These questions are showing up in other lists (e.g. RMAA).  Interesting.

Won't repeat myself at length, especially as I agree generally with Larry's
points. I am irritated by the term itself. To me, the "big bucket approach"
is one of those catchy, unclear phrases that has value on one level and is
dangerous on another.  I see "big buckets" as a term that sounds "folksy"
but should not be mistaken for plain language. 

I guess I am getting a bit tired of the effort made to convey a simplicity
in what is a complex domain. Complex doesn't mean complicated--which is
where most of the problems and desire for simplicity come from.  In fact, in
my considerable experience, nothing has been so complicated as the need to
extricate from some well intentioned executive's decision based on a case
made too simple.  If RIM dealt with simple matters, it wouldn't be a
profession worthy of ... well, what we say it is. 

Effective RIM, IMO, requires a deep understanding of the recorded
information resource: its purpose, relationship to operational functions and
context, compliance needs, etc.  

If the big bucket business is applied to streamline certain RIM operations
by aggregating like retention periods for systematic management, then that
is so much common sense.  Back in the mid-1980s, the team in BC aggregated
retention into bands for that purpose achieving significant benefits (kudos). 

However, if undertaken as an easier way out of acquiring (and documenting) 
deeper understanding of the characteristics and attributes of records,
without mapping to business functions, user needs, defensible business
process, etc., then how, exactly, is that records management? Surely that is
expedience without a reasonably assured grasp of effect.  How are
compliance, risk and provable practice addressed? For that matter, is such
an approach ethical?  

A sound classification scheme that covers the relationship between recorded
information and business processes, including interrelationships and
governance contexts, is sufficient to provide a frame for defining the 
metadata that enables a systematic, defensible and (as already noted) often
automatic and transparent execution of many RIM functions at a very granular
level.  This can still be expressed in different ways (as rightly many
aspects of RIM should be) to support specific functions. Aggregation into
"buckets" is then a means to manage a quantity of like goods...not an earth
shifting innovation so much as good management.

One guy's thoughts...

John

John James O'Brien, CRM, MALT
irmstrategies.com
Hong Kong - Bangkok - Victoria

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