Digital Asset Management Solution Offering

From MIKE2.0 Methodology

This article is currently Under Construction. It is undergoing major changes as it is in the early stages of development. Users should help contribute to this article to get it to the point where is ready for a Peer Review.

This Solution Offering currently receives Minor Coverage in the MIKE2.0 Methodology through the Overall Implementation Guide and SAFE Architecture, but Activities are missing and there are no detailed Supporting Assets. In summary, the Solution Offering has not yet been formulated to the point where it should be used.

Introduction

The Digital Asset Management Solution Offering provides an approach for creating, categorizing and securing multimedia content such as streaming video, images, and audio files. Key enablers of this offering include techniques to handle multiple forms of rich media content, managing role-based security related to sharing of content, automation and workflow of the indexing, searching and archiving processes and sophisticated capabilities for handling large data volumes.

Executive Summary

Solution Offering Purpose

This is a Core Solution Offering. Core Solution Offerings bring together all assets in MIKE2.0 relevant to solving a specific business and technology problem. Many of these assets may already exist and as the suite is built out over time, assets can be progressively added to an Offering.

A Core Solution Offering contains all the elements required to define and deliver a go-to-market offering. It can use a combination of open, shared and private assets.

Solution Offering Relationship Overview

This Solution Offering is part of the ECM Solution Group

MIKE2.0 Solution Offerings provide a detailed and holistic way of addressing specific problems. MIKE2.0 Solution Offerings can be mapped directly to the Phases and Activities of the MIKE2.0 Overall Implementation Guide, providing additional content to help understand the overall approach. The MIKE2.0 Overall Implementation Guide explains the relationships between the Phases, Activities and Tasks of the overall methodology as well as how the Supporting Assets tie to the overall methodology and MIKE2.0 Solutions. Users of the MIKE2.0 Methodology should always start with the Overall Implementation Guide and the MIKE2.0 Usage Model as a starting point for projects.

Solution Offering Definition

Relationship to Solution Capabilities

The MIKE2.0 Digital Asset Management Solution Offering is primarily focused on Information Development. It uses a number of activities from the Overall Implementation Guide to see a project through from strategy to implementation.

Relationship to Enterprise Views

This solution is primarily about enabling Information Development to manage assets. Sophisticated capabilities related for Infrastructure Development are also important for this offering.

Mapping to the Information Governance Framework

The Information Governance Solution Offering is required across all Solution Offerings. For this offering it is particularly important that the governance models focus on information workflow, security and classification.

Mapping to the SAFE Architecture Framework

For an a collaboration and knowledge management programme, a number of components may be required from the SAFE Architecture. All components within Enterprise Content Management are particularly relevant to this offering. In addition, a Search capability is a priority area.

The SAFE Architecture is currently being extended to provide more detail in these areas.

Mapping to the Overall Implementation Guide

A typical Digital Asset Management engagement will involve a large number of the Activities from the Overall Implementation Guide. Users of MIKE2.0 should review each activity as a starting point to see if they are required based on the scope of the project requirements.

The Usage Model for Enterprise Content Management provides a list of all the required activities for this offering. Shown below are the most important activities for a typical programme and how they relate to the overall approach.

Phase 1 - Business Assessment and Strategy Definition Blueprint

For a comprehensive, top-down programme a number of the activities are required from this phase to define the overall Business Strategy. Some programmes can be quite tactical but generally should cover these tasks at a very high level. Some strategy activities may not be needed if they were already done as part of part of an enteprise programme, as described in the Enterprise Content Management Strategy Solution Offering.

Enterprise Information Management Awareness

The Enterprise Information Management Awareness activity is important to introduce concepts related to managing digital assets. For this area it is important to not only introduce the technology, but also the governance aspects of managing digital assets (of which the legal policies can be particularly important).

Overall Business Strategy for Information Development

In the Overall Business Strategy for Information Development activity, the strategic business initiatives are defined in the context of information requirements. For Digital Asset Management, this activity defines the scope of information to be managed, shared and collaboratively developed.

Future State Vision for Information Management

The Future State Vision for Information Management is an important activity for defining the strategic conceptual architecture for managing digital assets. This includes standards, conceptual component definitions and high level solution architecture options.

This activity also defines the future-state business processes for information management. The business process for managing digital assets will include the overall workflow of the asset, from its creation to its destruction.

Phase 2 - Technology Assessment and Selection Blueprint

For a comprehensive, top-down programme a number of the activities are required from this phase to define the overall Technology Strategy. Some programmes can be quite tactical but generally should cover these tasks at a very high level. Some strategy activities may not be needed if they were already done as part of part of an enteprise programme, as described in the Enterprise Content Management Strategy Solution Offering.

Strategic Requirements for Technology Backplane Development

In the MIKE2.0 Methodology, Enterprise Content Management technologies are seen to reside along the Technology Backplane of Information Development and Infrastructure Development. This activity is used to define the capabilities that are needed for the strategic implementation of these programme.

Strategic Non-Functional Requirements

Strategic Non-Functional Requirements for Digital Asset Management are defined at a overarching level in this activity. There is a particular focus on usability, performance and ability to scale to meet future business volume growth requirements. Digital Media assets can be of a very large size and have significant requirements in terms of real-time streaming access, availability and archiving.

Current-State Logical Architecture

The Current-State Logical Architecture assesses the current capabilities in the environment for managing digital assets. This activity specifically defines which technologies can be re-used and the scope of any content that should be migrated.

Future-State Logical Architecture and Gap Analysis

The Future-State Logical Architecture and Gap Analysis builds on the conceptual architecture that is already defined and takes it to the level of detail required to make strategic technology decisions. A gap analysis can then be conducted be conducted between the current-state and future-state to determine which technologies can be re-used.

Future-State Physical Architecture and Vendor Selection

Through defining the Future-State Physical Architecture and Vendor Selection, logical capabilities are mapped to specific product options. This mapping is then used to make technology decisions, often through an RFP-based selection process.

Phase 3 - Information Management Roadmap and Foundation Activities

Within Phase 3, the scope of the solution for a specific increment is defined and the overall content model begins to take shape.

Detailed Business Requirements

When developing the Detailed Business Requirements for Digital Assessment management, the focus is on the scope of information to be managed. This activity builds off the strategic set of requirements, adds more detail and prioritises business requirements for the increment of work to be implemented.

Taxonomy Design

The Taxonomy Design activity defines the structures for relating content to one another. For Digital Asset Management, the development of this taxonomy is one of the critical aspects of the solution. Taxonomy design may make use of formal classification structures or may grows more organically through classification. There will typically be some formalisation to assist users within a corporate environment.

Phase 4 - Design Increment

For Document Management, a number of design activities are required which are described below.

Information Security Design

Information Security Design defines which information assets can be seen by users. It is one of the most important activities for Digital Asset Management to ensure against various forms of security breaches.

Infrastructure Management Process Design

The Infrastructure Management Process Design applies to the back-end environment that stores content. For Digital Asset Management, this activity which designs the backup, recovery and high-availability process is typically quite sophisticated in approach and use of technology.

Collaborative Framework Design

Collaborative Framework Design applies if users are to make use of digital assets in a collaborative fashion. For example, if users were to interact with one another about a particular asset or if they will work jointly in its development.

Data Integration Logical Design

Data Integration Logical Design would be applied if the solution will go across federated sources and a search capability is needed.

Data Integration Physical Design

Data Integration Physical Design would be applied if the solution will go across federated sources and a search capability is needed. Physical design of interfaces would include technologies to be used, performance requirements and security.

User Interface Design

User Interface Design applies to the front end of the system. This activity is used to build a solution that is easy to navigate, visually appealing and meets organisational layout standards.

Phase 5 - Develop, Test & Deploy Increment

Through development, testing and deployment activities the solution the prototyped is hardened and implemented into production.

Technology Backplane Development

The Technology Backplane Development activity covers the development of integration and information management components. This includes development of interfaces, web components and security technologies.

Testing Activities

Depending on the complexity of the solution, different testing activities will be required although testing is generally not complex. Functional Testing and some level of System Integration Testing will be required at a minimum; SVT is are also important. Perhaps most important is UAT; it should be ensured that are users are actively engaged throughout the development and testing process. Testing for collaboration and knowledge exchange technologies is much quicker than other types of engagements.

Mapping to Supporting Assets

Logical Architecture, Design and Development Best Practices

• Integrating a Formal Taxonomy to an Informal Taxonomy

• High Level Solution Architecture Options for Digital Asset Management

Product-Specific Implementation Techniques

Product Selection Criteria

Relationships to other Solution Offerings

This Solution Offering relates closely to the following Offerings:

• The Enterprise Content Management Strategy Solution Offering can be used to define the overall strategy for implementing content management across the enterprise. If this strategy work has been done it serves as input to this offering and some activities in phases 1 and 2 can often be skipped.

• The Enterprise Search Solution Offering defines an overall approach for content in many different forms. Search is typically an important capability for retrieving document assets.

Extending the Open Methodology through Solution Offerings

Listed below are proposed extensions to the Overall Implementation Guide to meet the requirements for this Solution Offering:

Potential Activity Changes

Overall Business Strategy for Information Development

The Business Strategy for document management would require expanding beyond the metrics and KPIs and should involve knowledge requirements

Organisational QuickScan for Information Development

Should explicitly extend the QuickScan tools to cover search and more broadly the management of unstructured content.

Data Standards

Should be extended to include Content Modelling Standards

Data Integration

Search is an important capability required for this offering. Search may be added as a separate activity in the future as opposed to the Data Integration activity.

Data Classification

If this activity is completed and includes the development of taxonomies than it would be more relevant for this offering. It should probably be generalised to cover structured data and unstructured content. Due to high volumes for Digital Asset Management, classification for a destruction process becomes particularly important.

Information Workflow

An activity may be explicitly added that relates to the flow of information across systems where process is long-lived and complex. For Digital Asset Management this may be necessary for information creation.

Solution Architecture

This activity will likely be generalised to better cover solution offerings

Information Security Design

It is still under development. It may have some more detail added to it in relation to content security. Digital Asset Management may have particularly complex requirements related to Digital Asset Management.