All that being said, we just finished listening to a podcast in it Claire Hogikyan of Pfizer talks about their use of Documentum to create an Electronic File Room (EFR) for their Intellectual Property (IP) assets. It's interesting to note that they initially wanted to call the EFR a "paperless office" but did not because the term was scary for the users.

Hogikyan very eloquently explains the delicate dance that has to be done when asking people to fundamentally change the way they do business. In Pfizer's design she made sure that the user interface to the system was familiar and that there were multiple ways of getting something done. Their EFR is a globally accessible, single repository and features full text search ( I have that on my desktop and laptop via Google Desktop and it's fast because my file and web interactions get indexed while I'm away from my computer.)

Searching a mega company's Intranet is, of course, a much bigger ordeal, but is it all that more complicated? Of course the system needs check-in/check-out and version control, the inclusion of lifecycles and workflows, security...etc.

As a user, I want someone to do all that for me and to deliver the document I need tin the format I select via a Google or Google-like search. I can't think of a simpler interface other than Voice Recognition (VR) (and I'm not yet a fan of the current technology; it works if I speak its language) or mind reading (but my non-linear thinking would cause the most sophisticated technology to crash!)

If you're building a new app and want wide user acceptance, give Hogikyan's podcast a listen. Though EMC loves it because it features Documentum and Pfizer's 18-month ROI, I like it for Hogikyan's understanding of her internal customers' needs and her ability to deliver a flexible, reliable, secure and scalable app that gets used.

Just a quick note for my Documentum architect and developer friends, Hogikyan clearly recommends that people get the best Documentum Architects they can find. She also suggests that the Architects not be forced to sit in meetings all day, that they should be freed up to do their jobs, ah, a breath of fresh air.

To my PM, Project Sponsor and Management readers, the next time you're asked to pick a Documentum Architect based on who you have an outsourcing agreement or other vendor agreement with, push back. You, your company and your project team need the freedom to pick from the best rather than from the idle inventory in a one stop shop (or even ten of them.) Your reach into the world should be extended in a global, e-enabled world, not bound !