NSW Government Agency

Government Agency Identifies Major Benefit in Management of Information

Project

A NSW Government Department leading digital readiness in New South Wales meant the need to lead by example in the management of Information Assets was imperative. In addition, the Department realised that losing corporate memory through staff attrition was creating an environment of low productivity and high business risk. The agency needed to develop an approach to managing its data, information and knowledge assets, to determine its current Information Asset management practices and to extrapolate the impact of those practices on its business.

Process

Experience Matters was engaged in two assignments to:

  1. Develop a Knowledge Management Framework. When a reconciliation with the concurrently developed Information Management Framework was conducted, it became clear that the difference between Information Assets and Knowledge Assets was insignificant but that the requirements for a successful implementation of Information Asset and Knowledge Asset management initiatives were substantially the same. The scope was consequently expanded to develop an Information and Knowledge Management Framework. Tasks included:
  • Reviewing the significant existing business, ICT and information management material. This was critical to ensure no work was duplicated and all deliverables were complementary to planned and existing initiatives
  • Extrapolating Experience Matters’ research findings into the “Barriers to and benefits of managing data, information and knowledge as a vital business asset” to develop a suite of potential instruments. This research is globally significant and described by Gartner, arguably the world’s most influential IT advisory firm as “ground-breaking.”  A respected Canadian advisory firm wrote, “Evans and Price (2012) should be compulsory reading for every executive and business entrepreneur… I do believe that you have documented the greatest single barrier to productivity in the 21st Century economy and nobody knows about it.”
  • Consulting with key stakeholders
  • Developing an Information and Knowledge Management Framework and roadmap for implementation and improvement
  1. Conduct an Information Asset management Health Check or Maturity Assessment. Tasks included:
  • Developing an investigation instrument based on the findings of our research
  • Consulting with up to 1,200 agency staff
  • Determining the maturity of information management practices
  • Calculating the business implications of those practices

Experience Matters gathered data using three activities:

  • Develop a Knowledge Management Framework. When a reconciliation with the concurrently developed Information Management Framework was conducted, it became clear that the difference between Information Assets and Knowledge Assets was insignificant but that the requirements for a successful implementation of Information Asset and Knowledge Asset management initiatives were substantially the same.  The scope was consequently expanded to develop an Information and Knowledge Management Framework. Tasks included:
  • An analysis of the content of the agency’s network drives using a file scan technique
  • An all staff Survey (Quantitative)
  • A series of Workshops (Qualitative)

Results

Based on the agency’s requirements and drawing on our research findings, Experience Matters built an Information and Knowledge Management Framework comprised of pragmatic instruments that together create the jigsaw of interventions required to manage data, information and knowledge as a vital business asset.  The Framework names each instrument, describes what it does, articulates why it is necessary and assigns ownership.  Because the Framework is based on Experience Matters’ research it addresses domains that we have found to be critical for information management success yet are usually ignored including Executive Awareness, Business Governance, Leadership and Management, Asset Governance, Information Systems, Information Behaviours, Information Quality, Information Performance, Justification and tangible Benefits.

The investigation of information management practices yielded the following findings:

Description Findings
Industry State government
# staff 7,500
# staff consulted with 188 of 3,508 eligible = 5.4%
# executives 4 = 2.1%
% staff who know who is responsible for managing the organisation’s Information Assets 78%
% staff who agree there is clear accountability for the management of the organisation’s Information Assets 55%
% staff who are satisfied that their information is complete and accurate 66%
% staff who are satisfied that their information is current and not out of date 55%
% staff who believe that productivity would improve through better information management 70%

Benefits

The agency is able to enjoy significant business benefit from improving its Information Asset management:

Description Findings
# potential hours per person per week to be saved (discounted) 7.8
Expected benefit Annual employee related expenses 2015/16 = $729,000,000

7.8 hours per week = 20.8%

Expected benefit = $151,000,000 per annum

Would you like to maximise the value of your information assets and reduce business risk?

This is not an area that is widely understood, so we are happy to help educate.

Contact us to find out what good information management should look like for your business.

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