If you don't document the entire process you're going to miss stuff. And if
you bring in a consultant, the first thing we're going to look for is
process maps of the entire process - if you don't have it we're gonna want
to do it ("to make sure you didn't miss anything"). So if you can do it
inhouse, do it but do the entire thing. 

Jesse Wilkins
CDIA+, LIT, ICP, edp, ermm, ecms
IMERGE Consulting
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(303) 574-1455 office
(303) 484-4142 fax
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-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Peter Kurilecz
Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 4:52 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: to process flow or not

that is the question

On 1/17/07, Steve Petersen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Am I off-base in making this part of the flowchart process or what have
> others used in explaining the why to non RIM personnel.

steve

like others have mentioned you need to document the entire process.
There is no one point in the lifecycle that determines when a document
becomes a record. I believe that in any process you will have multiple
records declaration points when decisions are made that make an item a
record. The simple receipt of a document can result in that item
becoming a record, e.g. a FOIA request.

I will point once again to the use of  Graham Charting as an excellent
tool to capture the detailed lifecycle of a business process. The
standard IT business process tools aren't as robust or detailed enough
to completely chart a process.

for example years ago I read a story wherein Dr. Graham documented a
particular permitting process for a city. Here is the link to the
story. note that this particular process had over 400 steps in it and
the chart was 30 ft long

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/10/30/loc_development30.html

this link will take you to a pdf file with further information about
process mapping
www.worksimp.com/project%20results.pdf

so to put it simply, chart the entire process capturing everything
that happens in the process

-- 
Peter Kurilecz CRM CA
Richmond, Va

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