The Strategic Information Audit:

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The Strategic Information Audit A Powerful Tool
to Prevent Chaos
Louis-René Dessureault, BA, MBSI Vice-president,
Consulting Services
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• Session plan
• Information Audit a definition
• Why and when should you do an IA
• IA Methodology
• Aligning your information systems with corporate
  goals

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Consulting Services What is it

• 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.

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Consulting Services What is it

• 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.

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Consulting Services Why and When

• 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

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Consulting Services Why and When

• 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

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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
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Information Audit - Definition

• Several definitions co-exist together
• Everybody seems to agree that an Information
  Audit is a process
• That tends to
• Identify an organizations 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.

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Strategic Information Audit Definition

• 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 organizations strategic needs,
• Optimize all information and intelligence assets

Close to the previous one but focused on a target
!
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Why and When

• 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 !

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Why and When

• A needs analysis is often a one shot deal

Needs Analysis
Recommendations
Portrait Assessment
Implementation
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SIA Continuous Cycle
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SIA Methodology

• 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

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SIA Methodology

• 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

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SIA Methodology

• 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

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SIA Methodology

• 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 ?

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SIA Methodology

• 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.

• The final report should be the cornerstone of the
  strategic plan
• to implement the recommendations for optimization

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SIA Methodology

• 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

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Aligning Your Monitoring on Corporate Goals
Environment
Intelligence
Real Vision
Regulation
Technology

• Interpretation
• Protection
• Anticipation
• Action
• Innovation
• Strategy

Globalization
Alliances
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Strategic Information Audit QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION
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