DCOE Best Practice #2 – Get the Right Mix of Expertise.

Part two in a series of six posts around Document Center of Excellence best practices.

Documents have great influence on company performance as a whole, yet the management and control behind their creation and distribution is often fragmented and isolated. This is part two in a series of articles examining best practices companies can use to build a Document Center of Excellence. This time we focus on getting the right mix of expertise.

The Right Stuff

It is not uncommon for organizations to have multiple departments, multiple systems and multiple vendors in place for different document-related activities; each with its own distinct staffing and expertise. Therefore, an effective Document Center of Excellence (DCOE) must have and maintain members that represent each of those important constituencies. After all, it takes a collection of people — each with their own individual scope and knowledge set — to make any system or process perform, so it makes sense that the right members with the right “stuff” be a part of a DCOE.

The Right Expertise

Beyond bodies in a chair, when selecting members for a DCOE it is important to enlist people with the right knowledge, skills, abilities and responsibilities needed to address the many technical, process and business issues that will arise. Members should include in-house resources as well as third-party providers and include representatives from within the various responsibilities and service layers involved. Once a part of the DCOE, each member must proactively stay current with developments in their area of influence and the DCOE should work to understand and constantly evaluate the most recent developments and techniques available.

Steps to Move Forward

Communication innovation is a leading competitive advantage business today, and a truly cross-functional and empowered Document Center of Excellence team will promote innovation through a creative collaboration process grounded in the realities of maintaining efficient and effective day-to-day operation. At Messagepoint, we understand the cross-functional nature of customer communications and we hope this series of articles will help you establish a Document Center of Excellence team that will make a difference in the performance of your organization.

Next up: DCOE Best Practice #3 – Integrate Design and Delivery