Enterprise Search

Chapter 12. Critical Success Factors

After eleven chapters and over 60,000 words I thought you might find it useful to have a short list of 12 critical success factors.

1. Invest in a search support team

Before you do anything else set up a search support team with the skills, enthusiasm, organizational knowledge and networks to get the best of the current search application(s). Even if the team is initially a team of one put the budget, headcount and job descriptions in place so that it can grow ahead of the requirements for support.

2. Get the best out of the current investment in search

There is usually much that can be done to improve the current search applications once the search team and the search vendor focus in on options and priorities. The information gained from search log files is a very important element of defining search requirements and setting benchmarks for any new search application

3. Enterprise search is an approach and not a technology

Implementing one single all-encompassing search application is unlikely to be successful and usually carries more risks than benefits. Enterprise search is about creating a managed search environment that ensures employees find the information they need to achieve organizational and/or personal objectives.

4. Set search within an information management context

If the organization does not see information as a business asset it will never invest enough into search and is very susceptible to competitive and reputation risks. An information ...