AIIM Knowledge Center Blog

I knew that, but I didn't know that

2009-11-05T23:39:37-05:00

There are many times in my classes where I will cover a topic and some will say, “I knew that” and they are correct. In fact many also say it is good to get confirmation they are doing the right things. As the class progresses, there may be additional discussions among the students or I may take them to place that puts what we discussed into a different context and that is when I hear, “I didn’t think of that.” For example, in one class we talked about how ECM with imaging can help remove file cabinets and free up costly space. Not a surprise since the industry has done this for decades promoting cost reduction as a benefit. Here is a twist, not only can you reduce costs by recovering the space you can make it revenue generating.

In the past I have worked with many clients to migrate from their paper based filing systems to digital. Scan the paper, index it and store it in a repository. Once this is done, get rid of the paper if there are no restrictions prohibiting you from doing so. I know, you are saying that we can take that space and generate revenue. How? I had a client who called me excited about the fact that for every 6 filing cabinets he removed, he could place a desk, chair, phone and sales person. Initially he had planned expansion which would have required renting additional space. Now what was once overhead was bringing in the money. As a sales person at that time, guess what my new sales pitch became?

You see, it is all a matter of perspective. In ECM, we need to look at our environments from many angles in order to reap the best rewards. Looking at cost reduction from removal of an existing physical file system is one perspective but how could I gain from that space is another. Can I sell the cabinets and the shredded paper to help recoup costs and get a faster ROI? Can I implement process improvement ahead of technology application to increase efficiency to a new level and realize better productivity gains?

In my view, we all know a lot about a lot of things and the education we gain from training or educational programs we attend, in many cases, brings new insight or perspectives that strengthens our knowledge and skills. Education can also come in the form of networking and just talking with peers about different issues or changes in the technology and business landscapes. The key is to take time a listen. After more than twenty-five years in the industry, there is not one day that passes where I have not learned something new. That something is quite often a different view than my own. Even if I do not agree with what I heard, I still accept the fact that I learned something and that, is another viewpoint.

What say you? What have you learned today? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Scanners alone do not good capture make.

2009-11-03T13:15:15-05:00

Alas, I have been listening to Shakespearian recitation on community radio. Methinks it has changed the way I speak, but not the way I think. In fact I think very clearly about the activity we call capture and more specifically, conversion or scanning. Many folks I ask refer to this activity as scanning and often equate it to simply placing a piece of paper in a scanner, pressing a key and voila! We have a scanned image of the paper document that can now be indexed and stored for good keeping and later retrieval. Sounds simple right? When have you ever known me to be simple? (Be nice, don’t answer that…)

The plain fact is that while the operation of capture using a scanner appears to be a simple activity, there is or should be a well defined process supporting this activity. This should be a documented process that shows step by step what is required to properly capture and convert paper based information into a digital format that is now stored and available on-line. What many do not realize is that the technology itself is not really the issue but the preparation of the paper documents prior to scanning. Think about this for a moment, can you just take a bunch of paper and toss it into the scanner expecting it to work flawlessly? Does the scanner remove paper clips, staples and other extraneous materials that accumulate or become embedded in the paper documents? This is mainly a manual process and as such, personnel need to know the proper procedures. It also does not hurt to have this fully documented and updated on a regular basis for consistency and defensibility if ever questioned. Here is a graphical example of what this might look like.

In my view, preparation is one of the least considered yet most critical steps of the capture/conversion process. When implemented properly, it can make a huge difference in effectiveness and efficiency. You can purchase scanners of all sizes, speeds and with more functions than you can imagine. The end result and quality you get still depends on how well you feed them.

Over the next two weeks Doug Miles and the AIIM Research team will be conducting an on-line survey for a new Industry Watch Report on Capture. Your scanning and capture experiences needed to provide greater insight into this segment. We want to dig deep into motivations, issues and ROI for scanning and capture investments. This research will include but is not limited to topical areas like:

· What do you scan?

· Which processes work best?

· Outsourced vs. centralized vs. distributed?

We need your input. The resulting Industry Watch report will be free for participants to download. You could also win a cool Samsung N130 netbook. Simply visit www.aiimhost.com/survey and complete our on-line questionnaire to qualify.

What say you? How do you manage capture? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Do you know where your metadata is?

2009-11-02T14:55:58-05:00

Have you been asked this question before? Have you ever been asked about your metadata and if you could find and present it? If you have, it is likely due to a discovery request, especially if you are in Arizona. That’s right, according to a recent Associated Press (AP) article written by Paul Davenport titled “Ariz. court rules records law covers metadata’’ the Supreme Court ruled that under Arizona’s public records law, the hidden data embedded in electronic records must be disclosed. In this case Justice Scott Bales cites that withholding the information embedded in electronic records is contrary to the openness of the public records law but also states that providing the metadata should not create a burden on the public entity.

There are similar discussions and awaited rulings in other states as well. The Washington State Supreme Court has a case before it regarding email metadata even though the Washington specifically says that metadata is subject to disclosure. The exception to all of this appears to be metadata that may be of a private nature or considered sensitive materials.

In my view, this is further evidence of the need for stronger and better defined processes and policies to govern our information. Not only should organizations decide the type of content that has value and a need to be retained, they must also make decisions on the value and relevance of metadata to capture with the knowledge that all of this information is subject to disclosure. The mindset should be one of existence. If it exists, it is discoverable and as such should be treated as any other record regardless of format. The requirement is real, how it is addressed makes the difference in defensibility.

What say you? How do you manage metadata? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Pardon me sir, is this your Tweet?

2009-10-29T19:33:58-04:00

A few months ago I posted a blog titled “To Tweet or not to Tweet, that is the question” and presented the idea that we should determine how and if it is used for business. The response from you was fantastic and I thank you. Today, I am presenting another perspective in this subject and including the other social media outlets as well, if you or your employees Tweet or use other social media outlets like Facebook, LinkedIn or more, should you have a policy in place that discusses capturing that information and storing it in your corporate repositories?

I know, you are thinking that I have gone too far with this governance thing, but have I really? The reason I am writing this blog is due to an article I read that triggered these thoughts. The article was in the Austin 10 written by Tony R. Bertolino, managing partner at Bertolino LLP titled MySpace, Facebook, GPS and other eDiscovery: Coming Soon to a Texas Divorce Proceeding Near You. The premise of the article is that content posted in these areas could be found and used against you. Taking this to the next level it made me think, is Twitter now included in this mix? In my view, I think it is and as a result we need to establish policy in the same way we do other content.

I think all of these tools are fantastic and a great way to communicate with friends, family, colleagues, clients and prospects. I think that they provide value, each in their own way. The challenge we face is one of what is being said and does it have business value? Imagine being asked in court “Pardon me sir, is this your Tweet?” in relation to some court action against you or your company?” I am not saying we should be paranoid about these technologies and services, but I am saying we need to be aware and take ownership of our corporate responsibility to preserve content that has a value. I am saying that we should use these tools and minimize our risks by putting some form of governance and guidance in place that describes proper use for business purposes the same as we would for telephone, email and any other communications tool.

What say you? How do you collaborate? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Are you going to DocuBusiness ‘09 in Milan Italy? If so, be sure to attend a great session by Doug Miles, Research Director for AIIM. Doug is also conducting a new survey on BPM and you can participate by simply going to www.aiimhost.com/survey and answer the series of questions presented.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

What is collaboration?

2009-10-28T20:38:27-04:00

Collaboration is a working practice whereby individuals work together to a common purpose to achieve business benefit. Key features of collaboration tools are:

· Synchronous collaboration such as online meetings and instant messaging

· Asynchronous collaboration such as shared workspaces and annotations

Many organizations are also looking at Free-form Collaboration tools to improve collaboration and reduce the number of emails used for collaboration. Collaboration, at the conceptual level, involves:

· Awareness – We become part of a working entity with a shared purpose

· Motivation – We drive to gain consensus in problem solving or development

· Self-synchronization - We decide as individuals when things need to happen

· Participation - We participate in collaboration and we expect others to participate

· Mediation - We negotiate and we collaborate together and find a middle point

· Reciprocity - We share and we expect sharing in return through reciprocity

· Reflection - We think and we consider alternatives

· Engagement - We proactively engage rather than wait and see

Collaboration relies on openness and knowledge sharing but also some level of focus and accountability on the part of the business organization. Governance should be established addressing the creation and closing of team workspaces with assignment of responsibility for capturing the emergent results of the collaborative effort for preservation in the repository.

Many organizations see value in using Web 2.0 tools or social software within their organizations for improved collaboration and innovation, and this is then often referred to as Enterprise 2.0. AIIM defines Enterprise 2.0 as a system of web-based technologies that provide rapid and agile collaboration, information sharing, emergence and integration capabilities in the extended enterprise.

Social software for an enterprise must according to Andrew McAfee, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School have the following functionality to work well:

· Search: allow users to search for other users or content

· Links: group similar users or content together

· Authoring: include blogs and wikis

· Tags: allow users to tag content

· Extensions: recommendations of users or content based on profile

· Signals: allow people to subscribe to users or content with RSS feeds

He recommends that the software must be easy to use and not impose any rigid structure for users. The roll-out should be informal, but on a common platform to enable future collaboration between areas. He also recommends strong and visible managerial support to achieve this.

The above list was expanded upon by Dion Hinchcliffe in 2007 by adding the following 4 functions:

· Freeform: no barriers to authorship, i.e. free from a learning curve or restrictions.

· Network-oriented: all content must be Web-addressable.

· Social: stresses transparency (to access), diversity (in content and community members) and openness (to structure)

· Emergence: must provide approaches that detect and leverage the collective wisdom of the community.

What say you? How do you collaborate? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

I need to be first!

2009-10-23T11:28:24-04:00

As I waited for my flight from Atlanta to Tampa last night, standing in line with everyone else, it occurred to me how interesting and sometimes confusing we really can be. I was flying Delta where unlike some of the discount airlines, everyone has assigned seats. Boarding is done by zone starting with First Class and moving on through the cabin from there. As Zone 1 of First Class was called, I noticed everyone started moving toward the gate – an occurrence that has become commonplace - yet still amazes me because First Class is not that big and I knew not everyone had purchased a First Class ticket.

As I stood and watched, it also became clear to me why this is becoming more of a commonality. It is because the airlines charge for bags to be placed in luggage and more and more people are now carrying on their luggage than ever before, to avoid the costs and keep their belongings close to them, in their control. As a result, it has created what I term the “I need to be first “ syndrome in order to make sure one can in fact claim overhead space before it runs out and they have to tag the bag and send it to the baggage compartment, free of charge by the way. The risk of this happening is especially true of those who are in the last boarding zones and the push to head the rush increases exponentially.

In my view, businesses need to take this view on how they manage content and records. While they may not feel comfortable being the first to try brand new technologies, there should be a sense of urgency to adopt technology and practices that will help gain control over their corporate memory - their information assets - and the processes by which it is managed and shared, quickly. Look at and treat your corporate information as if it were the most valuable resource in your company. Imagine for a moment that your storage systems are like your luggage the corporate information contained within that storage is like your personal belongings. You want it to be safe, under your control and readily accessible. You do not want it taken away from you or for something to happen to it.

Establishing a solid ECM environment that includes a structured and accessible repository managed by the appropriate technologies and supported be designed and well managed processes is a goal every business should embrace. Not only does it make the organization more efficient and effective, is also addresses business continuity, disaster preparedness and improves customer service. I was once told that if a thought has crossed your mind, you can be assured it has also crossed the minds of your competition. The trick is to be first and set the bar for others to reach. In this case it is OK to have the “I need to be first” syndrome.

What say you? Are you looking to be the leader and claim your space? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Cyber threats: can ECM help prepare?

2009-10-21T14:11:58-04:00

I had the opportunity to visit the International Spy Museum while in Washington, DC over the weekend. It is an interesting place to visit and look at the history of espionage over the centuries. Topics like crytopgraphy, disguise and devices provide insight on infiltration methods and information gathering. At one point along the journey, we were presented with the concept of cyber threats and how they are more of a reality today than ever before. I have always been aware of the possibility and in fact the movies have even depicted how it might occur, but this time, presented in this way, the thought of it has been sitting in the back of my mind playing over and over.

Finally it came to me why this thought is lingering. I asked myself a simple question, is what we do in ECM a way to help prepare for this type of situation. I know ECM cannot prevent such threats, but if such an event were to happen, could ECM help minimize the impact on businesses and how? This is a fundamental question I normally ask when discussing disaster preparedness from natural disaster as well, how could ECM help from a business continuity perspective? The answer is basically the same, while ECM cannot be presented as a cure to disaster preparedness it can be positioned as a tool to assist in restoring business activity.

Many of the ECM environments I have been exposed to over the years leverage technologies that provide back up and recovery capabilities designed to restore the content structures to their useable form. In fact several of them actually combine indices, content and basic search capabilities on the back-up media itself making it more like that of an archival tool. I have seen this in action in Florida where a hurricane passes through, telephone access is down and even the power is out. In one case the business owner set up a table, chairs and a generator to power a light and his notebook PC to service his clients using the back-up media from his ECM software. He was able to search for client files and provide critical insurance coverage information that his clients needed to fully understand their levels of coverage.

In my view, while there can be no guarantee this is the best approach, I think the same could apply for cyber attacks. If an ECM environment is implemented and managed properly, and the technology employed supports the type of functionality I described, ECM could in fact serve as a means to assist in business restoration should the unthinkable become reality. We cannot predict the future nor can we anticipate every threat or outcome, but we can take steps that will hopefully minimize the impact.

What say you? How do you prepare for business continuity? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09

San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09

Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09

San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09

Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

ERM, meet TQM

2009-10-20T20:32:31-04:00

So you might look at this and think Bob as lost his mind. Electronic Records Management (ERM) dealing with records management and Total Quality Management (TQM) focusing on process have nothing in common. I say to think again. When you look at something holistically, you will see things in a different light. Many look at ERM as only managing records and nothing more.

Records and files are submitted to be retained under control and for specified lengths of time to meet organizational and regulatory guidelines. When the records lifecycle ends, the records are destroyed. Yet every phase of records management has a process associated with it. There is a process to declare and submit a record. There is a process to request access to a record. There is a process to review the record’s retention requirements and even to destroy the record. I know I am simplifying this but the point is that where there is process there is room for improvement.

Leveraging the concepts of TQM and applying them to ERM is simply taking a look at how we do things, establishing metrics and Key performance indicators that are measurable and adjusting our processes for greater efficiency. The question is not one of can it be done but will we do it? Will we take time to map the processes associated with ERM identify potential improvements, implement those improvements and measure what we have done to ensure we have accomplished our goals?

In my view, it makes sense that if we are seeking to make our organization more effective and efficient at what we do in providing products and services, we should also look to improve the ways in which we manage our information and the processes associated with it. Increased efficiency in our ERM processes to capture, declare, manage and access records throughout their lifecycle regardless of format, will reap business benefits that could include lowered operating costs, profitability and increased customer satisfaction.

What say you? How are you managing your electronic records? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

AIIM to present new research findings at TAWPI 2009 Capture Conference

2009-10-15T11:14:01-04:00

AIIM Vice President, Atle Skjekkeland, ECMs, will present findings from the new AIIM State of the Capture Industry Watch research study in a plenum presentation at the TAWPI Capture Conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on December 9, 2009. The AIIM Capture Industry Watch research amongst AIIM’s 65,000 strong community identifies the real benefits of scanning and process automation, where to implement them, and how to ensure a quick ROI.

Titled “Capture: the real benefits of scanning and process automation?” This session looks at how in a tough economy it is necessary to cut costs for most organizations, but some companies have realized a quick ROI of implementing scanning and process automation and how removing paper from information intensive processes improves efficiency and control, which often leads to significant hard dollar savings.

Pre-conference: AIIM ECM Practitioner Course

In addition to the plenum session, AIIM and TAWPI have also organized a 1 day intensive ECM Practitioner Course set for Monday December 7, 2009. AIIM’s ECM Practitioner Course is being offered as a pre-Conference workshop covering ECM technologies, their business benefits, and how to plan ECM using information architecture, metadata and taxonomies.

Separately, the capture conference fee is $629 and the ECM Practitioner workshop is $599 but as an AIIM Member, if you act now and would like to bundle them together, we have a special offer for you. When you bundle the conference together with the workshop, you will receive a $500 package discount! All you have to do is click here to register and enter the discount code “ECM1-AIIM” when you check out.

What say you? Are you planning to attend the TAWPI 2009 Capture Conference? What do you hope to learn from your attendance? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Do you manage electronic records as well as you do paper?

2009-10-14T11:18:36-04:00

In a recent AIIM Industry Watch Report based on Electronic Records Management (ERM) titled Electronic Records Management - still playing catch-up with paper, we found that electronic records are still taken less seriously than physical records. We also found that it appears organizations are placing the responsibility for applying good records management practices to electronic records is being placed on IT rather than the records manager. Several other key findings from this report include:

· Electronic records are more than twice as likely to be described as “Unmanaged” than paper records

· 71% of organizations have a procedure for legal hold of paper records in the event of litigation, but only 57% have one for electronic records

· For 25% of organizations, legal discovery of paper records would take at least a month, whereas for electronic records this is 17%

· There is a reliance on IT staff to carry out legal discovery on electronic records in the majority of companies, whereas records management staff or line-of-business staff deals with paper records.

The report continues to cite that:

· Of those organizations with no ECM/ERM system, 60% would not be confident, if challenged, that their electronic records have not been changed, deleted or inappropriately accessed

· 38% of those polled admit that there is little or no enforcement of their records management policies and 55% set no guidance on dealing with important emails as records

· 31% of organizations have 20 or more content repositories that could usefully be linked, with email as the highest priority content

· Over 70% of organizations have made no plans or provision for long-term archiving of electronic records, with no policies for migrating to new media, translating formats, or virtualization of applications

In my view, this is somewhat disturbing as the only thing different between a physical record and an electronic record is the format in which it is contained. The idea that IT should be responsible for applying good records management practices to electronic records is placing the organization at risk that the right information is not being kept and there would be a lack of compliance with records retention policies. The good news is an encouraging number of organizations are homogenising their electronic and physical policies and practices, and many are moving to an all-electronic model, linking their repositories together in order to improve the legal discovery process and enhance operational efficiency.

Organization need to recognize that records management practices should embrace and include electronic records as part of the overall records management program. Just like the physical, records retention, security and disposition policies apply and there is no reason or excuse in today’s business world that this should be different. In my view of an ideal world, Records management is responsible to set policy and manage the activities for all records with IT in place establish and maintain the technology infrastructure that supports those policies and activities. While I do not feel the exclusion of electronic records as part of an overall records management program is intentional, I do feel that the underlying problem is one of being overwhelmed and not knowing how to begin. The first step in all of this it the make the first step be a realization that records are records regardless of format and they need to be addressed as part of the “total” records management program.

What say you? How are you managing your electronic records? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

Join us for the ERM Certificate course in:

San Diego 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Silver Spring 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Tampa 12/15/09 – 12/18/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

How much information is too much?

2009-10-12T21:27:23-04:00

Years ago in my role as an industry analyst conducting research surveys, I would often say that I could never have enough information and that the thought of having too much information was absurd. I would let those supplying my unquenchable thirst for input that I welcomed as much as I could get and would then sort through it all to determine relevance to the project at hand. Of course in those days we did not have the type of access to foundational information like we do today. I did not have the web and internet available to me as a resource. Now I can go to a website and collect information about products, features, services and sales successes without approaching a single individual. It is easy to overload with information today.

Here is some food for thought to put this in perspective. Richard Saul Wurman, author of the classic book titled “Information Anxiety”, states that “A weekday edition of the New York Times contains more information than the average person was likely to come across in a lifetime in seventeenth-century England.” He further cites, “More new information has been produced in the last 30 years than in the previous 5,000. About 1,000 books are published internationally every day, and the total of all printed knowledge doubles every eight years.” Think about your own organization and even your own day to day activities in relation to how much information is created. So the fact is that information is being created with blinding speed. The question is why is it created and does it all have a purpose?

We know that there is a point where you can provide too much information but in my view, there is a point of overload when you can receive too much information. This is where I look to an established ECM environment to help manage, control and provide the information I need when I need it. This is where the potential of text mining can really shine through to filter the unwanted information allowing us to once again say bring it on, but now I will leverage technology to assist in sorting and distilling what Is needed.

What say you? How are you managing information overload? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
Philadelphia 12/08/09 – 12/11/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Are you going to DocuBusiness ‘09 in Milan Italy? If so, be sure to attend a great session by Doug Miles, Research Director for AIIM.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

You hear but do you listen?

2009-10-09T10:04:42-04:00

You hear but do you listen? This is an interesting question isn’t it? The point of this question is simple, many times we hear the words and many times we think we heard the message sent but in fact we missed some critical points. There is a difference between hearing and listening and in fact there have been many books and articles written and even classes offered about how to listen. I am not going to teach you how to listen in this blog, but I do want to stress the importance of it when it comes to ECM and requirements gathering.

Here is an example. Over the years my role has often taken me into customer settings to discuss product or technology application to a business issue. At one point I was brought in to discuss the use of an imaging system within a county government. The sales person felt that the only thing left to close the deal was a white board discussion on how we would apply the technology. When I began the session, the first question I asked had already been asked by the sales person and that was one of what Line of Business (LOB) Applications would require integration with our products. The customer responded with what I already knew and there were no surprises as yet.

I then asked about the communications and desktop infrastructures since the use of Personal Computers (PC) and Local Area Networks (LAN) was not common at that time and the product we were presenting was dependent upon them. At that time, the sales person became uneasy as he was unfamiliar with the intricacies of imaging since it was so new and thus the reason for my presence. I was informed by our prospect that they did not have PC desktops nor did they have a LAN, everything was done through dumb terminals and proprietary communications connections to their mainframe systems. This was a problem and my sales sponsor was really getting a case of the nervous jitters.

I then informed our prospect that before we could discuss the imaging technology they sought, we would first have to address the communications and desktops issues, a subject the county CIO was willing to address. As we began the conversation and talked about how terminals needed to become desktops PCs and communications needed upgrading to LAN, the sales representative began to appear ill and aggravated with me. He was hearing words but did not listen to the conversation. In his mind I had blown his deal. The discussion continued and the CIO and I agreed that these areas were indeed the first of a series of projects for his overall programme. He also agreed that we should approach it on a departmental basis with assessment, recommendations, purchase and implementation in each area before the purchase and implementation of an imaging system was feasible. In fact the way he put it was, “You are the only one who has brought this to my attention. We should break it down into smaller projects to make it more manageable.” When I asked about his procurement process, his response was “I am authorized to approve departmental IT upgrade projects of up to thirty thousand dollars without having to go through a bid process. I have seven departments that will need upgrading in the form you described.” I kindly thanked him for his time ending the meeting with the promise of providing a series of project proposals within the week.

When we returned to the field office, my sales sponsor informed the Regional Director I had just blown the biggest opportunity he has had in a long time and that I should be fired. His message was that we would now lose the imaging deal since I pointed out that their infrastructure was inadequate. What he did not hear was that he now has a deal in hand, rather seven deals in hand to upgrade the infrastructure, each of which was valued at twenty-nine thousand dollars for a total of two hundred and three thousand dollars. You see, he heard the words but did not listen. When I explained the current opportunity to the Regional Director, he thanked me and let me know how much he appreciated my assistance. In the end, the sales representative understood what had happened and won the entire package including the imaging system for a total of more than $1.2 million dollars overall.

In my view, listening is the most important part of any conversation and even more so when trying to identify requirements of both a business and technical nature. It requires us to take time and ask more questions as the conversation progresses. It requires us to investigate and take notes of our findings, always asking more questions to uncover and gather more details. As was the case with this sales person, I have known many people who hear the words, but do not listen as in their minds as the discussion continues, they are already formulating a solution. If you do not listen, you will not know the real requirements and if you do not know the real requirements, you cannot possibly have a solution that will meet the need.

What say you? How are your listening skills when doing requirements gathering? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Canon: A Best Green Company

2009-10-08T14:13:31-04:00

I had the opportunity recently to talk with David Lucioni the Environment & Product Safety Manager of Canon (UK) Ltd. regarding their recent award and recognition for being a Green Company. I have always felt that the ECM industry and its practices support being Green and was happy to learn of the accomplishments made by Canon in this area. The following is an excerpt of our communications.

Bob: First I want to congratulate you and Canon on this wonderful achievement. Tell me, how did you hear about the Green Company Awards?
David: I joined Canon in October 2008, by which time Canon had already received its first Green Company award in 2008. Canon came in 13th overall which is the highest in our industry sector. I was involved with our 2009 application, where we came in 32nd overall, but our environmental score was the same as for 2008. The difference this year was in the number of entrants had increased, and there were many entrants whose whole raison d’être was environmental activities. We are still happy with the results and we have a plan in place to increase our rating for 2010!

Bob: What were the criteria for this Award?
David: The Sunday Times Best Green Companies award is unique, and the results highly relevant and credible. The award is based on a questionnaire that the Environment Manager has to complete, covering the environmental performance of the company (energy consumption, environmental policy and management etc.), corporate social responsibility (engagement with local community etc.) and also an anonymous employee survey, which must be completed by a minimum number of employees (approximately 30%). This makes for an interesting twist when you consider that the staff of any company will be its most cynical and critical judge of its culture and performance.

Bob: How did Canon qualify for the Award?
David: Canon's corporate philosophy of Kyosei, a Japanese word literally translated as "living and working together for the common good" is deeply entrenched in every activity that Canon undertakes and this philosophy is realised in our environmental management system. The philosophy also ensures that Canon behaves as a good corporate citizen - an example of this is Canon's long-standing relationship as the first conservation partner with WWF (over 10 years!) and its relationship with the Red Cross (Canon provides support to thirteen Red Cross National Societies across Europe, with a particular focus on new and existing Red Cross youth projects that support and educate young people to deal with the issues they face in today's society). The judging is by an independent consultancy.

Bob: What suggestions would you have for companies seeking to be Greener?
David: Start with an environmental management system. It will ensure that you can put in place a system to monitor and measure your impact on the environment, and then put a plan in place to reduce it. In most cases the exercise is cost neutral, as there are nearly always savings that can be made. The ONLY way to succeed is if ALL of the senior management buy in 100%. It is not simply a certificate on the wall - you have to believe in what you are trying to do and sometimes stick your neck out if you want to be a leader. No-one can be a 'green crusader' on their own, it is only with support from the top down that a company can be successful - and that is why it is so good here at Canon.

Thank you for this great insight and for taking time out of your busy schedule to share this with me and our readers. Best of luck for 2010 and I look forward to hearing from you again regarding your planned improvements.

What say you? How is your organization becoming a Green Company? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Your voice counts!

2009-10-06T20:47:07-04:00

What is one of the activities and services AIIM is recognized for as an international leader in the industry? It is Research. That’s right, AIIM is an internationally recognized resource for industry research and this time the focus is on BPM.

Our current project, The 2009 Industry Watch survey titled “BPM – are we making the most of document-centric process” is now open and ready for your responses. We're looking for drivers and challenges, user experiences, ROI outcomes and buying intentions. Even if you feel that your document workflow projects might not count as full "BPM", we would still like to hear about them.

The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. If there is a question that you can't answer, simply skip it and move on to the next one. Please hit the Submit button even if you're bailing out, as all answers are useful to us. Those completing the survey will receive advance notification for a free download of the complete survey results, and will be entered in a prize draw to win the latest Panasonic Lumix ZS3 super-zoom compact digital camera worth $400 (£300).

To participate simply go to www.aiimhost.com/survey and answer the series of questions. This survey will be open for approximately two weeks so the time to act is now.

As if that was not enough, we have added an additional incentive. Those of you completing 6 of our AIIM surveys this year will be entered into an additional prize drawing to win an Apple MacBook Air worth $1,500 (£1,000) or the equivalent Sony Vaio.

We really do appreciate the support you give us on this - thanks for taking the time.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Impact: Access and Disposition

2009-10-01T22:14:01-04:00

What is Bob talking about now? There is no impact of Access and Disposition? If something is disposed of, it is not accessible and therefore this is a moot discussion, right? If you access something it is not disposed of therefore is it’s not an issue, you can find it. So what exactly does this mean, Impact: Access and Disposition?

We know that disposition is an aspect of content and records management that needs to be addressed. At some point in time content and records lose their value to an organization and at that point in its lifecycle we need to clear it away and dispose of it. So how does access impact disposition? That depends upon the circumstances. (I know, that’s a consultant answer but it is true.)

Let’s use insurance as an example. Regulation says that a policy can be destroyed seven years after termination of the policy. Using life insurance as an example, this may mean that the policy was cancelled or the policyholder has died. So according to regulation, after seven years the carrier can dispose of this policy, simple right? Let’s now add a twist. The regulation also says that if the policy is accessed for business reasons within that seven year period, the retention of seven years begins again once the policy is returned to storage. So as we see, access does impact disposition under certain conditions.

In this scenario we used records as the example but content should follow similar practices. As content becomes obsolete or no longer has value to the organization it should be removed and destroyed. In my view, organizations need to establish content retention policies and guidelines to purge their repositories of unwanted and unneeded content. Many feel that having this content for all time is a value unto itself yet as the same time it could also present a risk. If you have it, it is discoverable and even though it may appear to be harmless and inexpensive to maintain, if found, it could be used against you.

Put a value on your content and establish guidelines in managing it. Develop and implement disposition processes and train users on how to comply with these guidelines and processes. Use version controls for development of content and define when and how the content becomes the official version that would be used in times of audit or litigation.

What say you? How are you managing content disposition? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

I will also be in Chicago delivering an ECMp workshop at the Document Strategy Forum on October 6th and 7th. Will you be there?

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.