I would definitely agree that Tom is on the right track here.

Honestly, who gets 300 emails a day anyways?  

In my previous role providing support to customers remotely, I'd send
30-40 emails a day and receive about 60.  This was already about 3-4
hours in a day dedicated to email so if we consider the 10% rule, even
30 emails is a stretch isn't it?

The issue here has more to do with resistance to change and peoples'
initial perception.  Email is as intuitive to people nowadays as writing
a note on a post-it.  What if you were asked to scan and review all your
post-it notes? 

If you were able to demonstrate the possibilities to potential users in
a software demo (I'm not trying to contradict my previous post here), it
might go a longer way in getting buy-in and ideas.

I've had about 5 years experience implementing a solution that
automatically captures emails into an ECM repository and typically, the
project sponsors make one of two choices:

1) Capture all emails to err on the side of caution.
2) Allow users to pick and choose what they capture.

I believe there is a way to do a little of both, but it requires time,
and decision makers need to understand that changing habits and
implementing process around email takes commitment.

I hope that helps.

Jason



-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Tom Owens
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 11:05 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Email auto purge questions

I've followed this disucssion with interest. I've thought about the
"problem" and the process of bringing some common sense to managing
e-mails.  I really don't think it as terrible a problem as it first
seems. It takes a little self-discipline. And it takes a kind of leap of
faith that the  elimination of the occassional e-mail that  you "might
need" is worth the risk as compared to the greater risk and cost of
keeping a basement full of the stuff that comes out of the south end of
a north bound horse. 

For instance in the example below, of the 300 emails you get a day, only
10% (about 30)of them will be something that needs to be retained long
term in accordance with a company record retention schedule.  Another
30% (about less than 100) of them are something that needs to be
retained as part of an ongoing process/project.  These can be handled by
a subject folder or moved to the collaborative work location.  The last
60% (the other 180 messages) can be dispactched with a read and delete
or read, answer, delete (RAD) discipline.

Folks this is not rocket science.  If you have the time and the
discipline to read the message you have the time and discipline to hit
the delete button rather than the 'save' button.

So instead of being innudated with 300 messages, you really only have to
deal with less than half that number.  Since normal people can only be
really involved in two or three projects at the same time and still do a
decent job, most of the remaining messages can be realtively easily
assigned to the appropriate folder, project site or what ever.  

Finally, for most individuals their work will fall into one of probably
no more that four or five record retention series. Therefore the issue
isn't "I don't have time to handle 300 messages, the issue is "Why can't
you properly manage 30 messages?"

Not sure what the rules for attachments are for the list serve. So I'll
post my READ - ACT - DELETE in another message for those of you that
would like to try to bring some order to all of the noise about email.

Professionally yours,

Thomas E. Owens
Records and Information Management Services.



-----Original Message-----
>From: "Link, Gary M." <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Oct 6, 2009 12:00 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [RM] Email auto purge questions
>
>Larry,
>
Here is what I get when I tell staff that that is what they need to do
with their email messages: "I come in every day to 150 emails and get
150 more emails as the day goes on. I don't have time to decide for, and
file, every one."
>So what is an honest records manager to do?

Thomas E. Owens
Records and Information Management
[log in to unmask]
(816) 304-7405

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