Step Three - Measuring the strategic benefits
Some of the key strategic benefits claimed for EDRM solutions include the following:
| Strategic Benefits | Details |
| Improved customer service | Meet targets for replying to student enquiries with same number of staff |
| Improved image | Up to date and comprehensive web site and fast response to enquiries promotes positive image of Education organisation that students want to attend |
| Support e-business and electronic service delivery targets | Meet targets for making all core services accessible online |
| Support move to process orientated team working | A detailed functions, activity and transactions review incorporating process modelling and a review of the opportunities for streamlining business processes |
| Meeting record keeping requirements - compliance | Meet statutory record keeping requirements and meet requirements to answer FOI requests within 20 days etc. |
| Improve knowledge management | Aid knowledge and information sharing by improving access to information. Staff applying for research grants can identify other relevant strengths in education organisation etc. |
| Disaster recovery | Ensure that vital records can be recovered in the event of a disaster |
All of the above benefits can again be measured - particularly if the original business case included measures of current performance and targets for improvement. Some can only be meaningfully measured after the solution has been in operation for 18 months to two years. Others can be measured within 3 months of implementation.
You can measure whether you are achieving your targets for improved customer service by sending out questionnaires to students prior to implementation and documenting the ratings you receive and then repeating the exercise 18 months after the new solution has been implemented.
Record keeping compliance is a vital area. One of the design issues is whether you leave it up to staff whether they declare documents to be records and place them in the correct folder or whether you mandate this by designing processes that automatically meet record keeping requirements. The latter is not always possible or desirable but if you are relying on staff then you need to build in reviews to check whether there has been any backsliding or not.
Hopefully you do not need a disaster to be able to prove that your disaster recovery strategy is working. A regular review of procedures can check whether backup copies are being produced, whether digital media is being moved offsite as required and whether there are any gaps in coverage.
One of the most important if slightly more subjective reviews would be to check at yearly intervals to see whether the organisation is moving closer to the required record keeping culture where keeping records is seen as a key part of each process and a key part of every job description.
