Changing gears: Fast-lane design for accelerated innovation in memory organisations

Audiovisual archives are embracing the opportunities offered by digitisation for managing their work processes and offering new services to a wide array of user groups. Organisation strategy, working processes, and software development need to be able to support a culture where innovation can flourish. Some institutions are beginning to adopt the concept of "two-speed IT.” The core strategy aims to accommodate two tracks simultaneously: foundational but “slow,” and innovative but flexible and “fast." This paper outlines the rationale behind the two-speed IT strategy. It highlights a specific implementation at the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, a large audiovisual archive and museum. Two-speed IT is enabling Sound and Vision to reach its business objectives.