Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Fri, 23 Mar 2007 07:30:53 +1100 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
Steve
I wish I could offer you a lot of positive news from Down Under but
like your circumstance I face the problem like IT 'new' road builders
digging potholes in the way - not all IT people just it seems the one's
with too much influence.
The strategy I try to use, and you indicated some of this approach in
your reply to Linda, is to emphasise the discovery aspects (this will
make finding information easier; improve on the reliability of any
approaches like federated searching through consistent labelling of
content; make life easier for your staff in the longer run). The
management helps but I think focus on the wins for them in terms of
discovery (I imagine everyone want a Google search as well and you can
finesse the selling point to how some simple consistent structuring of
information will help that approach as well - and I really really hate
the term google search but lets not go there).
Keep the structured fields you want to use relatively simple at this
point (not too many fields to make life difficult) and the lists of
available selections low. Get some runs on the board and as people see
the benefits start to talk up other fields / slight expansion of the
system . Don't bother with trying to convince the IT people, instead
keep your eyes and ears out for people within your company who have a
certain need for finding information and struggle with it and talk up
your option (the drive for the change comes from them - hopefully
through their Manager , and sails past any IT opposition, who are after
all only a service provider not the business decision makers...well
they should not be). The fact that helping people discover information
will also help you and others manage the information is a happy
coincidence!
Regards
John D
Records Manager
Down Under
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
|
|
|