Someone came to me once and said “We’ve got boxes of paper records all over the place – in the hallways, in people’s workspaces, never mind in the THREE outside warehouses we have just to store the old stuff. The fire marshal is now on my back to clear it all away so people can get out if there’s an emergency. Can you help us?”
“Sure,” I said, “I do this kind of thing all the time. But what you just described is a symptom of a bigger problem, which is the need for information governance – which not only will let you clear the decks but will also let you stop having to sort through basically everything every time you need something.”
They liked the sound of this, so we ended up doing what we do, which is to talk to people all around the place to understand what they do with the information they work with. This helped us identify where the bulk of the information was coming from, which systems it landed in, how often (and efficiently) it was moved around to be worked on, and even why it was there in the first place.
Not surprisingly, paper was a popular medium of choice – and though some good technology did exist, it was severely underutilized.
With this intel now in our pockets, we then asked, “What do you want things to look like in the future?” Working this question through let us figure out how to get from here to there by enhancing the client’s policies, processes, and technologies, and shattering their entrenched culture of bureaucratic status-quo.
The result? A solid plan for reinventing the way this organization works with paper records and their electronic equivalents while letting people do what they do – WITHOUT having to reinvent their jobs or themselves.
This is what happens when you Do Information Right™ – if you agree, then reach me TODAY and let’s get you going right now.