Whether necessary to comply with new regulations or just relieve demands
on IT Manager's capital budget, Content
and Knowledge Management
Systems can help a business run more efficiently and cost effectively.
(If you're new to Content and Knowledge Management, please read
our Content and
Knowledge Management Overview.)
The good news is that if your business already has a Knowledge
Base (in technical support), Customer
Relationship Management (CRM), or a system for publishing Web-based content, you've
taken the first steps toward Content
Management (CM). To evaluate what your next steps might be, consider these issues:
Point of Pain
The first step toward implementing a CM system is identifying the "point of pain"
in the organization. Or another way to look at it: Define mission-critical areas
of need for the company. What does this company need to move forward into the future?
That's where you need to invest in CM. Is litigation already underway or has a new
regulation come into effect, forcing a change in business process? Or is
implementing a CRM system
key to your future financial success?
Long term, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) may encompass more than one
software solution - each focused on its area of specialty. In order to ensure
successful integration into existing business processes, it can be helpful to start
by focusing implementation on a key area of business to solve a glaring problem. Then
this success can be used as a case study to jumpstart future projects.
Partner With IT
No content or knowledge management system will be successful without the full
and unstinting support of the Information Technology (IT) or Information Services (IS)
department. They have to give not only their unqualified blessing to the project, but
also their time, budget, and resources to implementing any proposed content management system.
In addition to IT's unqualified support, implementing CM requires an internal
lobbyist - someone who can speak passionately and logically about the advantages of
the system to every department, group, or individual who could be affected. Ideally,
this would be the CIO or senior IT manager, but it could be any executive-level manager who
has the support of senior management, as well as that of the IT department.
Don't Be Afraid to Outsource
Some environments have complex business processes and may require additional workflow
and lifecycle management. It's not necessary to do all that analysis yourself.
System integrators are more than capable of implementing content management applications
even in complex environments.
Be sure to take an active role in the vendor selection process. Choosing a vendor is just
the beginning of a long-term relationship, because content management often refers to
three or more different systems that interact with each other. Be sure to choose the vendor
that has not just the right mix of features and technology, but the longevity and customer
service to be a partner over the long haul.
The Final Step
In defining requirements for a successful
Content or
Knowledge
Management system launch, don't forget the end goal of self-sufficiency. The final
implementation step should be the transition of ownership from the system integrator to
IT or, even better, from IT to those who use the system every day. While it's
important to have an expert standing by in case of emergencies, all the daily,
weekly, and monthly tasks should be able to be performed by the users of the
system without additional programming or development.
For more information on choosing the right content and knowledge management solution for your company,
read our Content and Knowledge Management Overview.
Go to Bitpipe Research Guide: Content and Knowledge Management.
