User Needs Drive A Solid ECM Business Case

Creating the right business case for your enterprise content management (ECM) implementation requires aligning user needs with technology capabilities. Technology-driven projects have failed due to a lack of user adoption. Enterprise Architecture (EA) Professionals should consider the type of content to be managed (business or transactional) and the desired business outcome (improved productivity or regulatory compliance) as they frame the case. The right business case involves both a clear set of user requirements and a plan to measure return on investment (ROI) to communicate the value of the project to the executive team.

For many years, organizations have justified the implementation of an ECM solution for one of two reasons: productivity or compliance. Over the past six years, we've seen a shift from compliance to productivity drivers as organizations try to help workers access and share validated trusted information. Firms invest in these new ECM projects to increase productivity in a specific business area and increase flexibility in the work environment. ECM features like automated workflow drive process change, leading to an increase in efficiencies.

Agenda:

• ECM business cases often don't address the best use cases.
• ECM shelfware is rampant.
• Align the business case to organizational priorities.

Key takeaways:

• Focus the business case on the organizational pains.
• Quantifying ROI is simpler for transactional ECM solutions than for business solutions.
• User adoption is the key to a successful implementation.