The value of well-managed information to organisations is not always well-recognised.

Traditional asset management practice has not always identified or treated organisational information as an “asset”. Yet business information is a valuable asset, with a financial value, and one which influences customer service and satisfaction, productivity, and competitive advantage in an information-rich setting.

Building the skills and knowledge that people and organisations need to create and manage information as an asset not only meets business needs but also accountability requirements, as environments change with customer, community, and government expectations.

Building Upon the Elements

The information management capabilities of our organisations are built upon three integral components or elements:

People,
Process, and
Technology

In an era of advanced technologies, it is possible to overlook the importance of the first element – people – another valuable organisational asset without which the creation and management of information is unrealised.

Developing process and technology together is another meaningful, and often overlooked, part of building information management capability, not least because “poor process really degrades your ability to get at and leverage information.” (AIIM, 2021)

Identifying Capabilities

Identify the information management capabilities of the people at your organisation by first looking at the business needs of the organisation. Do the skill levels of staff meet the needs and expectations of the organisation?

Measuring the information management performance of the people at your organisation can provide you with:

  • A measurement of staff understanding of their own individual information management roles and responsibilities
  • A measurement of gaps in information management skills and knowledge
  • A pathway to better meet the challenges people face when managing information

Both professional and personal development assist with building information management capabilities for people at our organisations, including opportunities for participation, contribution, and training.

Begin to identify process and technology capabilities by asking: does the outcome of the process enabled by the available technologies satisfy the business requirements of the organisation?

Building Capabilities

To build and improve upon information management capability consider the following:

  • Build personal and professional development together by providing opportunities for not only training, but participation and contribution
  • Build process and technology together instead of relying on technology to provide the process

To find out more about measuring and improving information management capability at your organisation, contact IRIS

Sources:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11628-016-0320-7
https://www.coursera.org/lecture/infonomics-2/1-5-information-maturity-model-mpEpV
https://data.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-06/IM%20Framework%20infographic_0.pdf
https://www.naa.gov.au/information-management/support-and-professional-development/capability-skills-and-professional-development
https://www.aiim.org/What-is-BPM

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