Dave Gaynon wrote:
>I have a question for the list.  What is the role of records and
information management in various initiatives to move to "paperless
processes"?  Is there something more to it than telling the project
management to be sure and incorporate record keeping requirements.

Lets deconstruct the terms "paperless processes" for a minute.
"Paperless" is a media focused term, in which one of the principal goals
of the project is to eliminate paper, often by scanning. "Processes"
refers generally to procedurally based work flows which can be
programmed into a given system to ensure information is provided where
needed, necessary approvals are obtained, and needed data gets captured.

It is the tendency of both IT and stakeholders to stop there: the paper
has been eliminated and the process is programmed. What is missing is
any concept of how such a system functions as a record keeping system.
This becomes an issue as time progresses. In other words, you can
successfully eliminate the paper, complete the process for a period of
time with minimal adverse effects. However, the lack of records keeping
features to ensure the information is available throughout its needed
retention period ultimately comes into play and will begin to adversely
affect the accuracy, authenticity, and accessibility of the information
over time. This is generally what gets overlooked in the IT/customer
stakeholder approach, and it is where records management comes into
play. One of our principle contributions is incorporating a longer term
vision.

When addressing "paperless processes", I prefer to utilize the term
"electronic records keeping system" - it is not centered around a given
technological solution (99% of the IT/customer stakeholder group will
initially approach this issue as one entailing scanning), and it
incorporates the concept of "records keeping" into the prevailing
media/process focus. As we all know, achieving adequate electronic
records keeping is more involved than just scanning something, and
requires the active involvement of records management people beyond
stating "just make sure you meet records keeping requirements". Most
IT/customer stakeholders do not have the background or the understanding
of what that statement means to translate it into real, effective
action. We should demand results: how exactly will a given record
maintain its records keeping features over time? What exactly is the
plan for access, maintenance, retention, and disposition? The role of
records management is to pursue these issues in depth, to ensure they
are addressed.

And those aren't the only issues.  Recently, I was involved in a project
to back up payroll registers out of SAP onto microfilm to meet a 75 year
retention requirement. The project was a difficult undertaking,
partially for technical reasons, but also because of the need to do
simple things like match our language (what does "archive" mean, for
example, to an SAP programmer verses records management verses an
imaging vendor?). Overcoming organizational barriers was also a concern
- for example, who pays for the process? Is it part of IT's regular
backup process (where it had been paid out of before), Records
microfilming budget, or the customer's budget? After all, "retention is
not IT's concern, it's really the customers". Who has what
responsibility? We faced not only the usual technical/legal challenges,
but a whole slew of organizational, budgetary, personnel, and policy
challenges in addressing what amounted to a single record series issue.
If for no other reason than the fact that RM is a place where "records
keeping" is allocated resources, records management needs involvement,
if only to ensure that solutions are funded, and duties are assigned.

One cannot assume these issues will be picked up by someone else if
approached casually or at a distance, not when it takes time and money
to do so.

Dwight Wallis, CRM
Records & Distribution Services Manager
Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution & Stores
(FREDS)
1620 SE 190th Avenue
Portland OR 97233
phone: (503)988-3741
fax: (503)988-3754
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