---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joanne Hyslop <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Subject: [RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK] JISC infoNet's 'Measuring the impact of
records management' project: Results of literature review and online survey
are now available
To: [log in to unmask]


 *Apologies for cross posting*

*An assessment of the current evidence base demonstrating the benefits of
investing in the improvement of records management - a selective literature
review.*

JISC infoNet is pleased to announce the first deliverable of the ‘*Measuring
the impact of records
management<http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/records-management/measuring-impact>
*’ project: a selective literature review into the availability of empirical
data demonstrating the impact of the records management function.

The literature indicates that 'intangible' benefits, particularly those
relating to legal and regulatory compliance, accountability and standards of
corporate governance, continue to occupy a prominent place in the records
manager’s professional arsenal and are likely to for the foreseeable future.
The question proposed by this project is less whether these should play a
lesser role; more whether in focusing so intently on such drivers we have
inadvertently relegated the importance of achieving 'tangible' benefits to a
dangerously low level.

The literature consulted during this report paints an interesting and at
times rather contradictory picture. Certainly the professional standards
which could be said to underpin notions of what constitutes 'best practice'
in the profession are unequivocal about the importance of the records
management function being able to quantify the benefits it makes to an
organisation and measure its impact in unambiguous (if not empirical) terms.
A casual glance at the professional literature would also seem to support
the notion that this need is already recognised and being addressed. For if
there are few articles, papers or other sources directly related to
questions of benefits realisation and measurement a large number of broadly
relevant sources are peppered with impressive sounding statements, figures
and statistics - many of which will be familiar to and perhaps oft-quoted by
most practicing records managers. But scratch beneath the surface and the
fragility of much of this apparent 'evidence base' soon becomes apparent.
Data which is stated quoted and re-quoted with such astonishing regularity
within the literature that one would be forgiven for mistaking them as
absolute truths often appears upon closer examination to consist of little
more than partial conjecture and opinion allowing no means of further
verification.

The conclusions of the literature review and the online survey confirm that
there is both a need for, and a current lack of, reliable evidence to
demonstrate the tangible benefits of investing in records management.
Hopefully this is something that the remaining outputs from this project
will help address.

The literature review<http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/records-management/measuring-impact/literature-review/index_html>is
the first of three deliverables for this project, the remaining two
deliverables ‘Records and Information Management Impact Calculator’ and
‘Records Management Maturity Model’ are scheduled for release in late
autumn.

Other JISC infoNet Records and Information Management materials and
resources are available at http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/records-management



Kind regards Joanne Hyslop

________________________________

Joanne Hyslop

Researcher/Analyst



JISC infoNet

Northumbria University

Hadrian House

Higham Place

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 8AF



t: +44 (0)191 243 8419

e: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>

w: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk

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Peter Kurilecz CRM CA
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Richmond, Va
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