August 2011 - Posts

• We might not like your color scheme, but we're happy to show you how to implement it!

  A few months ago, I sent the following email off to a long-time customer: Hi, Joe* - I recently noticed that the colors on your policyIQ site have gotten a bit messed up.  I took a moment this morning to readjust the color scheme so that your header and module bar colors match your logo and are no longer the glaring green color.  I suspect that in making some other adjustment, the color codes were corrupted accidentally.  Please let me know if you have any questions! Sincerely, Chris Our team works hard to maintain our high standards of customer service, and this type of opportunity to be helpful and attentive to our clients is always a great experience.  I was feeling so proud of myself.  For about two hours.  And then I received Joe's reply. Thanks for your help, Chris, but our team actually prefers the green color that they had selected.  They felt that it stood out more clearly.  Can you change it back?  Um...oops.  *blushing*  Thankfully, my client was gracious and didn't point out that I had literally referred to their choice in colors as "messed up".  I'm hoping that he had a chuckle over it, although I didn't have the courage to ask.  I just quickly changed it all back and sent an apology.  Lesson learned:  Ask first, be helpful later.  And even though that particular client wasn't in need of color-correction, I suspect that many of you might be less than thrilled with your current color scheme. Do you know where to make changes to your policyIQ site colors and logo? Did you even know that you could make changes to your policyIQ site colors?  When we work with a brand new client through policyIQ site configuration, we always point out the area of your Setup module where Site Administrators can make adjustments to the color scheme, logo and log-on screen text.  However, after the initial set up, this area is rarely revisited, and even more rarely discussed by policyIQ training or support.  It's not that we're trying to keep it a secret - it just doesn't come up that often!  We thought a blog post might be a good way to walk you through it!   1. Navigate to Setup > Site Setup > Site Style. (Note: This is only available to policyIQ Site Administrators.)   2. On the Site Style page to the right, you'll see the existing logo, log-on screen text, and the colors that have been selected for your site. If you need to make changes, click Edit in the toolbar.   3. You can upload a new Logo if your company logo has changed - or if you have a better version of the image. a. Logos used in policyIQ should be no more than 65 pixels high. b. Logos with transparent or white backgrounds are ideal, as they do not require a custom Header Background Color. c. We don't recommend using a logo with a gradient or pattern in the background of the logo, because those become almost impossible to blend with your Header Background Color.   4. The Header Color will be the color that will appear across the top - including under your logo. If your logo has a transparent background, you can select any color. However, if your Logo does have a colored background (including white or black), it is best to choose a Header Color that matches the background of the image, so that it blends and appears to be seamless. (Basic photo editing software - including our favorite, SnagIt!, will provide tools that allow you to view the color codes for any color in an image. If you aren't sure if you have a program that allows you to do this, or you don't know how, just ask us! We're happy to pull out the right color from your image for your header.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Picking colors: For any of your color properties, you can click the Pick hyperlink to select a color from the color panel - or you simply enter the six-character hexadecimal code for that color into the field, preceded by the # sign.  If you aren't using a photo editing program to grab those hex codes, you can expand your choices by using an online site, such as this one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------    5. The Header Text Color is simply the color of the text that appears in the header, the "Welcome: Chris Burd [Logoff]" text on the far right of the screen. Typically we find that white text on a dark background or black text on a light background is easiest on the eyes, although you are welcome to choose any color you like.   6. For your modules, you have a choice of both a Module Bar Start Color and a Module Bar End Color, allowing for the gradient that you see in the policyIQ module colors. These colors apply to the modules in the left navigation, as well as the title bar across all tables in policyIQ, and above all of the Dashboard panes. If you want to use a gradient, we recommend starting with a color that is about medium (not too dark or light) and ending with black as your Module Bar End Color. With almost any standard color, this provides a smooth gradient to black. Our demo and training sites using a medium blue and end with black. (I'm a big fan of medium grey to black, as well, for a cool, modern, silvery look!) Once updated, you will need to refresh your browser in order to see the updated colors.   7. The Module Bar Text Color should be obvious - the color of the text that appears on top of your module bars. If you use a gradient that ends in black, we recommend white text, as the modules will tend to be dark. If you use lighter colors, of course, you may prefer black text.   8. In addition to the site Colors and Logo, you can make adjustments here to your Company Name, Footer Text (which appears at the bottom of all emailed or printed policyIQ pages), and Log-On Screen Text (which appears before users log into policyIQ). You'll also find Read-Only Dashboard Text, where you can define that your read-only users will see instead of the custom Dashboard that appears for Standard or Advanced Users. Later this week, we'll provide some tips on updating your log-in screen text in a follow-up blog post.   Don't feel creative?  Seems too complicated?  First, don't hesitate to try out some color combinations.  It can actually be a lot of fun!  But if you still think that perhaps you are better off leaving the color selection to someone else, don't hesitate to reach out to us.  We are happy to grab your latest logo or look at your new website style and update your policyIQ site to a coordinating color scheme! If you aren't a Site Administrator, consider forwarding this blog post to your policyIQ Site Administrator as an FYI.  Just be careful not to insult the current color scheme unless you are absolutely sure that he's not responsible for selecting the color!  Trust me on that. * Name changed to protect the innocent. And possibly colorblind. Posted Aug 29 2011, 03:31 PM by chrisburd with 1 comment(s) Filed under: tips, setup

• Archiving: Snapshot, Delete, Repeat

  We have presented ideas about archiving data before (remember the "policyIQ Archiving Options" post from January?). Still, we hear from someone new at least once per month asking about these options and exactly how the process works. If you want to archive data each quarter or each year, here are the steps that we recommend: Archiving your policyIQ Content 1.       Request a Snapshot (Setup > Site Setup > Database Management > Snapshots). 2.       Once Snapshot is complete, identify the content (Pages or Activities/Form Lists) that you wish to remove from the site. 3.       Next, Delete the old content. 4.       Wait--you're not finished yet! The content is still in your site. Next, you need to go to the Delete menu (Create And Edit) and Permanently Delete the old content (only a Site Administrator or someone with the Permanently Delete permission enabled can perform this action). 5.       The last step: Contact Support@policyIQ.com and request that we run the compression script. Only after this step can you observe a reduction in the size of your database. Storing your Archived Information The policyIQ Support team will retain your snapshots for as long as you are a policyIQ customer. If you would like, you have the option of storing the archived data locally. You could request a downloadable version of your snapshot or have us send you a DVD with your pages, files and weblinks stored as HTML Pages and organized according to the same Folder structure that you have in your policyIQ site (there is a fee for the service of preparing and sending the HTML Extract. Contact Support for more information. Accessing Archived Information  While you may have thought that you took every precaution to communicate with content owners prior to this archiving process, you might have someone alert you that they need to access something that you just deleted from the production site. Not to worry...this is why you took the snapshot! Of course, if you opted to store the data locally, then you need only to locate the appropriate disk or Folder to access the archived data. In any case, we always have a copy of your snapshot on hand. Simply send an email to Support@policyIQ.com requesting access to your snapshot (let us know the date of the snapshot that you want restored and we can make that data available to you in a second policyIQ site).  Adding this process to your routine maintenance plan will not only keep your database size down, it will keep your site clutter-free and easy to use! Posted Aug 26 2011, 07:16 AM by stepheniebuehrle with no comments

• Information Governance – “That’s a wrap” on our latest training session

  As always, a huge thank you to all of our policyIQ community members who joined our training session on Information Governance last week. When it comes down to it, every feature of policyIQ is built with the intention to help you to govern your content.  So the topic of Information Governance in policyIQ was a daunting one.  We hope that we were able to provide you with a broad overview of what makes up an information governance plan, and paired that with specific features in policyIQ that help you to implement or enforce that plan. Six Elements of Information Governance We build our training session around six key elements of an information governance plan: 1. Identify what information is important 2. Determine who should have access to the information 3. Decide how information will be secured or safeguarded from unauthorized access 4. Map out a plan for where information will be stored 5. Settle on a guide for how long information should be retained 6. Establish a plan for how related policies, standards and regulations will be enforced   Features in policyIQ that support those elements We took each element and broke it down into features in policyIQ that support those elements.  Here are the highlights: Six Elements of Information Governance policyIQ Features to Enforce Information Governance 1.     Identify what information is important  Customizable Templates accommodate a wide range of information 2.     Determine who should have access to the information  Page-level security to define and enforce who has read vs. write access 3.     Decide how information will be secured or safeguarded SAS 70 Type II Certified Data center, SSL secured sites, and user-level security to safeguard information   4.     Map out a plan for where information will be stored  Customize organization structure(s) (with guidance toward best practices) 5.     Settle on a guide for how long information should be retained  Use Snapshots and Permanent Deletion of content to execute your retention plan 6.     Establish a plan for how related policies, standards and regulations will be enforced  Use Reports to oversee user permissions, assignment to groups, page-level security, status and progress on various processes    What our attendees were "chatting" about! During the session, there was an active conversation also happening over in our chat window.  Thanks so much for those of you who participated.  We wanted to highlight some of those key points that our attendees made - or questions that they asked. --------------- Tom D asked: "Can you use [your] Active Directory security groups [to apply security in policyIQ]?" policyIQ: Yes!  You can integrate your Active Directory (or your network user directory) with policyIQ logins using LDAP integration.  If you are interested in more information, reach out to our support team at support@policyIQ.com for more information. --------------- Karen K asked: "Someone can only add Editors to a page if they are an Administrator, correct?" policyIQ: Yes, that is correct.  Only page Administrators (or users who are permitted to administer all pages) can add additional Editors to that page. Karen K: "We really wish that Approvers could add Editors on the page.  We have a situation whereby our IA department is set up as Approvers of certain templates, but they cannot make changes to Editors (which we would like them to do).  And we don't want to give them Admin access to the pages." policyIQ: Let's follow up and make sure that we have this request for an adjustment to policyIQ functionality documented to be considered for future development! --------------- During the session, we spoke of archiving older content.  policyIQ Database Snapshots are a "must do" in our opinion, but if you want an even easier way to view the older documentation - while still getting it out of your production site - we suggested contacting our support team to arrange for an HTML Extract that can be burned to CD or downloaded to your network.  This resonated with at least one of our attendees. Diana K commented, "We're planning to use the CD feature ‘just in case'." Good plan, Diana! --------------- As we were talking about auditing the process, Karen K commented, "We've found that auditing our Groups is very important (especially as we grow our use of policyIQ to other departments)." policyIQ: Yes!  It is surprising how many sites have old users still in their sites (after people have left the company). Karen K: "...actually it's more of the situation where we've created more groups and have forgotten to go back and add necessary users to the group structures." policyIQ: Ah. Yes--that's important and helpful for long term maintenance. --------------- Diana K was enthusiastic about the possibility of building guidance into the policyIQ application with static text on her Templates.  "I'm so excited about the static text help on templates.  We can answer questions before the users call us!" We LOVE that enthusiasm! --------------- Toward the end of our training session, we discussed using reports in policyIQ for oversight into the process.  Diana K asked, "Are the criteria for these reports available?  They will help us when we do a complete review of access this year." policyIQ: Yes!  The reports that we discussed - and more - are detailed in the policyIQ online Help pages.  You can access the specific page directly by clicking here. Tom D asked for further guidance, "Are there canned maintenance reports that can be run on a monthly/quarterly/yearly basis?" policyIQ: There are some Standard Reports available under Reports à Standard Reports related to maintenance tasks - such as a report of all Expired and Expiring Pages.  However, we are also happy to work with you to create some custom reports that can help your organization better manage regular maintenance tasks.  (And we'll follow up with Tom to do just that!) --------------- Follow-up with these links to more information: Recording of the training presentation: If you missed the presentation and want to get caught up, you can find it on our policyIQ training page, or by clicking here to go directly to the presentation.   Review online Help information: We tried to pack a lot of information in a short time frame - and we didn't get to talk about everything related to Information Governance. Check out the online Help pages related to this topic for more information.   Connect with experienced professionals to get started: Do you need some help? Aren't sure where to start? Let us connect you with experienced Information Management professionals in your area who can help you to put your plan in place.   Get support to implement policyIQ features: And as always, if you need some help getting started or making an update to policyIQ, reach out to our support team and we'll be happy to provide assistance. Posted Aug 23 2011, 09:00 AM by chrisburd with no comments Filed under: tips, Training, features, professional services, Page Templates, information governance, IT

• Greatest Risk is Champion/Administrator Turnover

  It is widely recognized that companies sink a great deal of what might have otherwise been used for capital investments, shareholder dividends or employee raises into the setup, training and maintenance of their many systems used to keep the business humming. Wouldn’t you love to redirect some of those funds to your bank account or benefits package?! Hmpf…wishful thinking. This is not another post about consolidating the management and oversight of multiple processes under this one user-friendly and inexpensive umbrella in order to generate cost savings (although that is a great idea). This post is a tell-it-like-it-is acknowledgement with a word of caution and bit of advice about how you and your organization could stave off some of those common system-related costs better suited for use on other (hopefully more desirable and rewarding) purposes. The acknowledgement Very rarely do policyIQ customers leave the policyIQ community because they’ve found an attractive replacement. policyIQ is broadly applicable, user-friendly and inexpensive.  If your organization has successfully configured and launched policyIQ, you’re more likely to expand and extend your efficiency and cost savings to other areas than you are to stop using policyIQ. The greatest risk to successful sustainability of your process streamlining, content management, analysis and oversight in policyIQ is employee turnover. Turnover. Does that surprise you? It’s simple, really… We do what we know. Our past experiences shape our future behaviors and actions. People are naturally averse to change. So, if your incoming CFO, Internal Audit Director, IT Systems Administrator or other internal owner of policyIQ does not have previous experience with policyIQ and is used to meeting expectations by different means, he might be inclined to lead the organization to adopt the method or system that was comfortable to him from his last gig. Is your apple cart at risk of being shaken up? I’m not asking if you think that your VP of Finance is about to exit. I’m asking about your preparedness to seamlessly maintain productivity in the event that your policyIQ champion moves on to a new opportunity. Do you have more than one internal policyIQ guru or go-to person? Do you know all of the ways that your organization is using policyIQ, why it was selected (which benefits pushed policyIQ to the top of the list), and why it was configured in such a way? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, then you are at high risk of incurring the productivity, time, effort and cost setbacks associated with another new system and process implementation. With a little homework, you can close this gap and significantly shrink the target and odds of realizing this risk. Tips and tools to set yourself up for a smooth transition 1. More than one guru – as mentioned above, it is certainly helpful and more secure to have more than one person familiar with your application of policyIQ 2. Put it in writing (or document in an online policyIQ Reference Guide) – Another way to increase the probability of successful hand-off is to have your policyIQ configuration decisions, supporting procedures and references captured in an organized and accessible medium. Check out our Help guide page with guidance and a template for creating your own policyIQ Manual or Reference Guide. Don’t stop there—refer users to it and let it be the living governing document for all of your policyIQ content. Turn the greatest risk into the greatest opportunity! We want to help with the hand-off and welcome new administrators. If you anticipate or find your organization in transition, let us know! Many organizations find that the changing of the guard presents an opportunity to take a look at how they are using policyIQ, where they might be able to more fully utilize its capabilities and to update the site’s Setup to better reflect the changing and incoming needs of the business. We are happy to host an online policyIQ “orientation” for your newcomers. We will recommend relevant training materials and can help bring diverse parties together on the best practices for sharing the value of policyIQ for multiple purposes. If nothing else, feel free to lean on us to help with the transition and to keep your business moving along. Posted Aug 18 2011, 01:32 PM by stepheniebuehrle with no comments Filed under: configuration, setup, customer success, support, cost-saving, risk management, reference guide, site administrator

• Join us in sending a team member off with best wishes!

  It seems self-serving to brag about our policyIQ support team, but the fact is that we're told by a lot of YOU that the policyIQ support is "top-notch", "excellent" and "phenomenal".  They've been called "rock stars" and "saviors" by more than a few of our users. For the record, we think they are pretty awesome, too. So it is bittersweet to be announcing that one of those amazing team members is moving on to a new opportunity.  Brian Whalen is a familiar name - and has been the voice of policyIQ support for six years now.  Some of you may have met Brian at our policyIQ user conference in 2007, and even more of you have spoken to Brian by phone.  He's been dedicated to building policyIQ support to its current unmatched level of service. Alas, it is time for Brian to move on and stretch his skills in a new role.  We know it wasn't an easy decision for him - in many ways it's difficult because of all of you whom he has gotten to know over the years - but he has a great opportunity to try something new. Please join us in wishing Brian well!  (If you can, take a moment to share some of your best Brian memories in the comments to give him a great send-off.) But while we're wishing Brian the very best, we're also excited to be looking to the future.  Most of you are also familiar with John Schmotzer, the Richie Sambora to Brian's Jon Bon Jovi.  (I know I'm not the only Bon Jovi fan in our community! In fact, I could name names, but I won't!)  John has his own amazing fan base - and he's ready to take the lead on our support team. While we're searching for another stellar team member to join us in supporting our user community, you also might see some new names from our amazing support network across the Resources Global family who will be answering your emails and phone calls.  We love being a part of a large company, because we're able to draw on our network across the country and across the globe! We're committed to continuing to provide to you the absolute highest level of user support, and we're looking forward to expanding our policyIQ family to include a new individual. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team, or to me personally.  And don't forget to share your notes of support and well wishes for Brian! Posted Aug 16 2011, 09:01 AM by chrisburd with no comments

• Information Governance – Why is it important?

  First, what picture comes to mind when you hear “information governance”? The term is being kicked around a bunch lately and can refer to a range of things from the management of data and information to security and systems—and any combination of the aforementioned. Do you sometimes feel like people with nothing better to do sit around at night dreaming up the next major initiative that all businesses have to take on and then start off the next day lighting fires all over the place to create a sense of urgency [she exclaimed without taking a breath]?? In some cases, I would have to agree. In this case, I’ve seen the damage left behind when one of these fires is left to spread.   If your organization is like most, then you likely have some teams managing information on shared network drives, some throw things on their hard drive and use email to collaborate with others, a few teams have rolled at a feverish pace down the “let’s put it on SharePoint!” path (albeit at different starting points and in different versions of SharePoint), and many of these teams happen to have overlapping functions, so several different versions of the same information are in several locations leaving you with lagging confidence about where to go to get the most up-to-date and unadulterated version. Aaack, is right! Do I really need to say more about why information governance at the enterprise level is valuable? I haven’t really raised the “security breach” flag, yet. This is another biggie. Where and how is your important data, document, product plan or contract secured? Are you sure that it is only accessible by authorized personnel? Who can make amendments to the information? Who has the ability to delete information? On that note, do you have a plan for when and how information should be retired, what should be retained, and where archived documents are housed, secured and the means for accessing them? Phew! Yes, Information Governance is necessary. You have to start at the beginning, assemble a team, develop a strategy, document and communicate your plan and methodically implement that plan. Sounds easy, huh? Well, I just took the high road a listed some key steps to any implementation. For more specifics, join the policyIQ team’s monthly CPE training session on August 18th to learn more about the development and implementation of your plan and how the Information Management professionals at Resources Global and policyIQ can help! Posted Aug 11 2011, 07:00 AM by stepheniebuehrle with no comments

• Reduce, reuse and recycle…electronic content?

  Being successful in business today is not a walk in the park. (Unless your business happens to be dog walking.) It requires efficiency in everything you do. Every minute of your time is valuable. If you are like me, you have a folder of emails saved, where you can copy and paste text to answer commonly asked questions or reuse some boilerplate information that you include with each message. You make the most of the work that has already been done. Are you making the most of the work that has already been done in policyIQ? Take a moment and think about how your organization is using policyIQ. Many of you are using the application for compliance initiatives. Some use policyIQ for internal audit – either financial or operational. Others manage policies, contracts and other business content. Have you streamlined your documentation to avoid duplication and to allow for ease of reuse? 1. Index controls to multiple compliance initiatives If you are required to comply with multiple compliance initiatives – SOX and PCI DSS for example – do some of the controls that you have in place apply to both compliance programs? Are you documenting those controls just once? Remember that any page in policyIQ can be indexed into multiple folders, so a single control page can simply appear (and be reported on) for both compliance programs. 2. Create a library of common controls that are indexed to every applicable location For an organization with multiple physical locations or business entities, you often need to report on compliance at each location. Create a library of common controls and index those controls to every location at which they are performed. If some locations vary, make a copy of that common control and make those adjustments. (Consider also including test plans in your common library, so that every location might copy reuse the same test plan, documenting only their unique test results.) 3. Create a library of audit programs From year to year, an organization may conduct different audits in different locations, however many audits are repeated. The audit plan may be altered slightly or the testing is conducted in a new location – but the general framework stays the same. Create a library of common audit programs – including the plans and test pages. Copy the entire folder – pages included – for a new audit. Clear out old results and get a fresh start on the audit, with little setup effort. 4. Use policyIQ to store examples of commonly created documents Contracts, proposals, requests for information – lots of documents that we create every day are easier to create when we have a baseline to get started from. Use policyIQ to provide the best examples or templates for your employees to pull from. (And remember that read-only access to policyIQ is free, so your entire organization can access policyIQ for these commonly used documents at no extra cost to you!) Do you have other ways that you use policyIQ to reduce, reuse or recycle content to be more efficient? Share your thoughts in the comments! Want to brainstorm ways to make your business more efficient with policyIQ? Contact us and we’ll be happy to work with you. Image by Petr Kratochvil Posted Aug 10 2011, 06:47 AM by chrisburd with no comments Filed under: tips, cost-saving

• Meet Dave Hoerster, our very own Microsoft MVP

  Typically you see us highlighting a particular client or maybe a Resources consultant on this blog. We thought it would be fun to once in awhile showcase some of our own team members, give you an insider's look into our team! I decided to start out with our very own Microsoft MVP, Dave Hoerster. Dave is the Sr. Director of Technology for policyIQ and has been with Resources Global for almost 5 years. He is responsible for the development, support and QA of policyIQ.  In April 2011, he was awarded with a Microsoft MVP award for Visual C#.  Only around 4,000 technology professionals worldwide are awarded with such a distinction, making them the leaders in their respective fields.  Dave wasn't always a technology guy, though. He started out his career as a Financial Analyst and after realizing that the favorite parts of his job was creating financial model programs, he decided to make a career change and get into computer programming. When I asked Dave if I could "interview" him for a blog post, he agreed to do it, even though he said, "I'm not very interesting!"  I have to disagree; after knowing Dave for almost 10 years now I still learned some new things about him, even some interesting ones. Tell me a little bit about your role on the policyIQ team and what your favorite part is. I am responsible for the development, support and QA of policyIQ. I get my hands into the code every now and then, and I'm also looking for new ways to improve the product, both from a user experience and a performance perspective. My favorite part of my job is looking into new technologies and technology trends. Do you have a favorite new feature or improvement that you've seen over the years in the product?  I guess the feature that I'm most fond of is the concept of alerts in the product.  Being able to have events trigger in policyIQ is an extremely useful feature; and the way that the team architected it, I think it really provides a platform for introducing new and exciting features in the future.  And since I'm on the inside for policyIQ development, I'm most excited about what we have planned for the future.  I can't say any more than that, but I really think it's going to be very impressive and very well-received. A career moment that stands out as a turning point for you? Making the decision, to quit my job and pursue a new career in computer programming.  I was pretty nervous at first, but I have been thankful for making that decision every day since.  I'm convinced that one should pursue what they enjoy and the career will follow.  Pursuing a career in the hopes that they'll enjoy the work is not a guarantee. When you are not busy working on making policyIQ more awesome, what do you do?  I like to read and spend time with my kids.  I am also the President of the Pittsburgh .NET User Group and our group just held its first Give Camp in mid-July where developers came together for the weekend to work on software projects for non-profits.  I also enjoy traveling to other user groups and events to speak about Microsoft .NET development topics.  This year I was selected to speak at 2 regional events (MADExpo in VA Beach and devLink in Chattanooga, TN).  My goal for next year is to be selected to speak at the Norwegian Developers Conference. Who is your favorite sports team? Pittsburgh Pirates - I've been a fan since I was kid.  The last 18 years have been rough, but hopefully the losing will end soon. What is your favorite TV show? LOST - I haven't been the same since the series ended. Do you have any hobbies or special talents? I can suspend an empty glass on my palm upside down. Well, there you have it, our most interesting team member! While we're not so sure about the real world applicability of that special talent (or why someone would have taken the time to develop it), we are extremely lucky to have Dave on our team.  He is not only intelligent, but a true team player and actually a pretty funny guy! Posted Aug 08 2011, 11:50 AM by jenkohlman with no comments Filed under: Resources Global Professionals, Custom Alerts, Microsoft MVP, product development

• Build versus Buy: What considerations should you be contemplating?

  There are a few blogs and newsletters that I read religiously.  One of those that is on my "must read" list is Michael Rasmussen's Corp-Integrity blog.  Mr. Rasmussen is a self-proclaimed "GRC Pundit" - and his blog posts are always worth checking out. Just this morning, an article on the considerations of building a policy management program in house versus buying a policy management solution caught my attention.  The same considerations are a consistent topic of conversation in our office - not just as they apply specifically to policy management, but as they apply to content management in all areas of the business.  We on the policyIQ team obviously have a vested interest in an organization's decision to build versus buy - and we believe that most organizations benefit from buying an existing solution. There are certain essential features that you need in order to fully support your content management initiatives.  You need an easy to manage workflow, security at various levels, reporting for analysis and oversight, communication tools to keep everyone apprised of changes, and electronic forms to track sign-offs.  You also benefit from the ability to identify relationships between related or supporting content, create consistency in the creation of content, and build an easy to navigate structure to organize your information. When you are deciding whether to build a solution or buy, the decision comes down to a simple question: Can you do it less expensively yourself?  Building a solution in-house, whether it is through a simple intranet site, SharePoint or by building a proprietary program from scratch, is not a small undertaking.  The initial development costs are high, and those development resources must be retained in order to maintain the application and support the users of the application going forward.  (If new features or updates are requested, those development costs continue to build every year.)  Buying a solution is more straightforward, but may require some compromises.  It is unlikely that you'll find an application that meets every requirement exactly as your users request it.  If your users have identified a very specific requirement that is a "must have" and it doesn't seem to exist in an existing system, consider whether there might be a different way to accomplish the same end goal.  For example, a policy manager may require that policies be stored as PDF files.  Is the reason behind the requirement that you need to limit the ability to update a document and print it as though it were final?  Security in an existing application may easily accomplish that same goal - without requiring PDF files.  (In policyIQ, you have the option of either storing content as a file attachment - such as a PDF - or within the body of the page.  The same version control and security applies, but by displaying the content directly in the body of the page, you can better control the consistency, reduce " clicks" for your users and eliminate the need for add-on software like a PDF reader.) If you have worked with the policyIQ team, you know that we're passionate about our jobs and our product.  We believe we offer a product that meets the content management needs of most businesses - and we do it with an easy to implement and low cost product that's much more efficient than custom developed solutions. We're interested in hearing what you think!  What features are most important to you in a content management solution? Contact us or reply in the comments with your feedback on the build versus buy decision. Posted Aug 04 2011, 12:07 PM by chrisburd with no comments Filed under: policy, P&P, compliance, Solutions

• Sweepstakes Winner!

  Congratulations to David Roberts of Wall Street Institute--winner of our July policyIQ Sweepstakes!   Thanks to David's participation in our giveaway in July, his organization will enjoy an additional GB of policyIQ storage space and associated support for a full year at no charge. Again, congrats to you and your team, David! Keep an eye on our blog for other opportunities to grab up policyIQ giveaways. Posted Aug 02 2011, 11:27 AM by stepheniebuehrle with no comments

• My oven is not scary. Neither is your policyIQ Dashboard.

  My sister is a great cook.  She's one of those people who can make a delicious meal out of a little bit of rice, random leftover vegetables and dried spices.  She rarely has to, because she always has a fully stocked freezer, fridge and pantry.  She can entertain a houseful of people at a moment's notice.  I, on the other hand, go to the grocery store with endless possibilities and come home with just a loaf of bread and some cheese.  I really want to have great home cooked meals on a regular basis.  But I look at recipes, ingredients and those appliances in my kitchen and I get a little overwhelmed.  My trusty loaf of bread and gourmet cheese gets me by.  (I am a master of the grilled cheese!) When my sister and I are visiting with each other, she often enlists my help with both grocery shopping and meal preparation.  For holidays and birthdays, my gifts are often cookbooks, spices and kitchen gadgets.  It's her subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) way of getting me over my fear of my kitchen.  It's working.  Slowly. Let's help policyIQ users get over their fear of the Dashboard I think the same principle applies to the policyIQ Dashboard.  Users know that if set up properly, the Dashboard can be a great landing page to keep track of tasks, updates and commonly accessed content.  But our experience is that so many users just leave the Dashboard alone, not taking the time to customize it for their unique needs.  The default gets them by, and any adjustments seem overwhelming.  In the past year, we've dedicated a couple of blog posts to what various types of users should consider putting on their Dashboards.  Check out these older posts for ideas on what Dashboard items would be most beneficial: Put the policyIQ Dashboard to work for you! When life hands you lemons, revisit the policyIQ Dashboard! As for the "how", that's easy! Step 1:  Remove any current Dashboard items that aren't adding value for you There is a small "X" in the top right corner of every Dashboard item.  If you aren't an approver, for example, remove any Dashboard items related to approvals.  They'll always be empty and clutter up your view. Step 2: Add Dashboard items that you do want to see when you open policyIQ Click on Add in the toolbar above your Dashboard to see the complete list of items that are available for you.  Your options will vary based on your user type and permissions.  Select items that will be valuable - including Charts that can visually display key administrative information.  If you are a Site Administrator, for example, consider adding Administrative Overview to keep track of the size of your site or the number of pages.  Check the boxes beside items that you want to add and click Save. Step 3: Drag and drop to rearrange in the order that makes the most sense Now that you've selected the items that make the most sense for you, simply drag and drop the various Dashboard items into the order that works.  For example, if you need to quickly access your reports most often, put Favorite Reports right at the top.   As loyal policyIQ blog readers, you probably have already rearranged your Dashboard to work for you.  But have your colleagues or other users?  Pass a link along to this post - or copy the step-by-step instructions above along with suggestions for their best Dashboard items for them!  And of course, don't hesitate to reach out to the policyIQ team if you need any help or would like some personal suggestions for the best Dashboard options. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to run to the grocery store to pick up some tortillas, veggies and steak.  I will conquer my own fears with fajitas! Posted Aug 01 2011, 01:30 PM by chrisburd with no comments Filed under: tips, features