People, Process and Technology #2

So let's talk about PROCESS. As we can see from the Model that I have talked about previously, process is the heart of the the organisation and the centre of the MANAGE, PROCESS & DELIVER information flow. So we see that when ever we look to implement an ECM project or technology we are going to get involved with process, in some shape and form

Now this does not mean that we are going to put in workflow or a BPM technology. In fact if you have thought about the ECM model you will realise that managing the information is the first step to get in place, and by managing the information (content in context) you are assisting the current business processes with meaningful information that is of a better quality, which in turn will help people to do their jobs easier and more effectively.


Once you have started to manage the content effectively, you can then turn your attention to the business process itself and start asking questions such as:

• Why is our business process this way?
  Does our business process need to be this way?
• What outcome or output are we trying to achieve satisy from this process?
• What content is critical to the business process and at what stage is it required?
• What is the current format that we have, can it be simplified?
• Is there critical data that needs to be pulled from the content?
• Can we make peoples jobs easier if we simplify the format or the process?
• Can we give the customer or end recipient a more cost effective and better outcome service?

Once you have answered these question you will be in a more informed position to think and plan for any workflow improvements from a people, process and technology view. Often a simple change to the way that people interact with the information and the quaility of the information supplied can make a great difference.