I'm guessing that Larry takes the long view having been doing records management for many years, and seeing the latest fads come and go.  I tend to agree with him.  Not only have I been doing this for decades, but I've seen the same things he has.  Information Governance sounds like the same pig as the last fad, dressed up in really fancy clothes with the latest e-discovery, risk/security, retention, and compliance concerns thrown in.  But unlike previous fads you just can't dismiss it out of hand. The interesting thing to me is that we happen to be at a point where, not only are the tools available to actually attempt to do this, but the funding and upper management support is also there, all at the same time.

My concern is that this IG strategy movement has so many tentacles into so many areas of a business, and all the compliance requirements have to be met continuously, that to actually do this successfully will remain theory more than practice, a noble goal rather than the way all business attempts to control their records and associated data streams, reduce risk, and respond to records requests more efficiently.  I believe this to be true because you have to do it all while a live business is going about it's activities, including dynamically changing work flows and responsibilities, establishing new work teams, creating new document types, and adding new software, all on the fly.  Until now records management, retention, and the risk elements related to it, have been more at the backend than the front end of information development.  

Information Governance seems to be different from records management in trying to get in front of information development - a much harder task, given the dynamics of the creation of new information.  We need to be there if we are to remain relevant, but I believe some of the dynamic operational issues will, at least for line managers and users, make this type of effort ripe for high failure rates.  It's not going to be at the forefront of every users or middle managers day, but it needs to be if it is going to be successful.

So it all sounds very ambitious Diane.  Do you know of or have you heard of anyone, anywhere, that has achieved this state of controlled information governance as described?  I haven't.  I'd like to, but I haven't.  I agree with you that upper management is "paying attention" to Information Governance, but the ones I've talked to, in different organizations, aren't sure exactly what it is.  They do know that information is exploding in their companies. They also know that standards and compliance are not working. They are looking to manage their information more effectively and consistently while hopefully controlling costs, as well as risk.  

I should mention in comparison that HR Departments now are "paying attention" to the CRM too, as either a job requirement or as a preferred credential.  However, the ones I have spoken to do not know what a CRM is either, what the requirements are to get one, nor, most importantly, how few CRM's there are in any state in the US.  So "paying attention to" is great, but some understanding, on all sides, of what is or would be involved would be better.  I don't think we are there yet.

I believe the vendors and consultants pushing Information Governance could help the community understand what it takes to implement an Information Governance Plan, but I haven't seen that "How to" booklet yet.  What I have seen is things like the Iron Mt series on Information Governance, which, while ambitious, does a really good job of talking about information governance theory, and the challenges of getting all the buy-in you need and all the players that need to embrace the concepts and then make it happen.  But then they do a very vague job of telling you how to actually do it and which tools in the vendor market would be the most helpful.  Like anyone trying to sell something, they tell you enough to get interested, but only enough for you to conclude that hiring their consultant services would be needed to get it done successfully.

I believe Information Governance is a very noble idea, but I'm very skeptical that any organization can pull it off over an extended period of time,  especially as turnover and project fatigue constantly dilutes the message. 

Bill Creamer
Records & Conflicts Manager
New York, NY 10019
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-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Diane Walker
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 9:40 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [RM] IG Job Descriptions

Julie - I totally agree with you.

I believe it is a Records Management collaboration concept on steroids.  Information Governance is more than content management or knowledge management - it is managing risks in concert with compliance by identifying internal and external requirements, conducting risk assessments, identifying and proactively applying policies for risk mitigation, strategic planning, establishing the overall IG Program with a specific change nanagement strategy, aligning legal, business and technology with the IG framework and incorporating this (and much
more) into a functional process which is taking RIM to a whole new level.

I do not believe IG is the latest buzz word.  IG is receiving recognition from the C-Level folks.  OK - I have now taken the step back down off of my proverbial soapbox.

Diane Walker
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