Management Tools

You need the right tools to protect against risk

To actively drive value from data, information and knowledge assets, Experience Matters use a range of tools to help clients turn chaos into order. Each project is unique so the tools utilised will vary according to need.

Strategy Development

To actively drive value from their information and knowledge assets, Experience Matters helps our clients to:

  • Identify the information and knowledge that is important to them
  • Manage that information and knowledge effectively
  • Realise and recognise the value to the business of their information management initiatives

Specific strategic advice and business planning services include:

  • Identification of high level requirements to support key current and emerging business needs
  • Feasibility studies
  • Development of business rules
  • Operational, management and strategic advice
  • Business planning and review
  • Strategic workshop facilitation
  • Strategic procurement planning and asset management
  • Working with stakeholders to develop business plans that are consistent with strategies
  • Monitoring strategy implementation
  • Adapting strategies to accommodate changes in the environment.

Information Asset Register

An Information Asset Register is an audit or list of the organisation’s Information Assets. It provides insight into the Information Assets being deployed to enable the daily conduct of the organisation’s activities, processes and making of decisions. An Information Asset Inventory is a strategically important document that provides fundamental intelligence about the organisation’s most valuable and sensitive assets.

When combined with the Information Chart of Accounts / Business Classification Scheme and the Information Value and Performance Map, the Information Asset Inventory is able to identify the value and sensitivity of the organisation’s most important asset and thus enable efficient and effective Information Asset management.

Information Principles

The Information Asset Management (IAM) Principles are the fundamental characteristics of the organisation’s Information Asset management – a succinct, high level set of overarching principles.

They inform the development of the organization’s Information Asset management environment and establish clarity of corporate expectations around Information Asset management practices.

Information Policy

An Information Asset Management Policy is a course of action proposed to manage the organisation’s Information Assets. The IAM Policy specifies what procedures need to be in place to support the delivery of the Information Asset management goals and objectives.

Risk Register

A Risk Register identifies the risks associated with the organisation’s Information Assets. It is a foundation document that provides insight into the cyber-security and other information
risks the organisation faces.

A Risk Register enables the risks associated with Information Assets to be mitigated.

Business Classification Scheme - Information Chart of Accounts

An Information Chart of Accounts or Business Classification Scheme (ICA / BCS) is a profoundly strategic document. Developed from the Business Activity Map and based upon the activities of the business, the ICA / BCS is a framework that provides a logical place for each information asset and the basis for developing Information Asset management tools. Because it reflects the business of the organisation, it is the most stable framework available by which to manage vital Information Assets.

A Business Classification Scheme provides a logical set of pigeon-holes for each and every Information Asset. It creates a place for everything and provides for everything in its place. It is a mandatory enabler for any organisation that strives for a single source of truth.

The ICA / BCS establishes the management structure for, and enables the management of, data, information and knowledge as a business asset by providing a shared and common approach.

Thesaurus

A Thesaurus is a document that provides a common language for the organisation – a glossary with preferred / non-preferred or alternate terms. It enables precision of expression. The thesaurus supports written and spoken communications and therefore decision-making.

A common language that is understood and used across the organisation will remove ambiguity and confusion. It is also a precursor to other instruments including file naming conventions, email guidelines and master data model.

Compliance Regime

A Compliance Regime is a summary of the legislative and regulatory framework within which the organisation operates and the Information Asset management obligations that the framework dictates.

A Compliance Regime allows the organisation to understand how long to keep documents for in order to comply with the laws of the country that apply to it. For instance, organisations are obliged to keep financial records for seven years.

A Compliance Regime allows the organisation to mitigate the business risk of non-compliance with the obligations of its legislative and regulatory environment.

Retention & Disposal Schedule

A Retention and Disposal Schedule (RDS) is a tool that stipulates the length of time Information Assets must be kept for. The RDS enables groups of documents to be kept or destroyed in line with legislative, regulatory and commercial requirements.

It provides advice to the organisation as to what valueless information it can get rid of and what information it must keep and for how long.

Information Value Map

Not all data, information and knowledge is an asset, indeed much of it is rubbish that wastes significant managerial resources. The The Information Value and Performance Map (IVPM) enables your organisation to channel its resources to manage those Information Assets of the greatest business value.

The Information Value and Performance Map (IVPM) provides an information flow, manipulation and generation perspective across selected business processes. It identifies the acquirers or creators of data and information, who uses those Information Assets and how they flow through the organisation. It enables the quality and value of Information Assets to be measured.

The IVPM enables an organisation to put a relative value on its Information Assets and determine its Top100 Information Assets.

Master Data Model

All aspects of an organisation, operational and analytical, are greatly dependent on the quality of the organisation’s master data. Without high quality master data organisations commonly encounter difficulties with having multiple versions of “the truth” about a business entity.

Master data represent data about the business entities that provide context for business transactions. Examples include individuals and organisations, and their
roles, such as customers, suppliers, employees, products, financial structures and locational concepts.

Reference Data Model

All aspects of an organisation, operational and analytical, are greatly dependent on the quality of the organisation’s reference data. Without consistency across business process or applications things may be described in quite different ways.

Reference Data are data used to classify or categorise other data. Examples include units of measurement and country codes.

Metadata Model

Metadata facilitates finding information more easily across multiple information repositories. Metadata is data that describes other data, including information descriptors that define the business entities.

Security Model

A Security Model helps to ensure that information has the appropriate protection for access, privacy and integrity making it available to those who need it.

A Security Model defines access provisions to Information Assets in order to protect from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction. It provides confidentiality, integrity and availability of information in line with relevant standards including ISO27001.

File Naming Conventions

A set of File Naming Conventions is a guide for what to call files. This guide provides a standard for how to quickly, easily and consistently name files. A common set of File Naming Conventions will ensure that files are consistently named which means they are easy to name, store and find not only by the author / manager of the files but by anybody and everybody in the organisation.

File Plan

A file plan is a hierarchical set of folders. It enables files to be organised and stores data in a way that supports business activities. A file plan uses existing personal or shared folders. It is a simple instrument for all staff and is not an application or software system.

A file plan is a simple, pragmatic, intuitive tool that facilitates filing and finding documents.

Email Guidelines

Email Guidelines is a set of instructions for how to manage emails. The Guidelines help define the responsibilities of authors, recipients and those copied with what to put in the subject line, how many topics should be addressed in the email, who needs to take action and who needs just
to be informed, who needs to save important emails, what to do with attachments and so on.

Email is the most time consuming activity of most knowledge workers. Email is also a critical business system and is discoverable in litigation. We are swamped with emails, largely because of poor email management practices. The adoption of email guidelines drives significant productivity improvements and risk mitigation.

What Goes Where Tool

For organisations that strive for Information Assets that have the attributes of a single source of truth with a single place for everything and everything in its place and easy storage, access and use, a What Goes Where Tool provides a simple and pragmatic tool to assist with meeting that goal.

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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