Evaluating Unstructured Information Management: A Case Study Driven Approach

Abstract

Many organizations have recognized the potential of managing unstructured information alongside structured information as a way to increase their business value and improve their competitive advantage. The evaluation of a UIM process is a challenging research area that has received little attention up to now. Thus, it is important to provide information officers with appropriate techniques to help them evaluate how UIM technologies should be deployed and how to maximise the benefits to the organisation. The proposed UIM evaluation scheme is a comprehensive set of criteria for the UIM process and it is generic in that it could be used to evaluate any applications and technologies that follow this process. In addition, parts of the evaluation scheme could be used in the evaluation of a different UIM process. It follows that the proposed evaluation scheme could assist information officers that use such applications and designers that develop such applications in evaluating and deploying UIM systems that increase business value and improve competitive advantage. Finally, the proposed framework provides a common language for communication between designers and information officers because the majority of its evaluation criteria focus on the usability and functionality of UIM applications and technologies.