Effective information management lets your IT team innovate instead of search

As a CIO or IT manager of a mid-sized organization, you recognize these frustrations all too well – they are the very same frustrations that plague your team. Every team member is highly skilled, talented and capable of taking the organization to the next level. The problem is that alle of them  keep getting caught up in a maze of systems and documents. Before you know it, your specialists spend more time tracking down crucial information than they do innovating or optimizing the IT infrastructure. Inefficient information management can wreak havoc on an organization by taking up a lot of time and getting in the way of innovation.

The daily reality: little effective information management ‘on the floor’

Every morning, your IT team starts off highly motivated because there is a lot to do: strategic projects, new tools to test, and opportunities to improve processes. But when a colleague needs to find a file in an unclear folder structure, or a crucial update has gone unnoticed in an outdated system, a time-consuming quest for information begins. This is not an occasional problem; it is a pattern that repeats itself on a daily basis.

Why does searching for information take so much time?

The problem often lies in fragmented information flows and a lack of central sources. Instead of one entry point to all the data needed, there are multiple places where information can reside: shared network drives, legacy SharePoint environments, individual laptops, or specific departmental applications. This chronic lack of effective information management creates problems in an organization:

• Unnecessarily long searches: employees click their way through folders, e-mail attachments, and internal chats to find the right document.
• Risk of duplicate or outdated information: because information is scattered around, employees are likely to work with outdated versions and/or duplicate work.
• Disengagement: ongoing inefficiency leads to frustration. Employees who prefer to work on strategic projects become demotivated when they have to constantly search for the right information.

The effects of inefficient information management on the organization?

The time loss outlined above that organizations bring upon themselves due to ineffective information management is much more than just an ‘operational inconvenience’ – it has direct implications for the entire organization:

• Reduced productivity: you pay highly trained professionals, but part of their workday is spent searching. This leaves less time for innovation, development, and process improvement.
• Higher costs: time is money. Every minute an employee spends searching for information is a minute that cannot be invested in value creation.
• Slower decision-making: if information cannot be found quickly, decisions are delayed. This can lead to missed opportunities or competitors overtaking you.
• Decrease in job satisfaction: nothing is more demotivating than feeling stuck in time-consuming, pointless tasks. This can lead to staff turnover or a less engaged team.

Time for change

The situation your IT team finds itself in today is not an accident or fate; it is the result of an IT infrastructure not designed for optimal discoverability and accessibility. The first step toward change is recognizing this problem and analyzing the current state of affairs. In that light, you would do well to ask yourself the following questions:

• Where are all the data sources located?
• How much time, on average, does it take to find a specific document or file?
• Which systems are duplicating work, and why?

By answering such questions and understanding the scope of the problem, you can look for appropriate solutions in a much more focused way. Consider centralizing information flows, implementing effective search mechanisms or choosing Enterprise Information Management software that brings all data together in one place.

The promise of more effective information management

Imagine if your team no longer had to search endlessly for files. That instead they have quick access to all relevant information – real-time and up-to-date. Not only does this give you back hours of productive time per week, it also creates an environment in which innovation can flourish. Your IT professionals can focus on strategic projects, finding and developing future-proof solutions, and gaining and consolidating competitive advantage, instead of putting out fires in the form of endless searches.

On the road to better information management

The current situation – an IT team that spends more time searching than innovating – is not sustainable. It costs (too) much time and money, and certainly comes at the expense of job satisfaction. But, there is a way out. By linking a good problem inventory and analysis to an investment in a modern, centralized, accessible, durable, and efficient information structure, you create the right conditions as an organization to make real progress. Not only do you lay the foundation for a future in which your organization is agile, innovative and cost-conscious; you also position yourself as an effective leader who solves problems.