Select and Implement an Enterprise Content Management Solution
Understand the ECM vendor market, make an informed decision, and take a bottom-up, process-based approach for an agile solution implementation.
- Organizations everywhere are transforming their information management practices, and look to introduce or update enterprise content management (ECM) solutions as a foundational piece.
- The ECM market is confusing and there is a need to disambiguate the players, shortlist and evaluate solutions, and arrive at a vendor decision.
- ECM technology is in a mature and saturated market, but not all solutions compare equally and understanding the nuances is a daunting task.
- ECM ends up serving many different use cases across the organization; coordinating and satisfying all of these needs requires a structured approach.
- Organizations often underestimate the effort involved with content transformations and attempt to roll out to too many areas at once.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- ECM is a key piece of digital transformation. Quality information provides a foundation for innovation.
- No single ECM platform will satisfy all needs. The final solution for total content management will include add-ons, customization, network drives, and data and app integrations.
- ECM technology on its own is not enough. To truly realize the benefits of ECM on an on-going basis a program is needed to manage it as a capability.
Impact and Result
- Understand where you want to go by setting an ECM program vision aligned to your organization's greater enterprise information management (EIM) vision, and by structuring your ECM selection and implementation project accordingly.
- Align your ECM solution selection to the organization’s broader ECM/EIM system architecture (including network drives, other content management products, data architectures, and enterprise or LOB applications).
- Explore the ECM vendor market through a use-case lens and benchmark performance of key functions to make an informed decision about requirements and priorities.
- Structure and conduct due diligence activities when evaluating solutions in order to validate vendors' claims during the selection process and arrive at a confident vendor selection.
- Implement the ECM program gradually, and in a way that avoids common pitfalls, overcomes resistance to change, and minimizes the need for costly re-work, by following Info-Tech’s bottom-up, process-based approach for ECM.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Washington State Department of Ecology
Guided Implementation
9/10
$101K
120
Polk County Tax Collector
Guided Implementation
10/10
$31,833
50
I don't really have any worst parts but, the best part was getting guidance on how to begin our project and also creating a methodology how to iden... Read More
Government of New Brunswick
Guided Implementation
6/10
N/A
N/A
Analysts should start the call by reviewing the Analyst Request form we've submitted, to ensure we're covering the questions we've asked. Sorry, i... Read More
EQT Corporation
Guided Implementation
9/10
$2,546
5
Best - Analyst was very knowledgeable on the subject. Worst - nothing at this time
Workshop: Select and Implement an Enterprise Content Management Solution
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Structure the Vendor Selection Project
The Purpose
- Level-set facilitator and workshop participant understanding of organizational context and objectives, workshop itinerary, and ECM solution vision and mission.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Unambiguous ECM solution selection project plan.
- Organizational consensus on ECM solution vision and mission.
Activities
Outputs
Workshop introduction and overview of activities.
- Stakeholder understanding of workshop itinerary and cadence
Complete organizational context assessment to level-set understanding.
- Facilitator understanding of organizational context
Review and finalize project drivers, objectives, and timelines.
- Unambiguous ECM solution selection project plan
Determine ECM solution vision and mission statements.
- ECM solution vision and mission statements
Module 2: Gather ECM Functional Requirements and Perform Gap Analysis
The Purpose
- Determine what the business needs to get out of the ECM solution.
- Identify which ECM use cases are a focus for the organization.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Business and ECM solution alignment.
- Understand vendor performance relative to ECM use cases.
Activities
Outputs
Gather ECM business requirements from stakeholders (as per scope of workshop) through interviews and focus groups.
- List of ECM solution business requirements
Perform ECM use-case assessment.
- ECM use-case report
Review use-case results with relevant stakeholders.
- Stakeholder consensus on ECM use cases
Review vendor strengths and weaknesses relative to use-case assessment.
- Stakeholder understanding of ECM vendor performance relative to use cases
Module 3: Develop RFP and Plan Selection Process
The Purpose
Draft an RFP to support the ECM solution selection process.
Key Benefits Achieved
ECM use case defined.
Activities
Outputs
Translate business requirements into functional and technical ECM solution requirements.
- List of functional and technical ECM solution requirements
Shortlist ECM vendors.
- ECM vendor shortlist
Determine vendor selection due diligence and timelines.
- Clearly defined ECM system selection process
Develop RFP in alignment with selection due diligence.
- Completed RFP document
Module 4: Build Consensus for Vendor Selection Project
The Purpose
Build consensus for the ECM vendor selection project among key stakeholders in your organization.
Key Benefits Achieved
Buy-in from key stakeholders for your ECM solution selection project.
Activities
Outputs
Meet with project manager to discuss workshop results, action items, and next steps.
- Workshop stakeholder presentation
Present a workshop debrief to seniors and stakeholders.
- Buy-in from key organizational stakeholders
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 7 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation 1: Launch the ECM project and collect requirements
- Call 1: Identify organizational fit for ECM.
- Call 2: Create the project plan.
- Call 3: Plan requirements gathering steps.
Guided Implementation 2: Select an ECM solution
- Call 1: Discuss the use-case fit assessment results and the Vendor Landscape.
- Call 2: Perform a contract review.
Guided Implementation 3: Plan your ECM implementation
- Call 1: Create an implementation plan.
- Call 2: Discuss roll-out of processes and hand-over to operations.
Contributors
- Anonymous, Mining & Metals Industry
- Anonymous, Aviation Industry
- Christopher Wynder, Director of Client Services, ThinkDox
- Darren Kao, ECM IT Architect & Co-Founder, M-Forz Technology
- Deborah Ochsenreiter, IT Senior Programmer Analyst/ECM Project Lead, SDFCU
- Ilidia Sa Melo, Deputy City Clerk & Manager of Information Management and Archives, City of Cambridge
- Serafin A. Gonsalves, ECM Programme Manager, Financial Services Industry
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