Management Maturities

Management Maturities typically consist of five progressive levels for managing a technical system:

Level 1 Ad Hoc entails very basic management of digital media files on shared drive, FTP server, or personal computer, using file names and inherent file-folder structure as “metadata” for browsing and retrieving digital media files. Almost everyone started here at some point.

Level 2 Organizing emphasizes the basic work of examining individual files: classification of them as “keepers”, “maybe keepers”, and “duplicates or throw-aways”, assocation of metadata—basic descriptions and categories of use—to each file and, in some case, confirmation (or acquisition) intellectual rights clearances. If you inherited a DAM system, you’re probably at this stage.

Level 3 Measuring the use of assets and user activities entails the development and refinement metrics, emphasizing a deeper understanding of core business processes, media workflows, and typical blockages. Often, the activity of measuring links directly with training, support, and user surveys and the need for better digital workflows and tools.

Level 4 Analyzing asset-activities and payback starts with management reports: correlation of user and asset uses to progress against business goals, and quantification of economic returns on digital assets and DAM systems.

Level 5 Optimizing DAM service operations applies analytics insights to continuous process improvements in the sourcing of creative services and content, producing finished digital goods, and provisioning content to support new revenue streams or customer engagement channels

Common Error

These five management maturities correspond to each of the DAM system configurations; thus if your firm currently operates an Image and Content Portal, you will most likely progress through all five levels before addressing Creative Workflow Repositories or Distributed Media Workflows.

Of course, many firms have tried to build two or more DAM system configurations simultaneously or to build a more advanced capability without first having stabilized the preceding DAM system configurations.

Generally, skipping a step entails taking a lot more time, costing more money and, more often than not, becomes a career decision for many who tried and failed.