Information Management
Processes of Information Management
- Identifying information
- Acquiring information
- Organizing information
- Storing information
- Disseminating information
- Using information
Identify information
- Understanding of the context of the problem
- What information is available both inside and outside the organization
Acquiring Information
- Information can be created as:
- Collected by-product of a business process.
- Collected from records about customers, orders, and sales.
- Collected from other sources like government agencies, business associations/organizations.
- Bought from sources outside like research firms on particular products, markets, competitors, innovations, sourcing, and industries.
- Environmental scanning
- Filtered and structured information from recognized sources, individuals, institutions, ect. outside the organization.
- Informal interaction between employees and other groups within the organization
Organizing Information
- What’s required in cataloguing the information:
- who wrote/created the information,
- publisher or copyright owner,
- when it was published/created,
- the title/name/listing/ect.
- Classifying the information into categories (subject headings).
Storing Information
- Done electronically in a large distributed data base system.
- Manner/format of storage will depend on the particular organization, and how well they manage and perceive their information assets.
Disseminating and Using Information
- Connecting users with the information they need is one of the most crucial processes.
- Developing a rich culture of information sharing.
- Getting the right information to the right people when they need at the right time.
- Important Questions:
- What information did I use and was it appropriate?
- What else do I need?
- How do I share the results of this work?
- How was information accessed?
(BlackBoard, 2007)
Reference:
Blackboard, 2007, viewed on 5th August 2007, http://bb-sgvn.rmit.edu.vn/
Information management cover all elements:
- people
- process
- technology
- content
In terms of technology, information management encompasses systems such as:
- web content management (CM)
- document management (DM)
- records management (RM)
- digital asset management (DAM)
- learning management systems (LM)
- learning content management systems (LCM)
- collaboration
- enterprise search and many more…
Common information management problems include:
- Large number of disparate information management systems.
- Little integration or coordination between information systems.
- Range of legacy systems requiring upgrading or replacement.
- Direct competition between information management systems.
- No clear strategic direction for the overall technology environment.
- Limited and patchy adoption of existing information systems by staff.
- Poor quality of information, including lack of consistency, duplication, and out-of-date information.
- Little recognition and support of information management by senior management.
- Limited resources for deploying, managing or improving information systems.
- Lack of enterprise-wide definitions for information types and values (no corporate-wide taxonomy).
- Large number of diverse business needs and issues to be addressed.
- Lack of clarity around broader organisational strategies and directions.
- Difficulties in changing working practices and processes of staff.
- Internal politics impacting on the ability to coordinate activities enterprise-wide.
Ten key principles to ensure that information management activities are effective and successful:
- recognise (and manage) complexity
- focus on adoption
- deliver tangible & visible benefits
- prioritise according to business needs
- take a journey of a thousand steps
- provide strong leadership
- mitigate risks
- communicate extensively
- aim to deliver a seamless user experience
- choose the first project very carefully
Robertson.J, 2005, 10 principles of effective information management, Knowledge Management Column, viewed on 20th August 2007, [http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_effectiveim/index.html/]
page revision: 8, last edited: 11 Sep 2007 05:54