In complex corporate environments, document management projects usually start from the IT area.
And it is logical that this is the case.
We are talking about ECM platforms, integrations with core systems, security requirements, scalability, regulatory compliance… All of this lives, and must live, in the technological environment.
The problem is not that it starts in IT.
The problem arises when the project stays there.
In many ECM projects we see the same pattern: the solution is technically correct, even robust, but does not optimize the day-to-day work.
Why?
Because when the business is not aligned from the beginning:
- Documentary processes do not match actual operations.
- Workflows are designed from theory, not from use.
- Users do not adopt the tool or use it “half-heartedly”.
- The system ends up being perceived as a burden, not a help.
The result is not usually a technical failure.
It is somewhat quieter:
An underutilized platform that does not generate the expected return.
And in document-critical environments, that’s not just an efficiency issue.
It’s also an operational risk.
Document management as a meeting point
Projects that really move forward understand a key idea: document management is not an isolated system, it is a meeting point.
A meeting point between:
- Technology and infrastructure
- Actual operating processes
- People who work with documents every day
In these projects, IT does not disappear – quite the contrary.
But system design is built with the business, not for the business.
It analyzes how the system works today (AS IS), not only how it “should” work (TO BE).
The actual friction is understood before the solution is designed.
Technology and operations moving forward together
When IT and business move forward in alignment:
- Documentary processes reflect operational reality.
- Adoption is no longer a critical issue.
- ECM becomes a lever for efficiency, not just a repository.
- Change is perceived as an improvement, not an imposition.
It is at this point that document management begins to provide real value:
Less friction.
More control.
Better informed decisions.
A conscious approach
This is the approach we apply at CIM: understanding document management as a shared space where IT and business move forward together.
Because in organizations where the document is critical, implementing technology is not enough.
We must optimize the way we work.
And do so without generating unnecessary friction or risk.
