Trust me, a successful DAM requires some special ingredients and if it was easy you'd have already done it.
Business managers are quick to recognize the logistical, financial and operational benefits that can come out of a successful DAM implementation. Smart processes, competitive and efficient operations and the potential for new revenue opportunities are just some of the easy concepts to agree on.
But what can be lost in pursuit of the DAMsta's paradise is that it will take the talents of people with the unique skills, expertise, experience and passion to lead you down the right path. This, along with commitment and support of key stakeholders will really help get things done. You may already have all the right people on staff but odds are ... you don't.
So why is it so hard?
First of all, most don't have the luxury of closing up shop while going about this endeavor. So, you are zooming along the highway at 65mph while you are also changing the tires. The reality is that you have to plan for where you are going but also how you will move to carefully get there while you are living in both the old and new worlds.
Second, you need to have the right people involved. Be it current staff, DAM consultants, vendors, project managers, metadata specialists, content managers, IT managers, or a team from all of the above. The thing is someone needs to drive, have final word and; most importantly; balance all the information from these respective positions against the business needs to make the right choices for keeping the project on track. Someone has to own the vision...the buck HAS to stop somewhere.
Third, you need to have committed senior management. The DAM exercise will force a hard look at the overall operation. Things will shift / evolve beyond the boundaries of the project as they are needed to support the new operation. The overall workflow and org chart may look very different after a project like this and that's "OK."
Fourth, scope - creep....we've all done it in some form or another. It's the old, "hey, while your fixing the plumbing in the bathroom may as well look at the water heater." It can seem like a reasonable thing but it can consume DAM projects. There has to be the flexibility to react to new information throughout the course of the project and adjust accordingly. You just can't know everything up front but you need to avoid scope creep that can veer you far off course.
Lastly (well at least for this post) is the time and resources issues. It may (in some cases) be better to partner with a vendor (or series of vendors) to drive the project. It may also make sense to contract out aspects of the processes to get things done quickly or just because they are outside the native expertise and core competency. You may not want to be in the business of owning the expertise for the particular tasks involved. For example, you may find it cheaper and faster to have companies that specialize in scanning, encoding, cataloging, transcoding, etc. do all the heavy lifting to get your assets prepped and into the new system rather than try to get it done on your own.
The bottom-line is that a DAM is an easy idea tied around a complicated solution and getting the right people involved (early) will be the first step toward a successful project.
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