Few Common Blunders Companies Make While Creating Your Digital Asset Management Category Structure

Building your category structure is possibly one of the most vital steps in your onboarding and it lays down the foundation for your core metadata strategy and can eventually make or break your digital asset management execution.

However, it is very important to create a powerful category structure and can also be the reason behind huge hindrances to get your digital asset management solution implemented.

Several digital asset management solution providers have assisted a many companies with their digital asset management executions and witnessed several project delays because of category structure decisions. Here are the five common challenges I see organizations experience while developing their category structure and techniques you can predict, avoid and rise above them.

Check Out the Common Blunders Companies Make While Creating Your Digital Asset Management Category Structure:

• Lack of Information: Being a digital asset management administrator, your duty is to create a category structure which will symbolize multiple sets of users and departments in your company. If you are not well-known with every team’s workflows, first choices and processes, you could run into complexities with setting up a category structure which is useful to them. To solve this, talk to the important system users and department champs to collect information about their workflow and existing folder structure. With this new-found transparency, it will be convenient for you to create a category structure which customize with the user requirements and improves the user experience. At times it can be frightening to approach department leaders once you know they are much occupied, but remember that the goal of the meeting is to create improved category structure to their team. A little effort from them in the short-term will cause fewer disturbances in the longer run.

• Involving Several People in the Process: It cannot be easy to agree on a finalized category structure once you have several decision-makers involved. The meaning of ‘too many’ will differ from one company to another, however, if you get into a multiple-week fester due to an incapability to agree then, this might ruin your team. While a bigger team can give ideas and support to create the category structure, nearly all of these users must not be engaged in the final decision making. The goal of engaging them is to collect information to assist you make a final decision about your category structure not letting them to make decisions on your behalf. Considering the size and difficulty of your execution, at times the finest decision is taken by a sole decision-maker for your company’s category structure. Listen to every user’s guidance and suggestions, but take final decisions on the basis of what you think will best help the company holistically

• Failing to Segregate the Project into Duties: When it comes to digital asset management solution execution, it can be useful to divide your category structure formation into smaller jobs. Instead of setting a sole conclusion date for the whole category structure, lay down smaller goals for you to finish different tasks. It will assist to keep you on track and make the project less devastating. It is enjoyable to celebrate the smaller successes since you finish every goal! Logical category goals can consist of dividing your categories down by business department, divisions of users, geography or asset theme.

• Begin From Scratch: At times, digital asset management administrators make blunder to start their category structure from scratch. This can make the process feel much more overwhelming and often cause issues in the longer run, since the structure is created completely from only one person’s outlook. The perfect place to begin creating your category structure is through making use of your company’s existing folder structure as a foundation. From there, you can scrutinize what works and what not and add, eliminate or adapt categories consequently. This will trim down the work for you and boost user adoption, since the users will already be known to the structure. If your company is presently storing assets in several different places then, make sure to merge the folder structures from all of these systems. It will give you a clear view of everything which you will require for storing in your digital asset management system.

• Aim for Perfection: Being a digital asset management administrator, it is quite normal to stress about having your digital asset management solution set-up completely right from the starting. However, aiming for perfection can stop your project and stop you from shifting on successive steps. Remember that the category structure you execute into your digital asset management solution is not position in stone, there is always a possibility to make modifications if required! As you have your perfect category structure in place, make sure to upload a test batch of assets in your digital asset management solution and have primary users experiment with it. Make use of their feedback to drive all type of changes and assist you reach your objective of category structure precision.  

While creating your category structure might take some time and effort to get it perfect state, it does not have to be overpowering. If you get stuck somewhere and fail to get your project back on track then, your digital asset management solution’s customer success administrator is available 24x7 to help you out.