Media Discontinuity

A media discontinuity occurs when information within a process has to be transferred from one medium or system to another. This happens, for example, when images are downloaded from a digital asset management (DAM) system, emailed to an agency, and then manually uploaded and tagged again once the final design comes back. A better approach is to give the agency shared access or an upload link so it can work directly in the DAM and store the design there with the required metadata. Another example: a request is entered in the process system, but approval is obtained by email and the result is then added manually. At each of these points, end-to-end digital processing is interrupted.

Media discontinuities are among the most common causes of slow, error-prone processes. Every manual transfer takes time, introduces the risk of typos and transcription errors, and makes processes harder to trace. For organizations that want to digitize or automate their processes, media discontinuities are therefore a key starting point. Media disruptions are among the most common causes of slow and error-prone processes. Each manual transfer costs time, carries the risk of typing and transmission errors, and makes traceability difficult. For organizations that intend to digitize or automate their processes, media disruptions are therefore a central point of approach.

Media discontinuities usually have one of three causes: systems are not connected to each other; a process step was never digitized – for example, when forms are still printed and signed by hand; or external parties such as agencies, customers, or partner organizations have no access to the system. Media discontinuities also often emerge after the fact: when a system doesn't handle a task the way people need it to, employees turn to workarounds, and an end-to-end workflow becomes manual again.

Media discontinuities occur in organizations of every size and industry. They are especially common where many specialized applications run side by side, where external partners are involved in workflows, or where processes cross departmental boundaries. In day-to-day work, they are felt primarily by the employees who transfer data by hand. But the consequences also fall on process owners, who are responsible for cycle times and quality, and on IT departments, which have to close missing connections after the fact.

• Shorter cycle times, because manual transfers are eliminated
• Fewer errors from duplicate data entry
• Better traceability, because data is held consistently in one system
• A foundation for process automation and reporting
• Less routine work for employees

A media discontinuity refers broadly to a switch between media, including between paper and digital. A system break is a special case: the information stays digital but has to be transferred manually between two IT systems because there is no interface between them.