ECM Maturity Model could help ease ECM implementation challenges

In an effort to simplify the rather complex act of implementing an enterprise content management system, four companies--Wipro, CMS Watch, Smigiel Consulting and Hartman Communicatie--have developed an implementation model that could help organizations implementing an ECM to organize the process and make it a smoother endeavour.

The model, which is known as the ECM Maturity Model ("ECM³"), breaks the process down into three basic dimensions: Human, Information and Systems, then provides a series of tasks or knowledge required to complete the tasks within in each category. Alan Peltz-Sharpe, an analyst at CMS Watch explains that the ECM Maturity Model provides a structured framework for setting priorities to address the legal, practical and logistical challenges organizations face around trying to build a system to manage content in a complex organization. "Like all maturity models, it is partly descriptive and partly prescriptive," Pelz-Sharpe says. "You can apply the model to audit, assess, and explain your current state, as well as inform a roadmap for maturing your enterprise capabilities."

By providing an overview of the skills and tasks required, the hope is that it will lead to a more organized implementation effort and that the system will be implemented with the entire scope of requirements taken into account. As Dee-Ann LeBlanc points out on CMS Wire, the success of any model depends on whether it's simple enough to understand, yet complex enough to fit the realities of an ECM implementation.

At the very least, it could be a useful starting point for your organization and at best, it could put you on the road to a successful ECM implementation.

To learn more:
- see the CMS Watch press release
- see ECM3.org, the model's website
- and Dee-Ann LeBlanc's CMS Wire article