The Strategic Information Audit: A Powerful Tool to Prevent Chaos

1. The Strategic Information Audit: A Powerful Tool to Prevent Chaos Louis-René Dessureault, BA, MBSI Vice-president, Consulting Services

2. Session plan: • Information Audit: a definition • Why and when should you do an IA • IA Methodology • Aligning your information systems with corporate goals

3. CEDROM-SNi strongly believes that in order to support our clients and help them to evolve at the speed of the information, knowledge and communication age, we needed to push the concept of customer support by creating a group totally dedicated to service. The main focus and mission of this group is to provide our current and new customers with advices aimed at optimizing their investment in Eureka, Newscan or Euro-Presse. This new group of consultants is staffed with information management professionals, business analysts and other specialists who are used to gathering clients’ strategic information needs and transforming them into efficient business processes and system architectures. Consulting Services – What is it

4. Working independently from the sales department, our main tasks will be: To advise customers on how to take full advantage of any information platform by optimizing all processes regarding the collection, the organization, the usage and the dissemination of strategic business information to targeted users – knowledge workers, management, etc. By supporting our customers on all aspects of our product and services implementation: needs assessment, account architecture support, training, technical support, help desk, library services, etc. Consulting Services – What is it

5. A focused approach, in a short time-frame At the very beginning of a new relationship in order to: Get an unbiased portrait of the actual situation Assess correctly the real information needs Evaluate current information gathering and sharing processes Make sure these are aligned with the best practices Propose the optimal account architecture and technology Support implementation and training Propose other services that the client may need Consulting Services – Why and When

6. A focused approach, in a short time-frame During a Newscan contract in order to : Monitor client usage and make usage match expectations by proposing specific intervention that will achieve the goal Answer clients’ questions and help him / her to develop better usage by providing IM, KM, CI advice. Offer ad-hoc training Revise the needs assessment, account architecture, politics, processes, search strategies, etc. Make sure these are aligned with the best practices in their industry Consulting Services – Why and When

7. Consulting Services – What we do Needs Assessment – Information Audit Strategic Information Plan and System design Librarianship & Training Services Market Intelligence & Monitoring Consulting Services Information and Knowledge Management Consulting Services IT Solution & Support

8. Several definitions co-exist together Everybody seems to agree that an Information Audit is a process : That tends to: Identify an organization’s information needs and resources. Identify information flow and networks; internal, external, formal & informal. In order to: Create a realistic portrait of the current situation. Optimize communication level and information assets. Market the information / communication services and enhance the profile of information / communication professionals within the organization. Information Audit - Definition

9. A Strategic Information Audit (SIA) is a process that : Will identify : Executives’ strategic information needs, Strategic information resources, flow and networks; internal, external, formal & informal. In order to: Create a realistic portrait of the current situation, Develop a GAP analysis, Design or optimize a BI/CI program aligned with the organization’s strategic needs, Optimize all information and intelligence assets Strategic Information Audit Definition Close to the previous one but focused on a target !

10. Two ways that an SIA can begin: Executives are fed-up with the lack of intelligence and fail to make good decisions Things are not going well – You are in trouble ! Could bring significant changes in the BI/CI unit ! Proactive BI/CI professionals introduce an SIA program to make sure they are keeping their executives “HOT” Thing are going well ! Everybody wants to keep on top of changes Do your own internal monitoring ! Why and When

11. A needs analysis is often a one shot deal Why and When Needs Analysis Recommendations Portrait & Assessment Implementation

12. Structural Review Processes Review Current Situation Ideal Situation Optimization Strategic Needs Identification Gap Analysis Report and Recommendations Implementation Ongoing Feedback Process SIA Continuous Cycle

13. STEP 1: Structural Review Goal & Objectives To gain in-depth knowledge of the global organizational structures and culture specifically focused on information management and business intelligence. Activities may include. Review of all available documentation (original plans, org. charts, programs, etc.) Interviews with all currents professionals involved in Info management & research, BI/CI in order to identify their roles and responsibilities Review of the IT infrastructure and systems dedicated to the intelligence process and KM Business intelligence and research services organizational structure mapping and analysis Information flows and decisions poles mapping and analysis SIA Methodology

14. STEP 2: IM Process Review Goal & Objectives To acquire a clear and in-depth knowledge of all tools and methodologies used in strategic information management in the organization, including past and currents practices and experiences. All activities and players related to data collection, analysis, evaluation communication and feedback have to be identified and documented. Activities Interviews and questionnaires planning Data collection through interviews and questionnaires Focus groups to evaluate IM current process, products and performance Staff capabilities and internal process evaluation Team interviews debriefing and analysis SIA Methodology

15. STEP 3: Strategic Needs Identification Goal & Objectives To acquire a crystal-clear understanding of the strategic concerns of the decision makers of the organization in order to assess the effective contribution of the IM program to corporate results. Through very targeted interviews with decisions makers, this exercise will demonstrate the current level of satisfaction for IM products, contribute to identification of real strategic information needs, favourite distribution channels, current usage of existing systems and their effectiveness. Activities Interview planning – building your own knowledge about the decision makers Ten to twenty interviews with top executives Interview debriefing and data analysis SIA Methodology

16. STEP 4: Gap Analysis Goal & Objectives Once steps 1 to 3 are well accomplished, it is now the perfect time to sit down and evaluate the gap between the what is and the what is expected. What is true one day can turn out to be false on another day in the business world. Evaluating current gaps between what is currently done and what keeps your CEO awake in the night will pave the way for the next step. Benchmarking your processes with best practices will also bring some good ideas and great benefits. Activities: Some of the issues to be addressed Is the original plan still meeting the expressed needs ? Is the original plan well served by the current systems ? Are the current systems still meeting the expressed needs ? Is the original plan meeting the best practices in the field ? Is the current program of the organization comparable with competitors ? SIA Methodology

17. STEP 5: Report and recommendations Goal & Objective The main objective of this step is to produce and present a report which provides to the client a clear vision of the current state of its IM programs, the strategic information needs findings and recommendations for optimization in order to meet the decision making process requirements. Deliverables An executive summary of the key findings and recommendations A detailed written report that will discuss: The current state of the programs and information flows. The best practices in the field and in industry. The strategic information needs assessment. The recommendations in order to optimize the programs and the strategic information assets. SIA Methodology The final report should be the cornerstone of the strategic plan to implement the recommendations for optimization

18. STEP 6: Implementing recommendations Goal & Objective The main objective of this step is to plan and implement the recommendations in the most efficient way suitable for the organization. Working closely with the BI manager and a change management expert, the strategic plan will be completed, presented and implemented in order to optimize the current situation. Activities Planning sessions in order to understand the change process and the changes to be made. Development of the implementation plan : Clarify objectives Set global and specific parameters – what has to be changed and optimized and how Evaluate the impact Develop communication plan Implementation Post implementation review strategy Continuous improvement through a formalized audit program SIA Methodology

19. Political Risks Competition Aligning Your Monitoring on Corporate Goals Environment Intelligence Real Vision Regulation Technology • Interpretation • Protection • Anticipation • Action • Innovation • Strategy Globalization Alliances

20. Strategic Information Audit QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION