| | NOVEMBER 20158CIOReviewMarrying Technology and Talent to Deploy GCM Processes don't change, but the vehicles (and culture) that drive them mustBy Nancy Goldsmith, VP, Contract Management, The Nielsen Companyhe actual procedure of receiving a contract request, drafting the contract, sending it out for signature, negotiating changes, and returning it for countersignature is still the basic contract management process which has been the model since the beginning of time. The vehicle used to support the process is what has changed over the last thirty years. In the mid-1980's, contracts were still mainly drafted on paper, based on paper requests and delivered via snail mail. Today, technology has made filing cabinets full of documents waiting to be put on fiche, a distant memory. Modern contract management processes rely on data in systems for requesting, authoring, reviewing, approving, administering, signing and archiving secure documents. Infusing automation is key to efficiency and streamlining compliance. While many companies will pitch a simple global contract management system, even the framework mapping to create a company's GCM (global contract management) system is an onerous task. In the midst of handling day-to-day work, lengthy meetings to prepare a GCM system framework are inevitable, and deadlines are often delayed. Managers across large companies tend to differ greatly on how to operate business unit process flows that makes aligning and establishing requirements incredibly challenging. Understanding how to integrate data definitions, pricing fields, naming conventions, contract types, electronic signatures, document storage migrations and related hierarchical information (just to name a few) can overwhelm any team beginning the mapping process. People are just as Important as the TechnologyUnlike routine data entry, contract authoring must be dealt with very carefully to mitigate risk in a rapidly changing landscape. Global contract management systems require tight controls but with flexible workspaces. A key factor for successful migrations, integrations and launches is to ensure stakeholders, who effect system change, possess industry experience, as well as technical skills and IT platform knowledge. Additionally, the team needs to have people with a history of past system process. For a business unit that has no system, the set-up is much simpler because there are no legacy system impacts. For a business unit that does have a system, it is incumbent upon the IT and project leaders to ensure managers are brought in early to assess the new system framework. Likely, there will be integrations of legacy system applications, as well as best practices, which should be flushed out through the mapping phase. One of the most crucial components for the project launch is to ensure leadership is supportive. And ultimately, success will be driven through training and mandating that users work in the new system environment. Benefits Abound, but Participation is Required An ideal lifecycle technology system would require all internal and external company users' access to work in the system environment. External users, however, must be set up to use the system on their end which means security measures must reach an even higher level. Benefits of internal and external engagement mean auto tracking of proposals and negotiations through all vehicles of communication available through the In My OpinionTNancy Goldsmith
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