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If you have followed the steps outlined in the previous article (see last issue of Document Manager), you should have identified the information assets and the information drivers for your organisation; now it's time to assess the current ECM system. Can it deliver the new capabilities necessary to truly manage information as an asset?

• Implementation of shared services. IT services that are shared across agencies or departments have proven their value for ubiquitous functions such as email. Today, extending the shared services concept to document-driven processes opens tremendous potential for cost savings and operational efficiency.

State and local governments are already developing shared information and collaborative work services, both within their own domains and in cooperation with other jurisdictions. "The biggest pain points for information sharing and workflow are usually across multiple areas, so we look for projects that will benefit multiple departments," says James Burke, director of Information Technology Solutions for Olmsted County, Minnesota.

• Comprehensive tools for workflow automation. A form is completed, a service request is made, a case is opened. These are among the seemingly simple actions that start a cascade of work processes, review and approval steps, and additional data gathering for many government functions. Throughout all of this work one thing remains constant: the need to access all pertinent information easily, in one place and with minimal duplication of document handling and data entry.

Workflow capabilities meet this need both for content that is entered directly into the ECM system and through integration with other enterprise systems. Workflows can both pull information from and push information to enterprise resource planning (ERP), geographic information system (GIS) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions; and other specialised applications. In this sense, workflow isn't just automation, it's also integrative middleware - connecting disparate systems and providing an underlying foundation for integrated information.

"The real power of a content management system is in the workflow capabilities," continues Burke. "It's the ability to leverage information from the time when that content is entered in order to drive things happening in the organisation."

To match changing information needs and work processes, the ECM system should be easy to adapt and customise without an extensive development effort. Adaptability also means having the tools to effectively deliver information through a variety of formats to serve both internal and external communications.

HOW GOVERNMENTS ARE MAKING THE MOST OF ECM
Forward-thinking governments have invested in a new ECM system in order to address specific information challenges and improve operations and service delivery.

ELIMINATING DATA SILOS
When it comes to data, the Cabarrus County IT Department has a goal to eliminate silos and create standardised formats for storage in a central repository. "We don't want to support legacy applications just because it is the easiest way to access data stored in their native format," explains Todd Shanley, IT manager for Cabarrus County in North Carolina. "But data conversions to a standardised format can be expensive and painful, especially for information that has a large number of records and requirements for lengthy retention periods. We've found a workable solution by exporting the existing data as a report for storage in our ECM system; then we can eliminate the legacy application."

Identifying this strategy to manage both stored and new data was important because the IT team is using a common ECM system to serve most of the county's 23 departments. By adopting an enterprise view, the IT team is developing integrations with applications for shared services such as accounts payable and payroll. Even the office all-in-one printers are integrated, serving as an input device that allows employees to scan expense report receipts and other documents for storage and workflow activation in the ECM system.

'Integration with our ECM system is so important to our work that it's now in the top five requirements for every application we consider that involves document management," says Shanley.

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