Planning for effective digital asset management
Jul 1, 2006 12:00 PM, BY ALAN SAWYER
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Define ownership and governance strategies
In a broadcast environment today, and even more so in the future, many stakeholders will have an interest in the content. The various types of content within a DAM system will have different owners with different needs. Clearly, the conventional broadcast content destined for playout belongs to the broadcasting division, but new media content produced for the Internet or wireless devices may have a different owner.
Likewise, contracts and legal documents have different owners, too. Some content may serve two masters (for example, broadcast and the Internet), and it is important that the management of such content be well coordinated so that the needs of both groups are served equally well.
Another important question to determine is who is responsible for the overall management of the digital asset management system. While broadcasting may be the driving force behind the introduction of digital asset management, all modern DAM systems are built on IT technologies. So, the IT department is often best equipped to deal with backups, storage upgrades, the installation of new software versions and so on.
Governance policies deal with such issues as what content will (or won't) be stored on the system, how long differing types of content should be retained, and what metadata must be entered for various content types. If governance policies aren't defined early, or fall by the wayside once the system is implemented, chaos can ensue. As a result, the content becomes unmanageable or does not deliver on its full potential. Content management can be a shared responsibility. Sometimes, however, it is better to adjust your organizational structure to create a new role with overall content management responsibility that includes:
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coordinating the definition of governance policies;
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ensuring that governance policies are followed on an ongoing basis; and
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performing quality assurance and system integrity checks to ensure the health of your system and the content in contains.
Consider the long-term financial requirements
The upfront cost of a DAM system is usually obvious, and most companies budget adequately for that. However, ongoing costs are often overlooked. Budget for software and hardware maintenance, vendor support, and incremental storage costs as you grow your content repository.
In addition, any DAM system needs care and feeding, so budget for training of in-house technical resources and consider the inclusion on staff of an information architect who understands your information classification needs and usage patterns.
Manage the project with the care it deserves
DAM implementations are complex and tend to touch many parts of an organization. Decisions need to be made throughout the selection and implementation process that may affect various stakeholders within the organization. Failure to effectively manage the DAM project at a broad level leads to failed expectations and a solution that does not meet all of the needs of all of the interested parties. Failure to effectively plan and manage communications leads to misunderstanding of what is being done, and can even cause fear and apprehension.
Identify the stakeholders and create a steering committee (a group that represents the various stakeholders, provides project guidance and makes the tough decisions when conflict arises). Put a senior project manager in place who will track issues, risks, and the progress of the project and who will report these to the steering committee in a timely manner. Risks must be well understood. How likely is the perceived risk to come to pass? How severe is the potential impact? For every risk, there must be a risk mitigation strategy in place. Develop a communications plan and execute it so that everyone in the organization who will be affected understands what is happening and how the project is progressing.
Summary
The scope of a DAM project should include, or at least consider, the needs of the entire organization. The decisions you make now will have a long-term impact on your operations, so invest the time today to ensure that you have considered the many facets of DAM and the common pitfalls this article identifies.
And finally, there's no substitute for knowledge and experience. If you don't have the skills in-house to follow these recommendations, go outside of your organization and invest in skilled consulting services to help ensure your success in your DAM initiative. It will be money well spent.
Alan Sawyer was a business and technology strategy consultant with IBM Global Business Services, specializing in the media and entertainment industry, at the time this article was written.
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