Wallis,

Wallis I agree with what you are saying. And this is why I said that
from 100+ E-mails that users receive only about 10-20 need to be managed
(high end estimated). Furthermore the numbers in the previous sentence
just represent estimated averages and the real numbers could range from
a Maintenance Tech. that works normally out in field that might have to
catalog 0-1 E-mails a day to a Project Manager who works on multiple
projects and uses heavily E-mails to communicate with the rest of the
project teams that might have to catalog 40-60 E-mails a day. 

When I talk about the "Big Bucket" approach I assume that there will
only be 4-5 Buckets for the entire government entity, which I know would
not work. And certainly I do agree that certain users would only need
1-5 buckets to file their E-mails into, meanwhile others require a
complex filing structure. For Example the Maintenance Tech. might only
need 0-2 Bucket (yeah I have Maintenance Techs that don't use a computer
at all); which would depend on what functions they are performing by
using E-mails. Meanwhile a Program Manager, which is a Sr. Manager who
manages all the Project Managers in the agency, would require a complex
filing structure for all his/her E-mails that relate to the multiple
projects and programs he/she supervises.

All what I am trying to convey is that to implement E-mail Management at
a government agency requires heavy analysis of the needs and
requirements of every position in the Agency. Furthermore I would
recommend applying the implementation of E-mail Management in a phased
approach and not try to find a solution that would satisfy the entire
agency. 

The simple truth is that the vast majority of E-mails should not end up
in a Records Management Application and should be removed, because they
have no Administrative, Historical or Legal value or are not the
designated record copy of the E-mail. If you apply RM to the E-mail
Management problem you have to manage your E-mails accordingly, but only
have to manage 10% of the E-mails because most E-mails have no RM value.
Meanwhile if you apply the broad IT solution you can use the automatic
functions of the system to archive them, but are required to keep all
the E-mails that you have which would include all the Transitory and
Private Messages. Furthermore the IT solution could cost you more in the
long run. For Example during a discovery request lawyers are required to
review the E-mails that are responsive to a request to ensure that no
exempt information (Attorney/Client Privileged, etc...) contained and
even if they wouldn't need to review the E-mails to ensure that there no
exempt information contained they definitely should review them to have
the same information the opposing lawyers will have in court. Now like I
said before you will only have 1/10 of the E-mails to search from with
RM approach. Additionally with RM solution you will have the E-mails
categorized which will enable you to pull more accurately only the
records that are responsive to the request, meanwhile with IT solution
you are required to use a complex search criteria that relies heavily on
the use of keywords which will pull all sorts of unrelated E-mails out
of the system. So if you would use RM approach to E-mail Management the
lawyers would only be required to review 1-20 of the E-mails (a rough
estimated) than if you would us the IT solution.

Just to clarify the IT solution that I am talking about is the one that
I hear most proposed, where all E-mails gets captured that get send and
received through the system. And yes I am aware that it would capture
each E-mail only ones even if it would go to multiple employees inside
the agency.

Now I am also aware that most IT departments suggest their approach
because there is no RM involvement with the E-mail Management problem at
their agency. So I want encourage RM to get involved in the problem at
their agency, research a solution and request the needed resources to
accomplish the RM solution. I see no budgetary difference between having
another Network Administrator to help with the E-mail problem and having
RM Analyst to help with E-mail problem. We (RM Professionals) need to
start to take ownership of the problem and stop ignoring it.

I know I went off on little sermon here so I will stop it for now. But
feel free to send me an E-mail with any responses or questions. 


Simon T. De Witt 
Records Information Analyst 
Tampa Bay Water 
2575 Enterprise Road 
Clearwater, FL 33763-1102 
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