PHILIP SPIEGEL - DAM Ideas

Great Expectations, Lowered Expectations or Managed Expectations

All three of these play a role in the life cycle of the planning, project management and overall implementation of a media archive and digitizing project.  They represent the excitement of the new, the letdown after the rush by realities of the complexities and challenges and lastly the resolve and focus  toward achievement and success.  Manage expectations well and the politics at play will be on your side.  Mismanage expectations and risk not having the support and confidence needed to move forward without  knee-clubbing distractions and more pain.

So how do you effectively manage the news and keep everyones expectations in sync and on target with reality.  Effectively managing expectations requires project management, evangelism, cult of personality, diplomacy and of course...communication.  It's imperative to the success that you manage the expectations of all stakeholders (along with end users) from the start.  It's ok to have great expectations and big plans but that needs to be backed up by a realistic plan to support them or you will have to re-adjust accordingly.  You want to keep focus on moving forward meeting goals, not on damage control explaining why the impossible or unrealistic or underfunded are not happening. 

Key performance indicators (KPI's) play a critical role...identify from the start the key measurables, be it milestones in volume digitized, or metadata entry, etc. just keep this to the truly notable, significant and relevant aspects of the effort and then track and report on them religiously.  Tracking the KPI data-set pro-actively disarms any decisions and / or discussions based on assumptions and anecdotal information.  You want to use this info to drive decision making that is based on the reality of the project and adjust course as needed in response to the factual data you are tracking.  This dashboard of information should be the foundation of planning, modification and ultimately speaking about the success or failure of the efforts to date.

It's best not to operate under a false sense of assumption unless you are prepared to be surprised by the truth.  Managing expectations effectively will keep the focus on meeting goals and will build the confidence and support needed to make the politics at play more effective and supportive.

To quote Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday..."all we know are the facts, ma'am."

Five Easy Pieces...

are the basics of what it takes to get on the road to righteousness with a media archive / DAM / MAM initiative.  I've outlined five oversimplified but distinct aspects for you to consider (in no particular order).

Archive

The physical asset triage and prep begins the process.  Identify the scope of your physical asset world, create an inventory of all material in all locations, condition, duplications, etc. and diagnose the prioritization based on a multitude of factors including (but not limited to) the asset's physical condition, value, relevance of the content contained on media (be it historical, academic or commercial), marketability, usability and level of content interest.  Lastly, don't forget to factor in the overall rights status of the materials (see previous post, "What About the Content?").

Rights

In many cases this is a critical and often overlooked aspect of the Archive to DAM exercise (see previous post, "You Have the Right To...").  It's important to define the state of the rights for the content in the Archive and DAM environment.  This has to happen in tandem with the archive triage process. The overall prioritization has to factor in the rights of efforts could be wasted on processing content thru the workflow that can't be used.  The rights metadata defines how, when and who may use the content once in the digital system.  This information should be as simple and standardized as possible for the end users to understand and work with content without much wiggle room for personal interpretation of the available rights.  If the digitization efforts are driven primarily by preservation efforts then greater weight will be put on the archive and collection management issues but the rights will still play a part in the overall evaluation.

Metadata

A method for applying succinct yet detailed metadata in a controlled and consistent manner is needed. The goal should be to describe and categorize key aspects of the content (at tape,segment or clip level) beyond the asset or rights specific data...what is the content about and what is its "about-ness?"

Key aspects to consider include who, when and how will metadata be entered and how will it be governed.  You will also need to consider defining a metadata structure, language, style, taxonomy and look to adapt and comply with standards as necessary.  I've gone into further detail on this topic in previous posts including, "Defining a Metadata Strategy." "But What About the Exceptions?" and recently, "It's About the DAM Data."

IT / Technology

A media archive DAM project will have an IT / Technology component but DAM projects should not be exclusively theirs.  IT and Technology support specialties encompass system storage and file management, network and infrastructure, security and access, broadcast systems and equipment support as well as general equipment support.  Additionally, these will be the needed points of contact for access and integration within the overall corporate enterprise network.

Good storage and systems management are the backbone of a successful DAM. It doesn't matter how well the files are digitized, how they are cataloged or how many different iterations have been transcoded...if it's ultimately not practical to move files around or out of the system in a timely, consistent and reliable way users will not look to rely on this resource.  In a perfect world the complexities and nuances of the infrastructure need to remain invisible.  When you turn on the tap you shouldn't need to think about the water flowing got there.

Staff

This may seem obvious, but you need to get the right people.  There are different tracks of expertise connected to getting this right. You need to have one person who is the point of contact and focus, to organize, direct, evangelize and ultimately "own" the project.

In some cases, it may make sense to outsource this effort or parts of it, in may also make sense to bring in targeted contract help.  A lot of skills and resources needed may be outside of the companies core competency and be better served by others who do nothing but this.  Either way, the point is to find the right mix of talent then empower and support them to get it done and be focused on the right tasks, "You play the piano all day and jump on a horse...you could get cramps."

 

Are We There Yet?

This was something I heard a lot this past summer as I steered the minivan along the interstate toward a destination that seemed to be moving further away the closer I seemed to get.  I think this can be akin to the process of setting out on the road to a successful DAM implementation.  As you make progress the goal may seem to be moving further away.

A DAM is a continuously evolving process, to quote an earlier post..."a DAM is an Eco-system."  All parts of this ecosystem are connected and need to work in unison.  A successful DAM evolves to a natural balance.  So, if it's evolving how will you know when you are done and for that matter...what is the definition of DONE?

"Done-ness" is a state that depends somewhat on the size of the endeavor and the enterprise.  Implementing a digital asset management project for a small media archive may have a completion that is defined as when all the existing content that was not previously in a digital environment is now digitized, searchable, accessible in its digital form and available for use within a business unit or enterprise as needed.  In a larger environment, it may be defined in phases or stages with milestones tied to timelines, budgets, strategic business initiatives, etc. and may span over the course of many years and budget cycles.  In some ways this may be more analogous to highway maintenance...by the time you finish filling potholes, it may be time to start resurfacing the road again.

So does this mean we are on a treadmill that never ends? Do we ever catch up?...or do we continue to repeat the past?

Yes...No... Maybe.

The point is that there are different stages of done and recognizing this, learning from them and reaping the knowledge benefits can make the next phases more effective and easier to accomplish..and so on.  You will build on the momentum you generate and want to be able to tap into that energy.  It should be easier to evolve than to invent anew.  Harness the power of the lessons learned to better at the next steps and beyond.

I believe inherent to a media asset and technology project is the reality that we can reach a balance between objectives and the state of the art.  As technologies continue to improve we need to refine, reconfigure, migrate, upgrade, recreate and reprocess, etc.  All toward the continuing evolution of the ecosystem we've created. We become the masters of the Darwinism of the process.  Dinosaurs evolved then came birds, fish, reptiles and mammals.  Could you still be an efficient and competitive player in your industry if you were still using index cards, binders, mimeograph machines, 8086 computers, phone modems and pre-windows software?  Maybe...but not likely.  We've all evolved as opportunities became available for advancement within the ecosystem.

So are we there yet?  We'll we're here now and the view is pretty good...but I bet if we keep driving in the right direction the view will be even better.