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Alan Pelz-Sharpe

Change methodologies and ECM

5-Jul-2007

Tags: Document Management (ECM)

People have always debated whether or not to embrace formal management and change methodologies when implementing enterprise content management (ECM). Should you employ a formal methodology or just use your best judgment and experience? I think you need both.

ECM (just like Business Process Management) is going to have a major change on your enterprise -- if it is not then something has gone wrong. For these are tools for change, and implemented well will have a major impact on your daily operations. But the effort typically involves 80% business analysis and process management and only 20% technology. Your focus needs to be correspondingly directed mainly to the change process. To quote my ex-Wipro colleague David Smigiel,

"...the business is typically adverse to putting the time and discipline into the analysis that needs to be done to elicit the process details....the consultants/IT usually take the path of least resistance and rather than walk away from projects that minimize the value of process analysis they move forward usually with technology as the focus..."

Following a formal methodology does not allow you to take these kind of disastrous shortcuts. Rather it draws you back repeatedly to the important process analysis and change management activities so many would rather ignore. Of course methodologies are not a panacea for all that ails you -- they are no more than a structure. But in conjunction with your best judgment and experience they can keep things on the right track.

ECM projects that focus most of their efforts on the software deployment will seldom succeed. Sure, the software is important and complex to deploy (see our ECM Suites Report), but this pales in comparison to the complexity and importance of the business you are aiming to improve by using it.