By Alexander Church |

July 19, 2024

Why some Information Management projects struggle

Over the years, Alex Church, Senior Consultant and Information Architecture expert here at Metataxis, has worked on numerous information management projects, many of which have encountered significant challenges. A typical project might involve implementing SharePoint and migrating files from shared drives—a seemingly straightforward task but one often fraught with difficulties.

Based on his extensive experience, Alex reveals 5 key pitfalls that can hinder and disrupt the success of an organisation’s Information Management project and shares his recommendations what you can do in order to support IM success.

Alex Church

5 key pitfalls that disrupt Information Management project success

Challenge 1:
Lack of engagement and senior buy-in

One of the primary pitfalls of Information Management is the lack of genuine engagement and buy-in from senior leadership. It’s not enough for leaders to merely be informed or see a line item on a spreadsheet. They need to truly understand what the project entails, why it’s important, and the benefits it will bring. These projects are typically large-scale transformation initiatives that will impact everyone in the organisation and will inevitably meet resistance. Senior buy-in is crucial to push the project past this resistance and ensure its success. If the leadership team doesn’t really get it and step in if required, then project success becomes so much harder to achieve.

Another common issue I’ve seen is the absence of adequate business representation on steering groups and other project decision making bodies. This isn’t just about change management activities, but also about integrating the business in the project from the start. It’s essential to have a governance structure that includes the business and is not one that just is focused on ‘project management’. These representatives can provide valuable insights into their areas, identify potential barriers, and contribute to decision-making. Their involvement is key to gaining consensus on project delivery and ensuring it meets business needs.

Challenge 2:
Lack of business representation

Challenge 3:
Insufficient time and resources

Information Management projects require substantial time and resources. It’s vital not to underestimate this. You will need a dedicated project team that may include project managers, business analysts, information architects, solution architects, information managers, migration specialists, change managers, trainers, communications personnel and so on. Additionally, you’ll need input from wider IT teams, information governance, and information security. Don’t forget the business either; their input is crucial for requirements, design, and testing phases. Remember, while your project team may be full-time, others will have competing priorities. They will probably be overstretched. Do not underestimate the time it may take to get their feedback or for decisions to be made. You will need to be realistic about how much time this will take and how much resource it will consume.

While the temptation for quick wins is understandable, it’s important not to prioritise these at the expense of building a strategic solution. Even a high-level framework and set of principles can guide you to implement quick wins sustainably, allowing them to be integrated into the wider implementation. Avoid making hasty decisions to solve immediate problems, as these can create issues down the line. Conversely, avoid being overambitious. Starting small and incrementally building up, while keeping an eye on long-term goals, is the best approach. Be strategic, be mindful, and build solid foundations.

Challenge 4:
Avoid tactical solutions only

Challenge 5:
Lack of information architecture and governance

This point is particularly close to my heart and should be a given if we’re involved. However, I’ve seen organisations where information architecture and governance have been neglected. The idea that you can simply do a lift and shift migration, implement a system and let it organically grow and develop as users see fit may seem appealing for a quick, and potentially cheaper solution. But without proper design and governance, the system will soon become unmanageable. Initially, it might look appealing, but it won’t be long before it turns into the very chaos you were trying to move away from.

Avoiding these pitfalls can significantly improve the chances of success for your information management project. Based on the lessons I have learned, the top 5 recommendations you need to help you succeed are:

    1. Ensure genuine senior buy-in
    2. Involve the business from the start
    3. Allocate sufficient time and resources
    4. Focus on strategic solutions
    5. Never underestimate the importance of information architecture and governance.

As information management and information governance experts, Metataxis can help you organise, manage and control key assets in an efficient, secure and compliant way, to leverage knowledge and boost collaboration while protecting assets and removing waste. We’ve successfully delivered numerous IM projects and would be delighted to help you with yours, too.

Want to ensure your information management project is a success? Simply contact us