Step Two - reviewing the strategic benefits

In addition to the hard financial benefits the implementation of an EDRM solution will also deliver softer strategic benefits. These are more difficult to quantify but can, in many cases, prove even more significant. Indeed in many cases the strategic benefits are vital and hence outweigh any tactical considerations. Some of the key strategic benefits which a records management programme and an EDRM solution can provide to the education community include the following:

Strategic benefits:

• Improved customer (student) service to agreed targets

• Improved visibility and image (to UK and overseas students)

• Ability to meet e-business and electronic service delivery targets

• Ability to deliver improved quality levels to agreed financial targets

• Increased student population – higher percentage take up of courses

• Reduced delivery cycles for new courses and learning material

• Regulatory record keeping compliance (FOI, DPA, EIR etc)

• Support e-learning initiatives

• Improved knowledge management

• Support move to process-oriented/team working

• Ensure the education organisation is more responsive to change

• Full disaster recovery

Traditionally, such vital strategic benefits are regarded as soft and many accountants will not attach a cost figure to them. However, if your analysis of business activity establishes that these strategic benefits are vital and you have senior management backing to achieve them, you are in a much stronger position.

At the very least you can look at the cost of achieving these benefits via conventional means which will include additional staff costs and system costs. You can then compare the costs of the EDRM solution and justify them against the higher costs involved in meeting those objectives via conventional means, e.g. more staff.

In most cases you will be able to demonstrate that an EDRM solution is the most cost-effective solution and in some cases you will be able to show that it is not possible today to achieve the desired business objectives without using these technologies.

If your information gathering and analysis indicates that you are not currently meeting your record keeping obligations and requirements and are not complying with legislative requirements-you cannot provide up-to-date, accurate sets of the records required by your inspectorate - then you need to quantify the risks you run - one of the key strategic benefits could be survival itself.

One of your key corporate objectives may be to improve customer service and your education organisation may have decided that the answer is to implement a "one stop shop" for student administration and support service. The process analysis exercise may confirm that you have problems managing student data and documents. Unless you also invest in a new Internet-based student administration system, EDRM and business process management software, your investment in a "one stop shop" will not necessarily improve your customer service levels.