The 'E' in ECM Stands for Efficient Processes

At the recent AIIM Expo I had the privilege to lead a panel, "When E Means Big," where customers revealed lessons learned in truly huge ECM deployments, as opposed to the "regular" world of ECM. What struck me was how the discussion barely touched on technology, but instead gravitated toward such issues as governance, strategy, funding and ownership. A strong consensus emerged on the need for a detailed mid- to long-term strategy for ECM, that business cases needed to take into account cross-departmental processes and concerns, and that nearly all ECM at this scale is underpinned in some way by BPM (Business Process Management).

And most surprising: none of the panelists saw compliance as a key reason to deploy ECM tools. In their minds the only grounds for procuring such systems was good old-fashioned cost reduction and process improvement. This viewpoint appears to fly in the face of surveys and polls suggesting the opposite, but in line with anecdotal evidence for consultants and SI's who contributed to our recent ECM Suites Report research. Compliance is important, but improving the bottom line is essential...And most surprising: none of the panelists saw compliance as a key reason to deploy ECM tools. In their minds the only grounds for procuring such systems was good old-fashioned cost reduction and process improvement. This viewpoint appears to fly in the face of surveys and polls suggesting the opposite, but in line with anecdotal evidence for consultants and SI's who contributed to our recent ECM Suites Report research. Compliance is important, but improving the bottom line is essential...

Alan Pelz-Sharpe is a principal analyst at CMS Watch. Write him at [email protected]At the recent AIIM Expo I had the privilege to lead a panel, "When E Means Big," where customers revealed lessons learned in truly huge enterprise content management deployments. A strong consensus emerged on the need for a detailed mid- to long-term strategy for ECM… and that nearly all ECM at this scale is underpinned in some way by BPM (Business Process Management).