Integrative Document and Content Management: Strategies for Exploiting Enterprise Knowledge

Citation

McLeod, J. (2004), "Integrative Document and Content Management: Strategies for Exploiting Enterprise Knowledge", Records Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 51-52. https://doi.org/10.1108/09565690410528947

As its title suggests this book is about managing documents and Web content in an integrative way that aligns with business priorities and operations and meets record keeping requirements. In the foreword the President of AIIM International describes the book as “a recipe or cookbook” and I can think of no better adjectives. In a very clearly structured way it provides the perfect blend of theory and practice about each stage in the process of justifying, developing and implementing a successful integrative document and content management (IDCM) “solution”.

The style throughout is explanatory with many pointers, checklists, examples and templates that can be readily adopted and adapted to suit specific situations. The overviews, objectives and summaries in each chapter and the introduction to each of the four parts, along with the subject index, make it a book that can be “dipped” into as well as read from cover to cover and it has been written to appeal to a wide audience, from business managers and information professionals, in both the public and private sectors, to students.

Part 1, the business context, focuses on “understanding document and content management applications in the overall context of business planning at strategic, tactical and operational levels” (p. 165). The starting point is a review of the nature and role of documents in business and of the various technologies, which will be especially valuable for students and relative newcomers to any one of the areas/technologies covered, but which will also interest those with experience and a wide range of expertise. The statistics in this chapter are frightening and could be used to powerful effect, as could the diagram of the IDCM model. The authors then review current business environments and the challenges of managing documents produced and used in those environments, before exploring the nature of specific technologies or systems, such as workflow, e‐mail and Web content management, which make up an IDCM system as well as the interface between IDCM and core business systems for managing finance and customer relationships. Real case examples serve to illustrate opportunities and issues.

Part 2 comprises four chapters which, respectively, focus on “preparation through planning and initiating an IDCM project, developing a document policy, conducting feasibility studies and developing a business case for IDCM” (p. 165). The planning chapter carefully distinguishes between project and product development life cycles and asserts that planning and implementing an IDCM should follow the latter. The use of checklists and examples in this chapter ensures that it, like so many others, considers the theory in practice. The chapter on policy is an interesting one. Too often policy is highlighted as being crucial in providing the foundation or framework for successful information, document and/or records management, and yet is addressed in a vacuum. Here the authors succeed in rooting an IDCM policy firmly within the context of the organisation (enterprise) and its information policy, and capture this pictorially in another valuable diagram. The role of a feasibility study within the context of a requirements specification and how to approach such a study leads neatly into the final chapter of this part of the book – the business case. Alongside the utilisation of well known techniques such as SWOT, balanced scorecard and cost‐benefit analyses, are real examples of business cases for IDCM. These may align perfectly with your organisation’s requirements or at least provide ideas for developing your business case. A template for a business case report is also included.

Part 3 focuses on requirements analysis and definition and contains no fewer than ten shorter chapters. It sets the scene for the requirements analysis and specification and then considers user requirements in some detail. This is particularly refreshing as, all too often, only lip‐service is paid to this crucial area. The remaining chapters examine the functional requirements for the various “sub‐systems” of IDCM, from office documents (both physical and virtual) to e‐mail, workflow, technical and engineering drawings and Web content management, as well as the non‐functional requirements such as performance and integration.

The fourth and final part of the book is the shortest and focuses on the selection of an IDCM solution (i.e. package) and its implementation. The procurement process chapter distils a wide range of literature and will be particularly useful for those involved in this process for the first time. The chapter on implementation planning provides, amongst other things, succinct examples of evaluation and quality plans, training and change management strategies.

And so to the final chapter – conclusion – in which the authors warn of the dangers of ignoring or reacting to the challenges of information and document management. They acknowledge the degree of difficulty of the challenges, given the nature of legacy systems, the range of technologies and systems architecture, let alone the softer people and business issues, but recommend that “the challenges need to be addressed at the enterprise level, and the way forward can begin with an effective information policy, supported by associated document, content, records, and archival policies” (p. 486). The message is that integration is key as is synergy between policy, process, software, technology and most of all people.

In addition to the many real case examples, checklists and templates which pepper the text so well, there is a series of appendices which contain a handy glossary, bibliography, list of useful Web sites, software sites and a short commentary on storage media, although inevitably some of these will be time sensitive.

Overall, this is a dense book, packed full of both theory and practice (as befits the authors’ complementary knowledge and expertise). Anyone who has significant experience in one or more of the topics covered may feel the topics are not covered in sufficient depth but that, it seems to me, is not the purpose of this book. It is both an excellent starting point as well as a current reference point, which I will certainly recommend to students and colleagues alike and make good use of myself.