I’d like to offer some quick advice that definitely applies to a SharePoint records management solution, but really applies to any records management implementation, regardless of the application you are using: Don’t let the quest for perfection paralyze your efforts to implement an acceptable solution.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen perfectly acceptable solutions stall and even get cancelled because somebody (or worse – some committee) decides they want the solution to ‘do more’. ‘Doing more’ invariably adds complexity and development time to your solution, with that, the corresponding costs and implementation delays. I see this all the time and I firmly believe it is the direct result of our fascination with technology.
When you begin to design your records management solution, ask yourself this one question: Does my current paper-based records management design satisfy my minimum records management needs? This should include your metadata, searching and taxonomy requirements. If the answer is yes, then make that design your implementation benchmark. And fight the urge to add a bunch of cool bells and whistles just because you can.
This is one of the key reasons I frequently recommend SharePoint as a records management solution. Because of its generally low price point, organizations I’ve dealt with have seemed less concerned with ‘getting their money’s worth’ by forcing additional complexity on a records management solution than simply being satisfied with the basic functionality necessary to manage records in an efficient and compliant manner.
And don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t understand some organizations’ logic. If I paid a half a million dollars for a records management solution and I’m paying fifty grand a year in maintenance costs, that solution should be doing everything possible, short of making my coffee in the morning. The question is do I really need a solution that does everything possible?
