New Electronic Content Management (ECM) System

So, it's been a while since I started a new project with an organization that has not worked with an ECM (Electronic Content Management) system. This could be ERP, SAP, Document Management, BPM, CM, or others. It's interesting walking into an organization that is 100% paper-based and start talking about metadata, objects, classes, document types, etc.

Key Tip

Think of metadata as the driver of the process, not the document. While the document might be necessary, the metadata will be the key piece in all actions taken around the document.

If anyone is in this situation, I believe you need to think about what type of system they need and the company you choose to help implement that system. Ensure that the company has been around that platform for years and has experience taking someone with no ECM understanding to full platform expansion. Ask if they have done that before. Ask how they would help you understand the verbiage and how much it will take to get live. How do they handle Change Management in this circumstance? The only way to have a successful rollout and user adoption is to ensure it's rolled out with an excellent user experience.

Once you have selected your vendor and platform, there are a few steps you will need to take along with some tips and tricks. Analyze your current paper system and work together to develop a Digital Transformation Strategy. You will need to consider securing your hardware and software while defining Policies and Procedures. Start with a smaller project that has a good ROI. Ensure you do a lot of training and testing, as this will be crucial to your success. Don’t get frustrated if you find bugs in testing; it’s an iterative process that can take multiple phases to get it right. When you are ready to Implement, do another round of in-depth testing with your power users before you bring everyone on board.

Also, ensure you are ready to commit; ECM projects can be long and require much patience and trust. Good luck, and I hope this helps.