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ECM basics - How to ensure a successful implementation

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Enterprise Content Management deals with the strategy and set of products/tools needed to manage the entire lifecycle of an enterprise’s content i.e. from the creation to the archival and later retrieval in a way that is convenient to the end user. The overall implementation could include integration with various legacy systems and business applications. During the decision making process for the overall enterprise strategy, the key stakeholders are the business sponsors, IT Architects, Project Manager, representatives from various business units etc.  Out of all these a major part is played by the end user community. They are the consumers of the ECM solution from a business perspective.

Here are some of the key points to consider that would otherwise trigger the downfall of any ECM implementation:

1. Improper planning and lack of an enterprise strategy - ECM implementation, if not properly strategized and planned, will fail miserably. There needs to be clear strategy upfront on Document Capture, Records Management, Business Process Management, Web Content Management, Social Content etc. followed by reasonable timelines.
2. Lack of awareness - Business users are often oblivious of the organization’s vision for ECM. They perceive ECM as just another application or tool without realizing the significance and benefits it offers. These users would exploit the ECM platform just to remain compliant.
3. Selection of an incompetent ECM vendor – The ECM vendor should have a clear vision and roadmap of their products to meet the ever evolving market needs. This is a very significant criteria as these products should be scalable, continuously evolving,  ready to integrate with various open source systems, legacy systems etc.
4. Incorrect interpretation and differences in understanding of requirements between business and IT representatives. If the business requirements are not clear, the end product would become useless. It is therefore critical to set the expectations and provide the solution in-line with the enterprise needs.
5. Unavailability of a front-end application that meets user expectation to search and access the content in an effective and convenient way. This is a key factor as the end users often rate any product by the ease of its usage and availability. In today’s social era where the acceptability of social apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. have grown exponentially, users demand a consumer model that appeals likewise for business apps.
6. Lack of in-house expertise in ECM spectrum – This might sound too easy to overlook in case of an outsourced IT operating model. But the lack of expertise among the internal IT team would hamper the evolution of an ECM system that supports the end-to-end transactional content of the organization w.r.t. its future needs.
7. Inability of the ECM platform to integrate with business apps, social platform, lack of mobility and cloud based/on-demand infrastructure support. This is an expansion of one of the previously mentioned points that the product should be compliant to industry standards e.g. CMIS, HTML5, REST APIs etc. (without the need to learn any proprietary technology) to enable integration with various third party applications/systems etc.
8. Insufficient budget and support from senior management – If the executives and sponsors are not serious about the implementation and without proper financial backing, it would be near to impossible to imagine the successful roll-out of an ECM system.

This post and comment(s) reflect the personal perspectives of community members, and not necessarily those of their employers or of AIIM International