Julius Caesar had it right when he observed that “experience is the best teacher, and the worst experiences teach the best lessons.” How do I know? Because I’ve been helping organizations Do Information Right™ for a long time and have learned a great many lessons that you can benefit from without having to learn them the hard way.
Take these, for example:
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- People are only human. They are not comfortable with change, to the point where they would rather stay with the way things are even if they’re not especially consistent, efficient, or even logical. Nearly every client I’ve ever had has run up against this dynamic and has struggled to propagate their information governance message.
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- Technology alone isn’t the answer. Forget what you’ve heard or read, no piece of technology is going to solve your business problems – ESPECIALLY if you haven’t first taken the time to clearly articulate what those problems are. Many of my clients have run up against this dynamic and have struggled to get maximum value from their IT as a consequence.
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- In information governance, as in life, there ain’t no shortcuts. There’s lots to get done, and a fairly well established way of doing things. There’s nothing wrong with adapting your approach to address your particular situation. But actually skipping steps in an effort to get done more quickly rarely ends well. I’ve had clients who’ve tried to take short cuts and had to backtrack later on, running up costs and extending their timetable in the process.
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- Things can always be made better, but this doesn’t mean things are terrible now. Many consultants, vendors, presenters, and editors would have you believe information governance programs (and IT and process initiatives in general) are non-existent, broken, or outright failures. The fact is, however, that plenty are pretty OK. Clients in this position usually recognize that, for all the good they’ve already done, they could be doing more by, say, reviewing and updating their policies and procedures, rolling into new departments or geographies; or becoming involved in more traditional IT work like migration. These engagements are enormously fruitful for me and, most importantly, for those clients.
If you’re reading this, then I’m guessing you’ve had experiences that have led you to similar conclusions. Reach me TODAY and let’s figure out how to act on them together.
*Image credit: Farmers Insurance