Volume 2

Issue 2

June 2005

In the news Ammunition to Help Build your Business Case Scott Abel The Content Wrangler abelsp@netdirect.net If you're looking to convince your boss that content management is a smart move, you're going to need some ammunition. In this installment of In the news, you'll find links to web sites where you can learn about the hurdles preventing some organizations from adopting content management, what the common business drivers are, and how to determine total cost of implementation. Knowing this information up front can help you make the case for adopting content management, prepare an appropriate budget, and develop a reasonable project plan to help you avoid the mistakes made by others. Implementing XML Content Management: Hurdles and Reasons Information Mapping conducted a Content Management Solution survey in January 2005 with results tabulated and analyzed in March and April 2005. The survey was conducted to understand how organizations have prepared to implement CMS, the extent to which XML strategies are utilized, and the decision process for doing so. Although full demographic information on respondents is not available, the results are inclusive of 380 complete responses from a diverse set of industries, job titles, and organization types. Results of the Survey include: 69% of respondants have no plans to execute an XML strategy for content management. According to respondants, issues affecting the adoption of XML content management include: Insufficient XML talent pool Shortage of mature XML authoring tools Lack of stable standards Numerous customizations required to make software solutions work Reduced IT budgets Nearly one-third of respondants claim to have implemented an XML-based content management solution, despite these reasons. Why did they do so? According to the survey results, regulatory compliance is the primary driver. Another major reason for change is the need for highly structured procedural documentation. Still others said the move to XML content management was part of an overarching enterprise information architecture initiative or a byproduct of recognizing the importance of treating content as a business asset, worthy of being efficiently managed. When asked what the biggest obstacle to adopting XML content management, 30% said cost justification (showing return on investment), followed closely by concerns that such a project could not be completed quickly. Download a copy of the survey results: http://www.infomap.com/rc/articles_whitepapers/cm%20Solution%20Survey.doc. Web Content Management Implementation Spending In Spending Patterns During CMS Implementation (June 1, 2005), James Robertson explores three main phases of web content management projects - Implementation, Adoption and Enhancement - and provides recommendations for planning. Robertson says the biggest spending on web content projects occurs during implementation. Common implementation expenses include: Software installation Layout and design Content modeling Legacy content conversion/migration Testing Training Read the article here: http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/cmb_spendingcms/index.html Determining Total Cost of Implementing a Content Management System If need to convince upper management why your organization should move to cotent management, Martin White has information you need. In The Content Management Handbook (2005, Facet Publishing), White discusses how important it is to take into account Total Cost of Ownership before selecting a content management system. Read more about The Content Management Handbook here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856045331/ref=ase_steptwodesign-21/202-3519585-3751803. Buying Plans, Business Drivers and Implementation Challenges AIIM, the enteprise content management (ECM) association, is an excellent resource for those involved in content management budgeting and return on investment planning. The organization recently conducted a survey of content management professionals in England, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Canada, United States, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemboug). The survey, entitled Payback Time: The Practical Application of ECM Technologies (href=http://www.aiim.org/industry-watch.asp) examined buying plans, core business drivers, and implementation challenges. According to AIIM, "Respondents came from a variety of industries, with significant representation from Manufacturing (5%); the IT Industry (9%); Banking, Finance, and Insurance (13%); and Government, Defense, and Public Services (28%). Small organizations (199 employees) represented 30% of the overall sample, medium-sized organizations (100-1,000 employees) were 28%, and large organizations (over 1,000 employees) were 42%. Those characterizing themselves as `looking at my first ECM project, still have a lot to learn' represented 30% of the sample; 20% were enhancing an initial system; 45% characterized themselves as `experienced-looking at a 2nd or subsequent project'." The survey found that cost (45%) is the primary driver for adopting content management, while customer service improvements ranked second (31%), and risk reduction (24%) third. Cost drivers include: Improving efficiency Reducing expenses Increasing profits Improving performance Customer service drivers include: Improving customer service Maintaining a competitive advantage of the competition Improving turnaround time Increasing response times Risk reduction drivers include: Compliance Risk management Business continuity While cost reduction is the dominant reason for adopting ECM, customer- and risk-related drivers are rising in importance, compared to a similar survey conducted last year. Other AIIM survey findings include: Scale and scope of implementation affect obstacles. Problems shift- from getting senior management commitment and defining requirements to issues including change management, developing and maintaining employee commitment, and content integration. ECM projects need to be extremely practical and offer a clear payback. Email management, forms, and security are rising concerns. "Mid-sized" organization (those with 100 to 1,000 employees) understand the need to get their core document requirements under control and represent a huge untapped market. Solution providers will need to adjust their pricing (lower) to tap into this market. Despite having the most litigious culture in the world, users in the U.S. are not as aware as they should be of the importance of managing electronic information. Ironically, U.S. users are the least confident among the countries surveyed in the integrity of their electronic records. The percentage of end-users that have purchase plans exceeding $1 million for ECM technologies rose from 17% in 2003-2004 to 19% in 2004-2005 (among those reporting purchasing intentions). Detailed statistics are included in the full version of the AIIM survey and are available here: http://www.aiim.org/industry-watch.asp. If you'd like to learn how to document expected return on investment, consider attending the AIIM webinar, "Achieving Results Through ROI Analysis," August 10, 2005 (2:00pm EST). The presenter, Bud Porter-Roth, will look at the component parts of a typical ECM system and review what is needed to generate a credible ROI for each component. Included will be a discussion on hard dollar returns, soft dollar returns, simple value-added propositions and who should participate in formulating the ROI. Register at http://www.aiim.org/webinar-events.asp?ID=3274.