Hi all,
To follow on the discussions by Dwight and Larry about using simpler terminology to communicate to non-RIM stakeholders about the processes and terminology that we all know and understand (and love), and also on what I have learned during training and other discussions about lifecycle management with various stakeholders in my organization, I have been doing a lot of thinking centered around the special terminology that RIM people use such as "Record", "Records Series" and "Retention Schedule" which usually require "training" since these are not terms that most people understand in the way we RM's do.  Based on my experience as a "geek interpreter" (see much, much earlier discussion from Pat Cunningham),  I am experimenting with using terminology that is more accessible to people who are already managing information in different ways, depending on their roles, and would like share a few of the terms I have drafted which have met with favorable response from the stakeholders I have used them with and get your feedback:

Record:
Any information created/received/stored in the process of conducting company business (i.e. everything)
We then divide these into two categories - "important" information and "other information".

Record Category (instead of Records Series):
A category of information that aggregates various types of records into a bucket because they pertain to the same topic, are used for the same purpose AND are retained for the same time period using the same retention criteria.

Retention Period:
The time we have determined that, because of business value or statutory requirements, we will keep the record, either in an active system or in an accessible archive, documented on a Records Retention Schedule.

Disposition:
Destruction at the end of the retention period,  if approved,  following a review process that ensure that records required for litigation or audit are not destroyed.

My goal is to get this stuff to happen and it requires the buy-in of non RIM people who are very smart and who know a great deal about their information and who, when given the simpler business case are usually much easier to get on board.

Mary Hilliard, CRM | AMD Corporate Records Manager
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