In our world, different roles keep things running smoothly. We may think about these roles differently, but each is as important as the other. For instance, consider a local politician, a middle manager at the local electric company, and an electrician making calls in their truck. Each of these people has a vastly different role, but without each of them doing their job well, power couldn’t be distributed to those who need it.
Similarly, different roles must be fulfilled in the ongoing management of your digital asset management (DAM) program. Like a city’s power grid, the program distributes vital digital assets that power your organization’s marketing campaigns, sales efforts, creative projects, and brand identity. Without each level of DAM program management being effectively executed, that power, your assets, won’t get where they need to go.
In this article, we discuss each level of DAM program management, why it matters, and what kinds of activities are involved in its execution.
Level 1: Tactical Execution
To the person without power, the electrician in their truck is far more important than the politician making policy changes and the manager directing their teams. The electrician solves the day-to-day, real-world problems of people in need.
Similarly, effective DAM program management begins with strong tactical execution. At this level, the focus is on the day-to-day operations and workflows that govern your digital assets. It involves implementing a DAM platform tailored to your organization's specific needs, streamlining asset ingestion, metadata tagging, and asset distribution.
These are the boots on the ground of your DAM program that touch assets daily, ensuring they're in the right place with the right metadata and permissions attached. This level of DAM program management ensures your teams can locate, access, and utilize assets efficiently.
Level 2: Maintenance & Governance
Without a manager back at the office dispatching teams of electricians, informing them of each situation, and ensuring they have the proper equipment to do their jobs, power would be much harder to come by. In the same way, the librarians and other staff executing the tactical tasks of DAM every day need others to empower and equip them.
The next level of program management centers around maintenance and governance. Regular maintenance ensures that your DAM solution continues to function optimally, from integrations with other systems to permissions and metadata structure. By monitoring system performance and promptly troubleshooting issues, this level guarantees minimal disruptions in the core workflows of your DAM program.
Establishing governance protocols is vital to maintain consistency and security across all your DAM efforts. Implementing access controls, version management, and metadata standards ensures that your assets are protected, organized, and compliant with industry regulations. This level is also responsible for training and empowering your workforce to embrace the DAM system fully, answering questions from end-users, and working with platform providers to keep your technology running smoothly.
Level 3: Strategic Leadership
Politicians may not be directly involved in distributing power to their constituents, but the policies they enact impact the ability of both the middle manager and the electrician to do their jobs. At the highest level, they make decisions about the power grid and how it’s distributed and controlled, which affects individuals at the tactical level.
In the same way, Strategic Leadership lies at the apex of DAM program management. This level revolves around aligning your DAM strategy with your broader organizational goals. It entails identifying opportunities to leverage your digital assets to drive business growth and gain a competitive advantage.
Strategic leaders analyze asset usage data, customer feedback, and market trends to make informed decisions. They develop long-term roadmaps, allocate resources wisely, and foster a culture of innovation within the organization. With strategic leadership, the DAM program becomes a driving force behind creative initiatives, marketing campaigns, and customer engagement efforts.
It’s important that your strategic leadership team has the right mix of authority to make and enact decisions, neutrality to balance competing stakeholder interests, and expertise to align DAM efforts with best practices.
Conclusion
To conclude, the three levels of DAM program management—Tactical Execution, Maintenance and Governance, and Strategic Leadership—work in synergy to unlock the full potential of your digital assets.
Ensuring smooth operations, data integrity, and strategic alignment with your business objectives is essential for achieving success in our digital age. If you're ready to elevate your DAM game and fully realize the value of your digital assets, contact Stacks today! Our experts will be happy to guide you through the journey of effective DAM program management and help propel your organization to new heights of success.
