle, including every task, approval, and signature that is required in each process; and
Studying government and industry regulations and ensuring that your document management policies, security settings for electronic access, and retention strategies comply.

Preparing your staff for change

Just as high school students need to understand the value that a college or vocational education will bring in order for them to invest their time in diligent study, employees need to believe the ECM solution will help them collectively and individually if they are to embrace it. Once you have decided to adopt an enterprise content or document management solution, make sure that you do the following:

Communicate your company’s need to be innovative and competitive, showing ECM as a step forward in productivity and service as well as a way to compete in the marketplace.
Make your goals clear: to help employees to perform their tasks more efficiently, be more productive, and use their time and talents wisely. Explain to them how ECM technology will help them to accomplish these goals.
Introduce ECM as a means to help employees excel. Make sure you underscore the value of specific features to the groups who will use them, and explain the business benefits.

Finally, make sure that you work with your department managers and staff to establish major milestones of achievement for the project. Find ways to celebrate success. Already imaged your first documents? Shred them. Automated your first paperless process? Celebrate time saved, and throw a staff party. The major steps in an ECM project should be observed as you advance one step closer to true efficiency, thanks not only to your vision, but also to your staff. The observance of genuine achievement will not be lost on your employees.

Empower your staff to succeed

Success is not a ‘once-and-done’ event. Rather, it results from employees having the tools they need to succeed, and constantly evaluating them against changing business conditions. Make sure everyone on your staff has appropriate training that addresses each individual’s needs. Encourage them to ask for additional training if they feel they need it in order to excel with the new products. People who feel ashamed to ask will not maximize their potential. Those who feel encouraged will invest the time and energy that will result in optimal performance and success from the products they are using.

After your ECM system is in place, your staff may notice irregularities or improvements that could be made. Even if the system is working smoothly, as time passes, new ideas will emerge. Establish regular communications with each department, and with each level within each department, to get the most from your system. Ask for critiques of the system, and of the business processes you have automated. New people will bring new ideas for improvement as well.

Choosing the right solution

There are many factors to consider in choosing an enterprise document and content management solution that is right for you. If you are evaluating vendors, or considering a change or a new system to complement technologies you already own, here are some things to think about:

Which department within your company has the greatest challenges managing content? This is the department that should be the first to implement your chosen ECM solution. Make sure the department has a solid understanding of its documents and processes and communicate clearly with your vendor.
What are your long-term visions for your business? Make sure that the vendors you choose are able to scale their products for growth, and can add products and customize features to fit your current and future needs.
With which existing and future line-of-business systems will you need the ECM system to integrate? Make sure your content and document management solution is non-proprietary, and is capable of thorough integration. Examine your potential need for Web services and behindthe- scenes integration, and whether your vendor can meet those needs.
Does your IT staff have the resources and qualifications to handle current or future custom integrations, challenging integrations, and process automation? Make sure your vendor offers consulting and professional services so that you can address your future needs without having to change vendors.

Summary

ECM technology and staff performance reflect the evaluation and planning that precedes them. An honest and open evaluation of your enterprise and departmental needs, enthusiastic and detailed communication, marking of milestones, and training are vital to ensuring initial success. If you are able to keep avenues open to constant evaluation and ideas for improvement, your staff is bound to remain your most valuable asset, capable and ready to accept the charge, and enthusiastic about soaring to new levels with your chosen ECM solution.

Optical Image Technology offers an integrated suite of imaging, document management, and workflow software, including document archiving, lifecycle management, electronic forms, and email management products. To learn more about our products and services, visit our website at www.docfinity.com, or call us at 800-678-3241.

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