Eight Golden Steps to a Better Information Management Strategy
By Jean-Luc Chatelain
HP Fellow
VP & CTO, Information Optimization, HP Software & Solutions
As the volume and complexity of information continues to grow almost exponentially, and organizations
continue to try to store and manage it all, there is an increasing danger that organizations will be
overwhelmed and unable to access and retain information for a myriad of business purposes.
Currently, individuals are struggling to separate the wheat from the chaff. They are challenged to
distinguish business information from “noise.” They lose time trying to reconcile multiple versions of the
same data, retain the wrong information; or worse, eliminate critical content that should be kept. As
organizations fail to find what they need, worker productivity decreases and business risks increase. In
addition, value is lost, and as a result, customer satisfaction decreases.
Passivity or business as usual is not an option. A new strategy is needed that firmly aligns business
policies and processes with people and technology. To be successful, one must have an information
management strategy and a solid execution plan that addresses the following eight steps:
1. Senior executive sponsorship and cross-organizational involvement
This is the cornerstone for sustainable success of an information management strategy. A new
strategy will involve investments and organizational changes. Without active and visible senior
executive support and commitment, any strategy or plan will be set for failure from the beginning.
Since most organizations consist of federated yet independent business functions or silos, it is
important to involve all major constituencies at all stages - from definition through to
implementation and ongoing monitoring of the business success metrics. This is most often
conducted by an executive steering committee that consists of leaders from each business function.
For example, HP’s steering committee for record management