Apologies for cross-responding, but it was cross-posted. :)
I think this is a pretty good starting point. Full disclosure: many of you
know I teach the AIIM ERM Master Class and am a consultant (sometimes an
Evil Consultant (TM)).
To respond more broadly, a comprehensive program must include training and
change management because "doing ERM" can be pretty different from "doing
RM" for this reason: In the paper/physical records environment, much of the
heavy lifting is being done by records managers, coordinators, analysts,
liaisons, etc. who provide records services as the bulk if not the entirety
of their job. In the ERM environment, users have to play a bigger role if
for no other reason than the volumes involved. Paper also generally isn't
password-protected or encrypted. :)
Make sure that when you retain the consultant, you get a brain dump at the
end of the engagement so that YOU can manage the program moving forward. Too
many consultants treat that as the "crown jewels" and leverage that into
future engagements, which helps them, not you. There's no reason you
shouldn't be able to manage your own program once the consultant leaves -
and I wouldn't trust a consultant who doesn't do that knowledge transfer.
That also means you need the program design and/or implementation to
actually end and send the consultant home at some point. :) We make the
point in the ERM course that RM broadly should NOT be a project, but rather
a way of life. But a consulting project should be exactly that: a defined
project with defined goals and a start and END. And of course good project
management is a must - but you're a PMP, you know that. :D
The cost will depend heavily upon whether this is done as a local project or
enterprise-wide, whether it covers all electronic records, whether it takes
a phased approach or attempts to do the entire enterprise all at once. And a
lot of the work gets done before you acquire software and hardware, as noted
in #13 below. Get the file plan, classification scheme, retention schedule,
policies and procedures, etc. done first and the software/hardware
deployment will go much more quickly, cheaply, and smoothly.
Records should be managed regardless of media. This means:
- Email ain't a series. Email messages that deal with business decisions or
transactions should be managed exactly like their paper, Word, PDF, or other
counterparts.
- Same retention period for records that are physical and those that are
electronic, if they are the same series or very similar information. For
example, if you have paper contracts you keep for five years, and you elect
to either image them or keep them in native (Word?) format, the retention
should be five years for those as well. The exception is when you still have
to keep the physical record and use the electronic primarily as a
convenience copy, such as to allow online access. And of course run this
past counsel - IANAL. :D
Hope this helps - now I gotta go shovel. 6" so far, expecting up to another
20" by tomorrow midday - if you're thinking about coming to or through
Denver, think again. :)
Jesse Wilkins
CDIA+, LIT, ICP, edp, ermm, ecms
IMERGE Consulting
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(303) 574-1455 office
(303) 484-4142 fax
YIM: jessewilkins8511
SL: Jesse8511 Market
Looking for the latest education on electronic records, email, and imaging?
Visit http://www.imergeconsult.com/schedule2.html for a current schedule of
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_____
From: Management & Preservation of Electronic Records
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Melodee Elliott
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 9:54 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Anyone have any guidance to offer on electronic records...
Hello Kathy,
That's certainly a big question and is general in scope. Let me just give
some topics for consideration:
1. ERM is systemic in the organization and involves Legal, IT, subject
matter experts, ....and Information Specialists (or records managers)
2. Your consultants need to do a File Plan (physical records managers
don't often address this formally; its an "electronic records management
isse mostly."
3. Make sure you have someone in-house as a major point of contact and
with authority to oversee the project and is to receive the transfer of
knowledge as consults help you. Don't solely rely upon the consultants to
own your infrastructure!
4. Either hire or train someone in-house for the AIIM ERM Practioner
and ERM Specialist certification.
5. Strategizes for the overall File Plan (classification scheme) but
implement on a well-targeted, well-thought through pilot project.
6. Get the success story!
7. Records are particles of information travelling through the
organization's communication lines (business workflows either identified or
not); IT owns the communication lines; ECM, ERM, Records Managers own the
particles of information corporately, knowledge workers own the production
of those records as they course their way through the organization. (very
important to understand roles and responsibilities tug of war.)
8. Your implementation, therefore, is centered on a communication
line...and will involve personnel along any department the particle of
information is involved.
9. That means that when you migrate, anyone having had access to the
information on let's say a shared drive will need access to the records on
the ERM. Avoid underestimating your number of user licenses as it will
accelerate in number according to the communication lines addressed.
10. That is why you must get executive endorsement.
11. The managers and personnel involved must be told often of the
initiative's reason-for-being as to their benefit, the corporation's benefit
i.e. governance and compliance.
12. If the discovery is done well, the rollout is ongoing per comm
lines, have an archival system for backup per retention schedule, etc.
13. Your ERM program begins long before you start engaging in an
software application.
14. The timing of all of this is contingent upon the scope and the level
of importance given to the effort by everyone.
I hope this helps.
Melodee
On 12/20/06, [Kathy Bashaar] <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I work for PNC Bank in Pittsburgh. We are in the beginning stages of
developing a comprehensive electronic records management program.
We are requesting funding for a consulting project from our Steering
Committee, and they have asked us for more information before they provide
approval. Specifically, they would like examples of what a comprehensive
program might look like, and a range of what it might cost and how long it
might take. Most of our contacts are in the same early stage that we are.
Is anyone in this group further along than the discovery phase? For
example, have you engaged consultants and received recommendations, or
started to implement the first stages of an e-records management program?
Or could you help by directing us to resources where we might get more
information?
We will engage our potential consulting partners for an example of a
comprehensive program and some estimates of costs and time frames, but I
thought I'd pose these questions to a large group also, to see if the range
of responses is similar to what our consultants tell us. Thanks for any
help that you can provide.
Kathy Bashaar, PMP
Phone 412-768-1877
Mailstop P6-PUSX-43-4
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