Life is Complicated - Part Two
In my last post, Life is Complicated, I talked about the complexities of managing information at scale. The challenges ahead are huge. Life within an organization operating at large scale -- in locations around the world -- triples the complication, much more than pundits like me operating at a distance sometimes realize. Organizations face not only records management challenges, but also broader information management challenges – and how to seamlessly integrate rising information volumes into the critical need to digitize the business. You will recall the long list of problems for this Fortune 150 company in the Life is Complicated post.
I’m going to switch gears now, and from the same Fortune 150 company, here are the initiatives they want to drive to get things under control:
100% of our storage space governed.
Descriptive metadata for all files we save.
100% compliance with our retention policies.
Consistent application of our classification policies.
Access controls applied and updated on 100% of confidential files.
100% of enterprise applications have both retention and classification functionality.
Elimination of all Digital Landfills across the enterprise (no longer keeping ROT).
100% automation of retention by 2026.
100% measuring and metrics of ECM compliance.
Clear Business/IT model for ECM support.
100% electronic signatures or digital signing.
Only saving files that have business, legal or historical value.
Elimination of all paper storage contracts by 2025 (no more paper allowed).
Defensible destruction applied on all global hard copy storage contracts by 2024.
Eliminate the use of free ware and unapproved tools for collaboration.
Information Governance training for all employees and new training for on-boarding and leavers.
Governance applied at the beginning of the information lifecycle (creation).
Increase value placed on unstructured content and creation of a revenue stream based on that value.
No more confusion about information related terms and a firm understanding of content management.
Each function has a dedicated ECM leader to help advocate and train on ECM related compliance work.
So, as I think about this exhaustive list – I think I need coffee or a nap just typing it – a couple of imperatives come to mind that cut across the individual items in the list.
Automation – for compliance, retention, classification, disposition -- is key.
Without clear metrics, agreed up and down the organization, change will never occur.
Rising volumes and varieties of information mean that governance can no longer be left to the end of a process.
Embrace next-generation M365 governance capabilities.
Adopt a risk-based approach; start with the 70-80% of low-hanging fruit and resist the temptation to address everything.
Bigger, well-managed, imperfect information buckets are better than designing around each request for “special” treatment.
A while back, a content management veteran tossed out a line during a focus group that has stuck with me: “The biggest piece of advice I give people is to recognize that what we do is disruptive and hard and never really succeeds very well without carefully considered change management plans. What we do in information management – because it involves people and how they work – is THE most disruptive technology you can implement in an organization. We are in the disruption business.”
Yes, change in something as fundamental as how information is managed – ultimately, how work actually gets done – will never occur without 1) executive leadership; 2) a commitment to simplicity and automation; and 3) embracing change management.
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A few past posts that might be of interest….
ACTION ITEM for sell-side companies in the M365 ecosystem…
I’m closing out sponsorships soon for my M365 automated governance research project; just a few left.
Ping me at John.Mancini@MERConference.com to set up a quick chat.
ACTION ITEM for end user organizations…
Early registration for MER 2022 (May 10-12 in Indianapolis) is now open! HERE.