Graham said (in part): "I think most people have been sucked into the IT lie that email is complicated (kinda like the Emperor's New Clothes)."

Graham, dealing with electronic records generally, and email in particular, is more troublesome--as well as more complicated--for several reasons I can think of "off the top of my head" (I'm looking forward to other postings on this subject by others more knowledgeable than I!).

In my mind, most of the problem focusses on the costs of analysis and classification of the content. Here are some contributing factors:

1. Volume:  the volume of individual electronic records created and received greatly exceeds that of hard copy records. This means more time has to be spent analysing the content, categorising each record, and placing a copy in the appropriate place.

2. Complexity of content:  many electronic records are comprised of several components, often in different file formats. The classic example is an email message with a word-processing file, a spreadsheet, and a presentation attached. This situation greatly complicates the tasks of analysis and classification--increasing the amount of time required and also the potential error rate. Also, if preservation of the records over a longer period than months is required, separating the attachements from the message--while of course maintaining the provenance, context and authenticity--will be necessary. Oh, and did I mention file format conversion for digital preservation?

3. Workflow:  traditionally, hard copy records came into the organisation through a relatively small number of "doorways":  postal service, fax, hand-delivery, etc. Today, most of these doorways are still used, but are augmented by many others:  email, Web browsers, RSS feeds, blogs, direct electronic system transfers (such as electronic funds transfers), and many more (I'll let Jesse Wilkins fill in the gaps in my list). Some of these new doorways provide for automated analysis and classification, many do not--at least not at the level of sophistication we need for effective records management. I'm writing this message from my BlackBerry, and can vouch for its limitations in that area! This is a big and, IMHO, insufficiently appreciated, problem.

4. Staff (dedicated): you may or may not be old enough to recall the time when every organisation had secretaries and file clerks, whose job it was to perform the analysis and classification--and eventual filing--of all records received and created by the organisation. Those days are gone. Today, almost every person in the organisation is his/her own secretary and file clerk, while expected to be EVEN MORE PRODUCTIVE than ever, thanks to the software that produces that tidal wave of records. I report to the Counsel to the Mayor of New York City, and I can tell you (1) he gets at least 80% of his records by BlackBerry, and (2) the thought he might have to spend a significant part of his long working day analysing and classifying that content is a non-starter. What about YOUR boss?

5. Analysis and classification tools: are  everyone's Best Great Hope for solving the problem, but, to date, are simply too dumb (they are computer systems, after all) to be highly effective in any but the most specialised work environments (see #6 below).

6. Business culture:  in some businesses (law and consulting firms come to mind), tracking your working time by the hour or quarter-hour, and assigning it to a cost category, are built into the culture. In other types of businesses (architecture, software developmenr and engineering firms come to mind), rigorous control of documents (and versions thereof) are similarly an integral part of the business culture. In such businesses, applying the basic rules you (and others) cite is relatively (relatively!) easy to set up and to enforce. However, most organisations do not have this type of culture and, in the US, neither do most government agencies. So we're back to the unpleasant equation that the available resources simply do not equal the task requirements.

7. Costs (cash): there are software tools to help in these tasks, and of course one can hire staff, too. But all this requires money, and lots of it, not merely to license the software, but also to configure, maintain and train your staff to use it at greatest efficiency. The more different tools, the more the cost. I'm tempted to say the old secretaries and file clerks were a bargain!

There's more to say, but I'm getting BlackBerry Thumbs Cramp.

Best regards.

-----------------------------------
Fred Grevin
[log in to unmask]
(by BlackBerry)

----- Original Message -----
From: Records Management Program <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thu Sep 25 09:29:08 2008
Subject: [RM] E-mail, Instant & Text Message Record Destruction

I think most people have been sucked into the IT lie that email is
complicated (kinda like the Emperor's New Clothes).

This list serve does not hear from me very often, but when I post, it is to
point out that we must stick to basics.

What would we do with a hard copy letter or a memo that contains the
information that we currently receive in an email?  The answer?..... we
would classify it and place it in a folder titled with the subject matter of
the communication.  Why is it so difficult to create folders on a hard drive
and do the same thing with email?  Each directory file would have a specific
retention that matches a hard copy of a similar subject matter.  The
employee does not make the decisions of what and how long, they were not
hired to do that; the records manager was and the IT manager was hired to
decide on the how.

When doing a RIM survey, one of the questions that should be asked is "In
the course of doing your job, what information do you collect, create and/or
disseminate?".  The answers to this question must all be included in the
retention schedule in some way.

If we are dealing with instructions from a boss regarding an accounts
payable situation, where would we file it?  If we are dealing with a joke
that is being circulated, where would we file it?  If we are dealing with a
comment from a co-worker about the way another co-worker dresses, where
would we file it?... and so it goes.  With common sense :) we would know
what is a record and what is not a record.

Why does it become complicated because of the delivery method?  If we have a
retention schedule that is complete, it is the retention schedule that is
the deciding factor in how long and where the information is to be kept.
 The decisions should already be made.  If something is missing, add it.
 why is that so hard?


-- 
Graham Kitchen
OTECH International
(866) 333-2015

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