Roadmap for Document Management

Background
Part of a major international integrated energy company, our client has significant exploration and production interests in the North Sea, as well as being a UK gas supplier.

The company anticipated accelerated growth and increased operatorship within three years. The company's information management environment and processes had previously developed ad-hoc as the need arose and there were increasing frustrations with information access and quality. The company recognised that more systematic control of information was needed to support growth and the increased complexity of operations expected in future.

The company asked Venture to review the current information management environment, and develop a roadmap for achieving an environment that made available the "best" or "certified" information objects and gave trusted access to the latest or most up to date work in progress as well as providing a place for capture of ‘experience' related to decision making.

Our Approach
Adapting our standard review and roadmap development methodology, we undertook an analysis of the current processes, information flows and usage and the existing information architecture and systems. Through interviews with key stakeholders at all levels in the business we identified key business requirements, issues and challenges, and then developed a prioritised set of high level functional requirements for the new environment.

Based on our experience of practical approaches and solutions to IM challenges, we then developed a shortlist of feasible options to meet the requirements along with suggested implementation programmes. 

Next, the cost-benefit of each scenario was assessed against criteria for meeting the prioritised requirements, the resources needed to implement them, and the return on investment they would provide.

Finally, a roadmap was then developed showing;

1. The fundamental steps to be taken irrespective of any changes or additions to the technology platforms
2. The strategic technology platform(s) recommended to hold and manage key electronic assets, depending on the scenario chosen
3. Additional ‘add on' components that could included in addition to the chosen Strategic platform(s) to add increased functionality or benefit, again according to scenario.

The Result
The recommendations and recommendations gave the management team a clear insight into the possible paths available, along with ‘must do's' and options and together with the associated benefits, risks and resource requirements. This gave the team clear and practical guidance on which to base their selection decisions, and business justification for the choices. Using the roadmap and cost benefit analysis, the management team were able to quickly secure Executive and corporate sponsorship to proceed with investment in new systems and Venture were invited to continue with management of the implementation of the chosen roadmap programme.