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What Does the Obama Administration’s Records Management Directive Mean to You?

February 4th, 2013 by Bill Thomas

On November 28, 2011, President Obama signed the “Presidential Memorandum – Managing Government Records.” This marked the beginning of an Executive Branch-wide effort to reform records management policies and practices and to develop a new framework for the management of records. The primary benefits expected of this effort include an improved performance and promotion of openness and accountability by better documenting agency actions and decisions as well as a move toward minimizing costs and operating more efficiently.

The important question is what does the directive tell us about sound records management approaches in general – both in the public and the private sector?

Here are the specifics of the mandate:

By 11/15/2012, agencies must designate a Senior Agency Official (SAO).
By 12/31/2013, SAO shall ensure that Permanent Records are identified for transfer and reported to NARA (National Archives and Records Administration).
By 12/31/2014, agency Records Officers must obtain NARA Certificate of Federal Records Management Training.
By 12/31/2014, agencies must establish Records Management Training.
By 12/31/2016, SAO shall ensure that records are scheduled.
By 2016, Federal agencies will manage both permanent and temporary email records in an accessible electronic format.
By 2019, Federal agencies will manage all permanent electronic records in an electronic format.

A couple of points of clarification:

This mandate only applies to Federal Government agencies; however, it is expected to eventually flow down to state governments as well (it’s just not mandated yet).
The SAO designation is a high level, strategic effort to identify electronic information as the key information in an organization. This strategic direction will have and is having an impact in the private sector as well (the same type of roadmap is also expected to generally apply to private companies). This position is being formalized and there will be further developments regarding training and certification.

The Directive reinforces that:

Records and Information Management is strategic, not just tactical.
The creation of a formal occupational series for records management employees will elevate the responsibilities and skill sets of agency records officers.
Agencies are to eliminate paper and use electronic record-keeping as much as possible.
Agencies are to consider records management issues when using cloud computing services for data storage.
Collaboration with key stakeholders is a fundamental requirement.
People, process, and technology are partners in success.
Change management cannot be ignored.

LEAN Goes to the Back Office - Four Ways to Materially Cut Back Office Costs

February 22nd, 2012 by Paul Engel

Four Ways to materially cut your back office costs

For years now, manufacturing has enjoyed tremendous attention to detail in improving the manufacturing process. Whether it be Six Sigma, Kaizen or other popular techniques, the focus has been on squeezing the fat out of the process, removing all non-value added activities.

It is time now to apply the same thinking to back office systems, and in a radical way. Incremental improvements in document management and storage to eliminate a file cabinet here, and a copying expense there will not achieve today’s goals.

Four Ways to improve back office performance

· Increase speed of processes and retrieval

· Decrease personnel cost and increase quality

· Improve customer service

· Increase market responsiveness

Your goals should not be for 1% improvement, or even 5% improvement, but 20,30 even 80% improvement in these areas.

Your first step in achieving these goals is Process Re-engineering. Start with a blank sheet of paper. Discard your preconceptions. Define your work objectives. Draw your current processes out, and then eliminate any process that does not add value. You MUST fix your processes before automating them. If you start with a mess and automate it, you end up with an automated mess!

Next, imagine that the ideal technology exists to support these processes. What would it do? How would it allow you to improve the speed and personnel cost? A good starting place is to look at the length each task takes to perform. The longer a task takes to perform, the more likely it could respond well to the use of technology. Also look at those steps in the process where workflow is waiting on action. Is there a way to eliminate that wait, reroute the process if the wait exceeds a limit, or improve the likelihood that the action will occur?

Now, let’s focus on Quality. Where are errors occurring in the process? Are your employees hijacking a standard policy or procedure, implementing their own approach, which leads to errors down the line? Are your processes documented so that your entire quality control process is not walking out the door every night? Are your processes enforced via rule based technology? Are your processes subject to routine audits to ensure constant improvement? Current technology should enable a rules-driven process where 80% of your transactions are handled instantaneously without a human touch. Connect everything you do with the Customer. Examine every business process and ask “How does this help our Customers? How does this help increase revenue or reduce costs?” Improvement must increase revenue, decrease cost, reduce risk or improve customer satisfaction.

Improving internal customer satisfaction is key as well. Most organizational departments are interdependent, and a change in one department may actually shift costs to another department. LEAN goes to back office means all of the back office functions (and the front office ones as well) that interconnect. For example, imagine an A/R process. It is not a standalone within accounting, it must also interact with Sales (from order origination to customer interaction), Shipping and Receiving, Logistics, Manufacturing, Human Resources, IT, ERP systems and potentially other parts of the organization. For this reason, any LEAN activity must examine the implications for all of the interconnected parts of the organization.

Look at the resulting vision. Does it allow the organization to respond quickly and cost effectively to its customers? Does it allow the organization to rapidly adapt to changing circumstances, rolling out new products, new sales campaigns and new organizational structure quickly?

When reaching the implementation phase, most organizations immediately become wrapped up in the detail features and functions of the technology systems they think they need. This is a mistake. Keep in mind that 80% of the effectiveness of your LEAN initiatives will result from the effectiveness of the new processes in achieving the goals. Of the remaining 20% that could be attributed to the effectiveness of the technology, 80% of the effectiveness of technology is associated with the successful implementation of that technology, with only 20% being associated with the specific details of features and functions.

· Process first

· Implementation second

· Technical features last

Start your work in-house first, thinking about ways you can strip away all work processes until you get to the essence of each task, and then brainstorm on how this will optimize its business performance. Consider all possible organizational interactions, but start small with some easy quick-hit solutions to prove your case. Then, if necessary, engage a trusted advisor to help you organize and document the process and implement the technologies across the organization. Often, this advisor will know the technology better than you and will see even more opportunities for improvement.

Once the entire organization sees what can be accomplished with a few pilot projects implementing LEAN in the back office, the rest will stampede to follow.

Death and Taxes…and Change

September 9th, 2011 by Paul Engel

There are two certainties in life, as the saying goes, death and taxes. To this list, there should be added a third…change. When recently approached to speak at a national conference later this month regarding managing change, I jumped at the chance. Why? Because change is the essence of our culture. With a prevalent and systemic attitude of get on board or get out of my way, change permeates every facet of our lives.

At VeBridge, change came home in August. We said goodbye to Tom Musgrave, hello to Rob Gower, and anxiously anticipate a move to a new location.

After a decade with VeBridge Tom, a senior account executive, retired. With a promise to spend more time with his family, (particularly his grandson), hit the links, and enjoy volunteer work, Tom is welcoming his new found free time. He left his legacy here at VeBridge touching more than half of our 230 customers. We wish him every happiness as he embarks on his new journey enjoying the change it brings to his life.

As we say goodbye to one employee, another receives greetings. Rob Gower joined VeBridge on August 29^th. With nine years of marketing and sales experience, Rob brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role as the Strategic Markets Manager. You may recognize his name as he spent time working with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. A Lexington resident, Rob, and his new wife Jess, spend their free time working with the Mercer County Band and Color Guard. So, if you’re at a football game or a band competition this fall and Mercer County is playing, you’re likely to see Rob! We extend a warm welcome to Rob and know he will add instant value to our team and to our customers.

Last, but not least, VeBridge is moving! After almost 10 years in our downtown location, we have outgrown our space! We are planning, coordinating, and fretting…mostly planning. Our estimated date of arrival in our new location is the end of October. Change is definitely upon us! Where are we moving? Would you like to guess? Send your best guess to info@vebridge.com. All correct responses received by September 15^thwill be eligible for a drawing to receive an iPad! (A hint: “Nay, it’s not downtown!”)

The third certainty in life, change, is sometimes scary, sometimes exciting, and sometimes somewhat daunting. We hope you join us in celebrating the changes we’re making at Team VeBridge to better serve our customers and our community.

I Thought I Bought a Cheeseburger but…

August 1st, 2011 by Paul Engel

There you are – sitting in your car – pulling away from the drive-thru window. You masterfully merge out onto the interstate, open the bag, and there’s a fish sandwich. Not a problem, except for the fact that you ordered a double cheeseburger. Or did you? An analogy stretch in the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solution world, or is it?

In the day and age when Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions are packaged and sold without understanding the underlying business issues and driving organizational need behind the purchase, what you see isn’t necessarily what you get. So, shop (and order) carefully.

How do I know if the vendor understands what I need?

If the vendor says to you, “this will work, it works for all of our customers – let me bag it up for you”, then run while you can. Worthwhile ECM solutions are not “one-size-fits-all” and, more often than not, an off-the-shelf solution may not be the fit you’re looking for.

Partner with vendors who are willing to invest time upfront in the discovery process to understand who, what, when, where, how and why you do things the way you do. This interactive process has a number of benefits. First, the vendor understands the processes most critical to your business and can leverage best practices and procedures harvested from other projects in your implementation. Additionally, you ensure your organization is taking advantage of the various functions and features the technology affords, while simultaneously increasing efficiency and materially lowering costs. Also, the implemented solution is configured to meet your needs rather than changing the way you do business to accommodate the solution. Finally, until the vendor knows the intricacies of your problems and processes, they can’t say, “sorry, our solution just isn’t a fit.” (Imagine hearing that!) In other words, you won’t have a lingering bad taste in your mouth after your needs assessment experience.

Is cost an issue?

Usually. But the old adage, you get what you pay for certainly applies in the ECM world. Make coupon clippers proud by validating the total cost of ownership includes, at a minimum, project management, software, hardware, implementation services (document capture, application training, go-live support, etc.), conversion services (if applicable), and support services (both during implementation and thereafter). Pricing will vary – even the playing field and make sure you’re comparing apples to apples, or in our case cheeseburgers to cheeseburgers.

Talk to existing customers.

Due diligence as a purchaser means minimizing your organization’s risk. This can be accomplished any number of ways and reference checking is critical. You might ask friends about favorite places to dine in the area or request a taste test before going all in on your selection (maybe not in the burger world but definitely in the ice cream world), so why not take the time to contact vendor references? It is imperative that you understand the scope of the work performed by the vendor for that specific project. So, ask questions and then ask more questions. This is as close as you’ll get to seeing if it will work for you before you implement a solution of your own. And if you really want to see the vendor at work, then visit their offices. See how they do what they do. In this case, seeing is believing!

Purchasing an ECM is an investment – one that is worth spending the necessary time upfront to ensure the right solution is selected. From discovery to reference checking, the time it takes to perform these tasks is necessary and critical to project success. If you want and need a cheeseburger, buy a cheeseburger. If you need a fish sandwich, buy a fish sandwich. Don’t get “on the road” and be surprised by what’s in the bag.

Darkest Before Dawn

July 5th, 2011 by Paul Engel

Does “darkest before dawn” describe your organization’s view with respect to migrating off legacy imaging and file systems? Has your existing document management system vendor ridden off into the sunset? Is your existing system on its figurative or literal “last leg”? You are not alone. Many early DMS adopters now contemplating a transition to a new enterprise content management system are apprehensive about the transformational shift. And yet, the realization is imminent – the way of doing business today is not working – it’s costly – and hugely inefficient.

In our experience, organizations continue to struggle with the following challenges:

· Growing maintenance fees for legacy systems representing only a small percentage licenses used

· Resource and time drain created by manual processes and workarounds

· Lack of resources to effectively plan migration and validation efforts

· Zero visibility into “ginormous” volumes of data tucked away in disparate systems

· Compliance issues resulting from requirements to retain records indefinitely

· Legal and business risk and implications resulting from sensitive data being stored insecurely

· Fears that current content will not be properly and completely moved to a new system, leaving the organization at risk

· Doing more with less – significantly less, but continuing to maintain quality and increase customer satisfaction

What to do? Find a partner experienced in moving clients from legacy document management systems to modern Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems. Your organization will reap the benefits nearly instantaneously – adding dollars to the bottom line, limiting migration costs, streamlining operations, minimizing process inefficiencies, and achieving regulatory compliance.

Organizations that have upgraded to newer, more robust ECM solutions have seen:

· A return on investment in 3-9 months – real money created by eliminating the cash drain caused by manual processes riddled with naturally occurring errors

· Redeployment of resources through task and process automation

· Transparent data and processes – management visibility never “seen” before

· Improved regulatory compliance with organized, accessible digital business records

· Decreased legal and business liability

· Elimination of custom modifications produced using technology that is no longer supported

· Reinvigorated functionality provided by a vendor that is making major investments in ECM rather than operating customer harvests

The sun will inevitably rise and the darkness will dissipate. Is your organization ready?

Did I just buy my ECM from a Hammer looking for a Nail?

June 7th, 2011 by Paul Engel, VeBridge President and CEO

I used to love shopping with my dad. He was an uber-geek before it was fashionable. He would take me to the coolest stores; Sears hardware department, Radio Shack, and Tandy (when they sold electronics). My dad would ask the sales associate a question. Upon receiving the answer, he could sometimes be heard muttering, “another hammer looking for a nail!” One day I asked him to explain. He told me there was an old saying, “If all you have is a hammer, everything you see is a nail.” He further explained what would happen if you used a hammer to pound in a screw. Bad idea.

His point was some sales people couldn’t hear your question because they only knew how to sell what they had, and didn’t want to walk away from a sale. Half the time, we would walk out of the store without making a purchase, and my dad would confide that he saw exactly what he was looking for on the shelf, but he’d be darned if he would buy it from the “hammer salesman.”

We see this same behavior too often in the ECM world. The sales representative has a cloud solution, so that’s what the rep pitches. Or they have a scan/retrieve system with weak or no workflow. So that’s what the rep pitches.

I had a customer who was replacing their ill-fitting ECM system. He and I discussed the fact that he had bought his ECM from a hammer looking for a nail. He got it right away. Then he posed the big question. “How could I have known?” My answer was almost too simple for him to fathom. I answered, “The lack of discovery.”

Turns out the sales rep he had bought from scheduled a demo and slide show as their first meeting. Didn’t ask any questions. Just showed my future customer what he was selling and closed him. We went to the company’s web site and, lo and behold, they had only one product to sell.

Don’t get me wrong. This is not just a sales problem. There’s a buying problem here, too. I can’t tell you how many times we have received calls from buyers who want “a demo and proposal” for an ECM system. We explain that our first meeting is for discovery. Unless we understand what problems they are trying to solve, we can’t even guess what product, if any, is the right one.

The moral of this story is that ECM isn’t simple. Not all problems whose solution is ECM are the same. And not all business problems can be solved with ECM. If the company you are considering buying an ECM system from doesn’t insist on a fairly thorough discovery session prior to determining the direction they should take with respect to solutions, move on. You can’t afford to buy an ECM from a hammer looking for a nail.

Whipping up a Successful Project

May 3rd, 2011 by Paul Engel

If project management was like cooking, we’d all be Paula Deen or Emeril Lagasse. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. But there are common ingredients that make managing projects much more palatable. Hungry for more? Read on for the basic recipe necessary to take the bite out of your next project.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen.

In 2009 the Standish Group reported…

· 32% of IT projects were considered successful (completed on time, on budget, and with the required features/functions)

· 24%, nearly one in four, were considered failures (cancelled before complete or delivered, but never used)

· 44% were challenged (finished late, over budget or with fewer than the required features/functions)

The Fallen Soufflé.

Projects fail for a number of reasons. At the top of the list are lack of user involvement, long or unrealistic timeframes, poor or no requirements, scope creep, no change control system, and poor testing. Understanding the obstacles you face when beginning a project is the key to overcoming them.

Key Ingredients.

Forget Betty Crocker. There’s no such thing as a pinch of this or a pinch of that when you’re talking about project success. You need it all, you need equal parts of each, and in no particular order. Executive support, user involvement, project management, clear business objectives, minimized scope, and formal methodology are all critical components of successful projects.

The Recipe.

As is most things, it’s the start that stops most people and managing projects is no exception. You definitely need a project schedule outlining project direction, tasks, resources, timelines/milestones and deliverables. Make sure to set expectations at project kickoff – for all team members. Reinforcing and updating expectations as the project progresses is also a must.

Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew.

It’s your kitchen and you are the chef. Should you choose to accept the challenge, wearing that fluffy white hat means you are responsible for managing the project contract, financials, communication (internal & external), schedule, resources, and issues. Knowing when to do it yourself and when to hire an expert is also important. If managing projects is not a cornerstone of your business then hiring a caterer may be in order! When hiring, make sure you employ a project management professional (PMP) - these folks are highly trained and “seasoned”! VeBridge requires project managers to secure PMP status before undertaking any project. BAM!

Tools of the Trade.

While a Kitchen Aid mixer may be shiny and quite handy, it’s not the tool we need. To manage your project to success, you need at a minimum:

· Project Charter – The project blueprint.

· Requirements Definition Document – What are the business requirements and how are we meeting them?

· Communication Plan – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How will information be communicated?

· Training Plan – Address training needs, change management – what behavior are you affecting?

· Change Control Document/Process – If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen!

· Risk, Issue, Jeopardy Tracking/Resolution Process – Conflict happens, be proactive.

· Financials – The bottom line.

· Methodology – Solid, repeatable, proven.

Ding. Are We Done Yet?

The timer goes off, the project is complete. But don’t leave the kitchen yet. The project cleanup should include a lessons learned session – what went well, what didn’t, what should we change next time? Additionally, if there’s another project on the horizon, start the planning now.

Managing projects is not an exact science – it’s an art, much like cooking. By understanding the challenges, getting started, preparing the ingredients, selecting the right tools, and espousing the right attitude we can all emulate the kitchen craftsmanship exhibited by Paula Dean and Emeril Lagasse when managing our projects. Have no fear… take that bite!

Sustainability: It’s That Easy!

April 4th, 2011 by Paul Engel

If going green were as easy as clicking the red “Easy” button, we’d have all done it by now. With Earth Day quickly approaching, we are all motivated to find ways to conserve and preserve our world for many generations to come. In the work environment, where paper and other recyclable materials abound, we are constantly challenged to find ways to re-use materials. More and more employees and organizations alike are moving to a more paperless environment.

The statistics are staggering…

· An average office employee prints more than 10,000 pages per year

· Around $4 billion dollars are spent each year in the US to purchase 4 million tons of paper for business purposes

· The average employee prints 6 wasted pages per day – totaling 1,410 pages per year

· Over 400 billion pages are on file…92 billion are added annually

· Over 775 billion pages are generated annually by computers – what, seriously…why?

Sound overwhelming? Let’s simplify and make it easy. Think about what would result if every organization replaced just one paper-based business process. Just one. Rewards would be recognized from both an employee’s perspective as well as an organization’s perspective. Making work easier and steps repeatable, increasing employee satisfaction, eliminating cumbersome manual workarounds, and adding to the bottom line would be just a few benefits that could be readily achieved in this transition from paper to paperless.

Why wait? Pick a process, any manual, paper-intensive process, and automate today. Taking one step in the right direction toward a more paperless environment…it’s that easy. The earth thanks you.

ECM: Fish or Cut Bait?

March 10th, 2011 by Paul Engel, VeBridge President and CEO

The bean counters seem to be leading the technology wave in Britain. The Accounts Payable folks are moving ahead with an attitude of Fish or Cut Bait!

In an article on www.accountingweb.com, the UK bean counters are swimming in a land with no paper.

“In a recent article on the site, practitioner Kevin Salter urged fellow accountants to ’hurry up and get on with it!’ Consultants Charles Verrier, Simon Hurst and Jon Milburn from ScanWorx have all made similar points in articles. Judging from the responses to the site’s paperless debates and our latest poll, AccountingWEB members have heeded the calls to ditch their filing cabinets and go electronic.”

The most interesting news is this: A survey sent to the British AP group revealed that one in seven respondents had first-hand electronic document management experience. Of those surveyed, 26% declared themselves totally committed to the paperless office.

Wow! And the best part: “…The UK accountancy profession has entered what industry analyst Gartner calls the ‘slope of enlightenment,’ a period of less widely trumpeted, but more commercially successful technology adoption.”

That’s not to say that the group didn’t have their negative feelings about ECM: 40% said paper would never be completely removed from accounting. To an extent, I think they are right. We as a group love paper. We love to touch it. It serves as reminders or markers. Many people prefer to read documents on paper and not on a screen.

What does this mean to us (US)? With the implementation of technology solutions encompassing workflow, organizations are now, more than ever, embracing the notion of a more paperless work environment. So, the days of paper as a driver of our work are coming to a close. In essence? Fish or cut bait.

http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/topic/paperless-processes-take-hold-accountancy/408111

Got ECM?

February 8th, 2011 by Paul Engel, VeBridge President and CEO

Got ECM?

Remember when the “Got Milk?” advertising blitz began? The campaign cleverness and branding leverage created a spinoff advertising frenzy still alive today. We thought; why not apply the same concept to Enterprise Content Management (ECM)? Have you got ECM? If not, here’s why you should…

Make Sneakernet a thing of the past.

The invoice comes in. The data is entered. The copies are made. The inter-office envelopes are addressed. The paper-chase has begun! Are you kidding me? When speed, responsiveness and the currency on which business reach exponential growth, why are we putting up with this? Not only are our mundane work-flows primarily paper-based, so are our mission critical ones! This needs to be a thing of the past. GET ECM!

Reduce labor costs instantly.

No more employees going to the file cabinet, walking by the water cooler, talking the water cooler talk, forgetting where they’re going, walking back to their desk and then suddenly remembering what they were doing in the first place.

Provide immediate access to documents.

Wait no longer! In a time where information silos are no longer fashionable in a business environment, critical records must be available and accessible 24X7. All documents should be at your fingertips.

Eliminate time-consuming document filing and retrieval.

No more stacks on the desk to be filed and then reaching out to the intern to file your most sacred of documents because your full-time employees don’t have time to file.

Implement disaster recovery plan immediately.

Worry no longer about what you will do if there is a fire or a flood! Your documents are electronic now and are backed up as well. Your organization’s historical knowledge is protected.

Provide answers quickly!

“I’ll need to pull the file and call you back”, will be a saying of the past. Answering inquiries from customers, vendors, auditors are a snap when information is located in one place.

Email documents right from your computer.

No more searching through filing cabinets or email archives looking for the impossible needle in a haystack. Within seconds documents can be located and thereafter emailed in a few additional seconds.

Retire your copier and your courier.

There’s no reason to copy documents now! It’s all at your fingertips. You can send it electronically. And there’s certainly no reason to transport those hefty boxes anymore.

Sweat no longer necessary.

Don’t sweat the small stuff takes on a whole new meaning. No more lost of misfiled documents! You KNOW where your documents are and you can produce information at a moment’s notice.

Improve information sharing.

Sharing is no longer an option – it’s an expectation. People have access to the same information at the same time and even concurrently!

SAVE MONEY!

Putting a price tag on: labor-intensive manual processes, lack of information sharing, the lost and misfiled documents, the angst you experience when the auditor requests a document and you can’t find it, the copier and courier, the time you spend looking through your electronic files searching for the document you need, the employees who are sitting and waiting around for someone internally to track down a document, the bottle neck in one department in duplicating documents so others can have access, and those endless trips by the water cooler. It’s expensive. ECM is priceless.

Got ECM? How can you not?

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