I forgot that the listserve strips attachments. Among others things it
implies that since some of the workforce don't want to take the time to
determine what is a record that Microsoft is going to make it easier for
us by giving all email a retention time period.  

 

The term RtM (retention Management) is what Bruce uses to say we are
retreating from compliance and records management by letting the
industry solve the problem for us.  "Automatic" is a myth he says we
have not succeeded at.  Some vendors do not understand Record
management.  So they cater to those buyers who just want to serve the
paper trail by saying "okay we are doing what we need to do."  Education
is what the professional workforce needs but doesn't have time or
resources to devote to learning what real records management is.  Buyers
I believe are often lost after implementation of software by not knowing
where to begin.  They either buy too many capabilities or not enough.
If they buy too many they don't use what they have or use it halfway.
If they do not buy enough by not taking time to fully examine their
requirements they modify the software afterwards still it is too hard to
be worked.  Or it is not understood and the experts who installed in
move on.  

 

Bruce Miller goes through locking a document now, declaring it a record,
classifying it buy a retention rule, and than practicing a disposition,
i.e. making a determination by the faulty logic of humans who determine
a meaning to the records schedule or series.  Unless we constantly
educate perhaps we cannot hope to comply afterall.

 

RtM means that buyers won't invest in recordkeeping
infrastructure/skills.  It does offer some of the same rules as RM,
Apply a retention rule, LOCK the document, destroy in accordance but
according to Bruce it has lower accountability.  Some of the vendor
examples he names as RtM instead of RM are: Microsoft, Stellent, and
Documentum with RPS (retention policy service). IBM he names as
Federated Records management with FILENET.  A new kid on the block.  

 

With the new Microsoft product PST files go away.  All email is stored
on a shared corporate drive.  Office 2007 replaces shared drives with
structured "Managed" repositories that have retention policies applied.
All emails have a retention rule.  And all email disappears
automatically, unless it is move to managed folder with a retention
policy applied.

 

Sounds like the machine is doing all the work.  I can forward to folks
if they send their direct email.

 

 

Ms. Laura F. Bell

DOT Directives & Records Management

Office of the Secretary of Transportation

[log in to unmask]

202-366-9761

 


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