Hi Larry, 

I have no idea what your first statement means. I have to approve comments
to my blog before they are posted too, in order to eliminate "comment spam".


So let's split the hair further. For organizations that HAVE good
information management processes, or even not so good processes, you are
correct. And there is a clear need for good information management long
before an ERM is put in place. But for those that don't - and that's still
at least a significant minority of organizations, regardless of size,
geography, industry vertical, or even public/private sector - good
information governance DOES IN FACT start when the initiative begins - as it
could not have begun prior to that. And that's a best case scenario - even
the beginning of the initiative does not itself inculcate an effective
information governance regime. Carl's point is that you can't wait until you
buy software to start thinking about governance - and isn't that what we've
been arguing with vendors over for at least 10 years? 

And for what it's worth, most organizations don't have info governance in
place neither when they put up those signs. 

To your final point, of course instruments are necessary for governance -
unless you want to explain how to do RM in the absence of policies,
procedures, processes, RRSs, file plans, classification schemes, metadata
models, job aids, etc. You can certainly do *some* governance without *all*
of those - but if you have NONE of them, how exactly do you have governance?
Because for the record, the course defines "instruments" as all of those,
including your policies and practices. 

So I reiterate, we are violently agreeing; I see the differences you
identified here and in your comments to Carl's post as semantic rather than
fundamental. 

Carl's posts are equal parts based on the AIIM course materials and his
background as a CRM; for those of you who take exception to his posts that
come from the AIIM materials, I recommend you sit through them first (either
onsite or online) before criticizing them overmuchly. I'm not saying that
that is the case with Larry; I have no idea how familiar he is with the
materials. But just as I cannot criticize the CRM exam *very much* without
having at least been exposed to them, I think the same applies to the AIIM
materials. Full disclosure: I taught the AIIM ERM and ECM Master Classes
last year. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Jesse Wilkins
ermp, erms, ermm, ecmp, ecms, ecmm, CDIA+, yadda yadda yadda
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