tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post2887902991211120064..comments2023-10-26T05:31:18.144-05:00Comments on Above the RIM: ATR: The Future of Records ManagementPatrick Cunningham, CISM, CDPSE, FAIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06105058184172735676noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-40692370854524958862011-01-28T23:55:41.379-06:002011-01-28T23:55:41.379-06:00Quite inspirational post ! I read your complete ar...Quite inspirational post ! I read your complete article. It is quite impressive one. The line who is inspiring me lot : The failure is that we have focused on the tactics that won the last war and we have not adopted new strategies to win the next war. Thanks Man !<br /><a href="http://www.grmdocumentmanagement.com/" rel="nofollow"> records management </a>Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12068876320485620659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-28943503118165173342010-09-23T09:45:01.679-05:002010-09-23T09:45:01.679-05:00I'm so glad that these concerns are being grok...I'm so glad that these concerns are being grokked at the higher levels of the industry (as evidenced in both the post and in comments). That maybe gives us a chance.<br /><br />Perhaps we're on the verge of revolutionary change in IM as opposed to evolutionary. Small "i", small "t" information technology is far ahead of the game - we can barely keep up with the changes, the latest being social media. Changes tend to be slow in Legal, but the new FRCP and the Sedona principles indicate that they at least understand the importance of addressing the new paradigm.<br /><br />My fear is that RIM will continue be too comfortable selling buggy whips. Paper still exists, of course - but it represents such a tiny fraction of any organization's corpus of information that it's almost foolish to put as much attention to it as to the digital, and in my experience most RIM professionals still deal with paper more. Me included.<br /><br />I do have the potential solution - I think that RIM professionals need to start finding jobs in IT departments. If IT is creeping into RIM, let's creep back. We will naturally rise to the top - the future, as you say, is in policy and governance, which RIM pro's rule at, rather than in the mechanics of the technology. In time the IT department will be renamed the IG department and we'll be where we should be.Homer Hoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00580292764670116877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-4383330420656051632010-09-22T23:38:59.424-05:002010-09-22T23:38:59.424-05:00Pat,
As always, well said. I love it when we cha...Pat,<br /><br />As always, well said. I love it when we challenge the status quo, say the unpopular thing, and push the porfessionals that are passionate about this professional.<br /><br />You and I have spoke about this and I can guaran-damn-tee you our dialog is at the core of the message that I hope to convey in the keynote. The time to look forward, not backward is here.<br /><br />As you well know, I need to watch my "P's" and "Q's" ... at least until 7/1/2011 but I applaud your message and plan to reference this and some of our dialog in my message. You are a far better statesman than I my friend (and I will show my work, as well as give credit where it is due - I have learned an incredible amount from you and continue to do so!)<br /><br />I knew it the first time I heard you speak circa 2000 at a Great Lakes Leadership Conference that you possess a trait I have always admired my friend... VISION!<br /><br />Keep up the noodling, rants et. al.<br /><br /><br />NickNicky "D"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09638601042402921496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-53204226151522725502010-09-21T14:08:12.293-05:002010-09-21T14:08:12.293-05:00As always, a very thoughtful post.
One thing to k...As always, a very thoughtful post.<br /><br />One thing to keep in mind is how you got where you are and how your perspective is influenced by that. The decision to 'include records management' in what your present group does shows the relevance isn't gone.<br /><br />Many elected (some a LONG time ago) to elevate our skills, embrace technology and work to improve access to information through new methods and procedures as records took new forms. <br /><br />Success depended in part on methods chosen to demonstrate the value of information. In some cases we were successful in convincing them... but in others we were not.<br /><br />What was once all produced by hand, typewriters, in postal mail, or from other 'physical sources' was now created digitally. <br /><br />By encouraging the need to manage records of transactions and agreements, decisions, directions to others, or legal opinion, some understood format wasn't the issue- CONTENT was. An organization's records are required to be retained for specified periods of time by regulators, statues or laws. <br /><br />In the future, we may see fewer cases where sanctions or penalties for failure to retain things, or for what may be viewed as selective retention rather than 'keeping everything'. But I'm not necessarily convinced of this. I believe "what's past is prologue" and we've seen cases of this in business.<br /><br />It seems things your group does are re-branded terms for things done with physical records for years. <br /><br />Forensics? We did that. Something existed and you need to find it- now you scour a hard drive or server; before you searched file cabinets and checked logs for the last remaining copy. <br /><br />Compliance? Did that too. Requirements exist to keep things based on legal, statutory, regulatory or business needs. A legal battle creates the need to discontinue destruction of impacted information, you issue holds and inform staff of the requirements.<br /><br />Have all RIMs been successful in influencing policy for managing information in electronic formats, like e-mail, voice, messaging, or other forms of communication? Nope, few have. But we may have informed management of the need to establish systems for items meeting the organization's definition of a record. And we may have given them examples of judgments issued against others for failing to institute practices compliant with policy. But they made business decisions to take the risk for the potential consequences for failing to do so. <br /><br />Business support functions (records management, compliance, information management, information compliance, IT, even legal) can't force a business to make decisions. All we can do is suggest practices are inconsistent with existing policies, or guidance provided by those who regulate the 'business of the business'. Senior Management decides their level of risk tolerance.<br /><br />Will this profession disappear or become marginalized? If we allow it to, maybe it will. Those who have seen the writing on the wall (as old as cave paintings) have chosen to evolve, but are not giving up what we know because there will ALWAYS be a need for it. <br /><br />We may become specialists, but fewer people are learning what we learned and more of us dropping out of the talent pool due to age or other reasons. <br /><br />I will continue to proudly refer to myself as a Records and Information Manager. That is until I can get my employer to accept me as an Information Asset Manager =).Larry Medinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12721435942349278134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-16634612297328112912010-09-21T12:31:58.887-05:002010-09-21T12:31:58.887-05:00As always, a very thoughtful post.
One thing to k...As always, a very thoughtful post.<br /><br />One thing to keep in mind is how you got where you are and how your perspective is influenced by that. The decision to 'include records management' in what your present group does shows the relevance isn't gone.<br /><br />Many elected (some a LONG time ago) to elevate our skills, embrace technology and work to improve access to information through new methods and procedures as records took new forms. <br /><br />Success depended in part on methods chosen to demonstrate the value of information. In some cases we were successful in convincing them... but in others we were not.<br /><br />What was once all produced by hand, typewriters, in postal mail, or from other 'physical sources' was now created digitally. <br /><br />By encouraging the need to manage records of transactions and agreements, decisions, directions to others, or legal opinion, some understood format wasn't the issue- CONTENT was. An organization's records are required to be retained for specified periods of time by regulators, statues or laws. <br /><br />In the future, we may see fewer cases where sanctions or penalties for failure to retain things, or for what may be viewed as selective retention rather than 'keeping everything'. But I'm not necessarily convinced of this. I believe "what's past is prologue" and we've seen cases of this in business.<br /><br />It seems things your group does are re-branded terms for things done with physical records for years. <br /><br />Forensics? We did that. Something existed and you need to find it- now you scour a hard drive or server; before you searched file cabinets and checked logs for the last remaining copy. <br /><br />Compliance? Did that too. Requirements exist to keep things based on legal, statutory, regulatory or business needs. A legal battle creates the need to discontinue destruction of impacted information, you issue holds and inform staff of the requirements.<br /><br />Have all RIMs been successful in influencing policy for managing information in electronic formats, like e-mail, voice, messaging, or other forms of communication? Nope, few have. But we may have informed management of the need to establish systems for items meeting the organization's definition of a record. And we may have given them examples of judgments issued against others for failing to institute practices compliant with policy. But they made business decisions to take the risk for the potential consequences for failing to do so. <br /><br />Business support functions (records management, compliance, information management, information compliance, IT, even legal) can't force a business to make decisions. All we can do is suggest practices are inconsistent with existing policies, or guidance provided by those who regulate the 'business of the business'. Senior Management decides their level of risk tolerance.<br /><br />Will this profession disappear or become marginalized? If we allow it to, maybe it will. Those who have seen the writing on the wall (as old as cave paintings) have chosen to evolve, but are not giving up what we know because there will ALWAYS be a need for it. <br /><br />We may become specialists, but fewer people are learning what we learned and more of us dropping out of the talent pool due to age or other reasons. <br /><br />I will continue to proudly refer to myself as a Records and Information Manager. That is until I can get my employer to accept me as an Information Asset Manager =).Larry Medinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12721435942349278134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-72294802098597888002010-09-21T10:26:28.447-05:002010-09-21T10:26:28.447-05:00Sorry - Previous post did not identify me well.
T...Sorry - Previous post did not identify me well.<br /><br />Tod Chernikoff, CRMTod Chernikoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14027463050061546298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-31108762482125795832010-09-21T10:21:53.537-05:002010-09-21T10:21:53.537-05:00I agree wholeheartedly with you Patrick. As a RIM...I agree wholeheartedly with you Patrick. As a RIM consultant who works with mostly large, well known clients, I have over the past few years been preaching in the same vane you are writing. <br /><br />If you truly want to help your employer/client, you need to think about the records/information and what it means to them. With the advent of data warehousing and business intelligence comes questions that go beyond the requirements of legal, regulatory and historical points looked at in creating retention schedules. The business and functional needs now can extend the utility and hence the retention of records/information a great deal. This creates a need to be a better requirements gatherer when updating the schedules.<br /><br />This brings up another point you touch on, the RIM professional's place in the organization, mobility and ability to communicate. In order to be a good requirements gatherer the RIM pro needs to be visible and communicate with all parts of the organization. This includes being able to get middle-management in parts of the organization to articulate the true needs they have for the particular bits of records and information beyond the typical answers of "Just because" and "Just in case."<br /><br />Schedules must shrink in order to ease the burden on the front-line employees as well as the IT pros, all who are involved in getting the records/information into the right categories for retention and use.<br /><br />No sooner did I become a records manager, my employer (a municipal government) began to discuss topics such as bringing e-mail to employees desktops, and mobile terminals to its police cruisers, and I got a seat in the back of the room (not at the table yet) at the IT steering committee meetings, and began to tell them that there were rules about the capture and retention of the associated records. By this time I had already joined the Records Management Listserv (good move) and had access to the internet (AOL style) via a dial-up modem at the office, and had experience as an end-user in my previous positions in City Hall in providing requirements as we had gone through the process when upgrading our permitting system and before that in assessing and improving the quality of data.<br /><br />Tools such as ISO 15489 and GARP are there for us to use to help our employers/clients and give credibility to the profession. We must use them and build more and keep them accessible.<br /><br />This is an important discussion and I will see you in San Francisco to continue it.Tod Chernikoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14027463050061546298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-69042261035511448622010-09-21T09:46:36.916-05:002010-09-21T09:46:36.916-05:00Patrick, excellent summary of your "noodling....Patrick, excellent summary of your "noodling." I have also been searching for the direction of all things RIM. <br /><br />I am a part of this community from many different angles, one of them being a board member of my local chapter. I find it interesting that many times members feel the need to say things such as "don't forget your paper records, we still manage paper records." As a newer member to the RIM community, I don't think in terms of paper versus electronic, I call it all "information." There is definitely a shift in thinking for those who have more recently entered the profession.<br /><br />Please continue to share your evolving thoughts!Chris Hohmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07702763472678547893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9013207896779343827.post-6049377258975295782010-09-21T09:02:18.970-05:002010-09-21T09:02:18.970-05:00Patrick....Good comments. I look upon records man...Patrick....Good comments. I look upon records managers as information managers now. The fact that you call your team "Information Governance" is a sign of the times.<br /><br />We need to fight the battles we can win. Too often we want to tackle all aspects of RIM such as social media where clearly there really are no answers to manage these tools effectively. That being said, we shouldn't give up. We recently developed an email policy that "actually works". If you asked me years ago if this was possible, my answer would be emphatically "No!!"<br /><br />We as RIM's need to continually change. We can't be stagnant. We need to read lots and stay informed about current trends and technology. I'm very fortunate in the fact that I am able to work from home two days a week and it is during this time that I get a lot of my reading done.<br /><br />Is managing RIM getting any easier? Of course not, but RIM professionals still possess needed skills within any organization. We can't have status quo in performing our duties. <br /><br />RIM is a field that continues to evolve and will well into the future. Is this the end of our profession? I don't think so. After all " "Information is a corporate, strategic asset that needs to be managed". Keep this in mind. An asset is something of value to an organization and assets are retained.John Annunziellohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08193647151694930716noreply@blogger.com