5 Strategies to Get Buy-in for Document Management Software

WHITE PAPER WHITE PAPER - 5 Strategies to get Buy-in for Document Management SoftwareThe Challenges of Document and regulations surrounding document The management of information and theManagement storage and retrieval. technology that facilitates it is a burgeoning field known as enterprise contentIts no secret that todays businesses Anyone who has ever worked in an office management (ECM). According to thegenerate a massive amount of knows the frustration of sharing documents Association for Information and Imageinformation in a variety of formats. with colleagues. Without a centralized Management (AIIM) International, ECM isEven small and medium sized repository, documents are usually stored on defined as "the strategies, methods andbusinesses or corporate departments individual computers and emailed around tools used to capture, manage, store,deal with an unprecedented quantity on software falls under this definition as one ofof documents that must be stored, request. Worse, when an individual leaves the tools used to control the flow ofretrieved and shared across teams the company, his or her store of knowledge documents in the enterprise.or across the enterprise. While many and documents often leaves too.organizations are no longer dealing Documents are also subject to loss from Document management software provides awith paper-based systems, the hard drive failure variety of benefits to organizations of allchallenges of document if regular backups are not performed. sizes and across the spectrum of industries.management are similar, and even Many of these benefits can be quantified,more complex when dealing with Document management software is one will require understanding and measuringelectronic resources. sure way to bring order to the chaos caused both the tangible and intangible benefits by the proliferation of online resources. But that accrue.The flow of information and content todaysfrom the originator through economic climate is making it more Although document management softwareintermediaries and ultimately to the difficult than ever to justify new software provides these benefits and many more, therecipient can be long and tortuous. acquisitions. How can you make the case real benefit is in making business processesIn the absence of defined workflows for document better. Successful initiatives require projector some form of management management software at a time when teams to look beyond the requirements ofsystem, documents get bogged shrinking budgets and reduced resources individual end users to better understanddown in email inboxes and clog intensify the pressure to do even more with the business context associated withcorporate servers. Individuals trying less? different types of documents. Approachingto locate the most current version of document management from a businessa document often resort to querying This paper will explore some of the tangible context will ultimately yield the results thatcolleagues, searching aimlessly and intangible benefits of document business managers and end users reallythrough network file folders and management software, while also giving want - improved access to information inspending precious time trying to find you some concrete strategies for gaining relationship to their work activities andwhat they need. buy-in for the purchase of a document improved productivity. management product for your organization.Individual and team productivity arenot the only things that suffer whendocuments cant be located,versioned and guided through a Document management Software Provides the Answerdefined business process.Government regulations in manyindustries and privacy laws in manycountries set strict mandates on thetreatment of records. Companies riskfines and penalties if they are not incompliance with a wide range of laws Capture Manage Store Share Track Preserve© 2010, 2011 KnowledgeTree Inc www.KnowledgeTree.com | sales@KnowledgeTree.com

WHITE PAPER Tangible Intangible Improved productivity through rapid access to correct Reuse of existing content saves time, promotes consistent content and reduction in paper file handling branding and eliminates errors Reduced cost through adherence to optimized document Higher document quality and integrity result from improved workflow processes review and sign-off processes, versioning and check- in/check-out Reduced risk of non-compliance to government regulations due to established document retention and management Improved employee satisfaction and morale through guidelines access to the right content at the right time Rapid return to productivity following a disaster or data Lower email churn and bloat as employees stop using loss due to centralized document storage their inboxes as mini-document repositories Reduction in costs associated with maintaining paper Retention of knowledge assets and overall improved filing and storage systems access to corporate knowledge Elimination of the cost of re-creating lost documents Improved customer service through faster access to accurate information Secure, controlled, remote access to documents via the Internet no matter where an employee is located Higher levels of security through password protection and document encryption 5 Strategies to get Buy-In for Document Management Software Now that you understand the benefits of what is needed and how document document management software and what it management software can fulfill those needs. can do for your organization, you will now A high-level executive presence is also need to persuade key decision makers to required to facilitate the culture changes purchase the software. These strategies will needed to transition to a knowledge-sharing help you approach those decision makers in environment. If there are unspoken incentives the right way and with the relevant in place to hoard or limit access to information required to guide their decision in documents, then they must be acknowledged your favor. and addressed. An executive champion will have the authority to put a new incentive 1. Gain an early and committed structure in place that rewards knowledge executive sponsor who will champion sharing and builds a culture that supports the the project widespread use of document management software. Strong executive support is crucial for any project with the potential to transform This is true whether the document business processes and corporate culture. In management application is for a department initial stages, an executive sponsor will or an entire enterprise. Without a strong and understand and articulate the broad committed champion, the project will falter objectives of the initiative to other senior or may never get off the ground. managers. He or she may lead a cross-functional committee that gathers 2. Build a tight business case requirements from departments, formulates a request for proposals and conducts vendor Tie the tangible benefits of document evaluations. The executive champion should management with measurable results to encourage communication and listening among justify the cost; and determine the indirect teams who may have different ideas about measures that can be used to track progress© 2010, 2011 KnowledgeTree Inc www.KnowledgeTree.com | sales@KnowledgeTree.com

WHITE PAPER against achievement of non-quantifiable rollout of document management software. software initiative, but you also need a benefits. Before undertaking a project, it is product that supports your objectives without important to identify which benefits you 4. Show similar examples of success: straining your budget. Thats where expect to achieve. If all your expected KnowledgeTree comes in. benefits are intangible, you may have a Rarely is anything more convincing than the tougher sell than if you have a combination. successes and testimonials of third-parties in KnowledgeTree makes Document Management Think about current ways that your similar situations. Spend some time Easier organization measures cost, productivity and researching published case studies on the risk and how you might be able to use installation of document management As you make your case to decision-makers, quantifiable data to demonstrate results. You technology in other organizations. Speak with keep in mind that KnowledgeTree offers some may be able to show intangible benefits people in similar industries who have significant advantages over other document through more subjective assessments, such as implemented document management management software in the market today. the outcome of an employee survey that rates solutions. Learning how other companies with Collectively, these advantages make it easier satisfaction with current processes, versus comparable business challenges have for your organization to adopt document those processes implemented via the benefited may help you further convey the management concepts and practices quickly. document management software. value of the initiative to your decision makers. Case studies can be obtained on many vendor • KnowledgeTree is easy to use: A simple and Take the time to do some benchmarking at the web sites as well as from objective sources intuitive web interface decreases the outset and it will also pay off when youre including industry publications, analysts and learning curve and enables faster time to called on to justify the system later on. professional associations. Visiting with other value. Benchmarks are a valuable tool for convincing companies that have implemented the doubters that a system is warranted. If you solution you’re considering can also provide • KnowledgeTree works with multiple can visibly demonstrate that the time taken platforms: Designed to integrate with your you with real-world reference cases you can by a current process can be reduced using existing infrastructure, KnowledgeTree share with executive leadership. document management technology, youll have provides powerful document management an easier time swaying the doubters and capabilities without disrupting the way you 5. Learn about best practices: nay-sayers. Dont get discouraged -- building work. an effective business case is challenging for a Many organizations have had bad experiences • KnowledgeTree is affordable: With a low variety of reasons: processes are complex; with system implementations that have total cost of ownership, KnowledgeTree benefits are difficult to quantify; and external dragged on too long, cost too much and then puts comprehensive document management benchmarks are hard to find. But a strong didnt deliver results. In todays economic software within your reach. business case is necessary for management environment, technology buyers are • KnowledgeTree is open source: With access sign-off in even the best of times, and even understandably wary of making an investment to the source code, youre not locked into a more necessary now that budgets have shrunk. that could cost them their jobs if it goes sour. single proprietary vendor and you also get A careful study of best practices helps avoid the benefit of innovations from an active 3. Find quick wins to get the initiative known pitfalls. Take the time to learn from developer community. off to a good start: the mistakes of others rather than repeating them. KnowledgeTree is a sensible choice during If you want to be sure of showing these tough economic times. Its affordable demonstrable ROI for a document You can often find best practices during your price makes it an excellent choice for pilot management technology investment, you may review of case studies, or from professional projects and document management want to start with a small pilot project that societies for document and information proof-of-concepts as you build a business case. has clear objectives and can demonstrate managers. Conferences and seminars will give And its flexibility and ease of use make it quick wins. Start by identifying one or two you access to people willing to share their ideal for organizations of all sizes -- even pain points. For example, an easy win would expertise and their mistakes. Keep in mind those with limited IT resources. involve identifying and eliminating an obvious that studying best practices requires source of duplication of effort. Others could analytical skill along with the ability to The need for effective document management be streamlining a lengthy review and approval accurately document the processes or doesnt diminish because the economy is process to a couple of quick steps, or reducing activities in question, recommend refinements troubled. In fact, those organizations who the time to productivity of new employees and incorporate them. For best practices to increase productivity without adding head through improved access to policies, become a way of life in the organization, a count are the ones most likely to survive the procedures and information. team effort is required since entrenched economic downturn. Investing in affordable, practices and culture may need to change. easy to use document management software This kind of internal, anecdotal evidence is like KnowledgeTree could give you an edge powerful stuff when it comes to Following these strategies will help ensure the where it counts. demonstrating the value of a larger-scale success of your document management© 2010, 2011 KnowledgeTree IncThis work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/ or send a letter toCreative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

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5 Strategies to Get Buy-in for Document Management Software

by KnowledgeTree Inc. on Feb 27, 2011

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5 Strategies to Get Buy-in for Document Management Software — Document Transcript