Information Management (IM) 101

What you need to know about IM, in a nutshell

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: YOU are now responsible for managing information in the workplace. Identifying and saving official records is a VERY important part of that responsibility. Managing information effectively ensures that information is available (captured, organized, maintained, preserved), protected and disposed of in accordance with legislation and policy requirements.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Why Information Management has become so important. The essential difference between official and transitory records and what you are expected to be doing with both. The goals of sound Information Management. What managing information involves. Your key IM roles and responsibilities. How IM will benefit you.

LISTEN UP! All Government of Canada employees are responsible for the effective management of information. (Policy on Information Management, Treasury Board Secretariat, 2007)

IN MANY DEPARTMENTS… Individuals and their organizations will have their information management practices monitored. Individuals and Managers will have the responsibility of managing information added to their Performance Management Accords (PMAs).

“In an era where decisions get made on BlackBerry handhelds and over mobile phones, the paper trail – which is hard enough to follow at the best of times – is vanishing before our very eyes.” Sheila Fraser Auditor General of Canada,

OFFICIAL RECORDS In order to ensure that the Government of Canada can provide documentary evidence of all of its activities, all federal government employees must be diligent about saving official records.

All employees must be able to identify an official record

OFFICIAL RECORD: DEFINITION Official records document or provide evidence of an institution’s business activities. You must save all of your official records This means too

OFFICIAL RECORDS Any of the following would be considered official records: Briefing notes, directives, policies, final reports and recommendations. Workplans, schedules, assignments and performance results. Materials that document a business decision, a business transaction or the position of the department. Business deliverables. Materials of historical or research importance. Information and deliverables from outside sources. Agendas and meeting minutes. Documents that result in a decision, or that result in the implementation of a policy or activity. Documents that require a signature (must be printed and filed as hard copy). Materials that would allow for the reconstruction of the evolution of policy and program decisions. Materials that would be required to support a financial, administrative, or legal audit.

TRANSITORY RECORDS In order to ensure that the Government of Canada can support its information systems and produce relevant information with ease and accuracy upon its request, all GoC employees must be diligent about deleting transitory records and personal information.

All employees must regularly delete transitory records

TRANSITORY RECORD: DEFINITION Transitory records are information sources that are only required for a limited period of time, in order to complete a routine action or to prepare a subsequent record. You must dispose of or delete transitory records once they have served their purpose

TRANSITORY RECORDS: Duplicate copies used for convenience or reference (originally maintained by somebody else) Information received as part of a distribution list Miscellaneous, “FYI” notices or memoranda on meetings, holidays, charitable campaigns, boardroom reservations etc. Any of the following would be considered transitory records: Casual communications and personal messages Photocopies of departmental publications Draft documents where all critical content changes have been incorporated into a subsequent document Working versions not communicated outside of your office

BUT - If you are ever in doubt about a record’s status…. Keep it!

Isn’t managing information about more than just identifying and saving official records? It sure is

THE GOALS OF SOUND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT ARE TO ENSURE THAT: Quality information is created and provided Government program and service delivery is efficient Decisions are documented Information is available (captured, organized, accessible, maintained, preserved) Information is protected in accordance with legislation and policy requirements Information is disposed of in accordance with legislation and policy requirements.

MANAGING INFORMATION INVOLVES Treating the information that you receive, or produce, in the course of performing your job duties: As a strategic resource; In support of transparency, collaboration and informed decision-making; In line with GoC legal and policy requirements; and Using information management (IM) standards, practices and systems.

Let’s Clarify Each Of Those…

TREATING INFORMATION AS A STRATEGIC RESOURCE The Critical Idea: “Information is a strategic resource just as important to the business of government as human resources and financial resources!” In recognition of this fact the GoC is going to: Fund tools and processes for the management of information; Hire and develop specialists to look after the information, information systems and support employees in managing information; Support all employees in their IM responsibilities through training and awareness; Mandate managers to be responsible for the IM practices of their employees; Mandate employees to manage their information.

IN SUPPORT OF TRANSPARENCY, COLLABORATION AND INFORMED DECISION-MAKING We must be able to easily produce all of the appropriate information when the public, or other departments, ask for it – transparency. We must share information (make it accessible) appropriately among our colleagues, between departments/agencies and across government to facilitate, enhance and make more efficient everyone’s work – collaboration. We must be able to use the information that we have to make effective and informed decisions.

IN LINE WITH GOC LEGAL AND POLICY REQUIREMENTS In our dealings with information we must always be aware of and respect GoC legislative and policy requirements: Privacy; Security; Copyright; Access to Information; Language; Etc.

USING INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (IM) STANDARDS, PRACTICES AND SYSTEMS As processes, guidelines, standards and common tools (such as RDIMS) for Information Management are developed, we, as GoC employees, must readily adopt and adhere to these processes.

WHY BOTHER MANAGING INFORMATION? Because the government is suffering from a desperate overload of information – both paper and electronic – with official records and inconsequential information mixed up together – making it nearly impossible to efficiently find the information that is required to get the job done and to meet policy requirements.

YOUR KEY IM ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Manage information as a key corporate resource; Plan your information needs; Collect and create information to support your program/activity and information needs; Identify, file and organize information for quick and easy retrieval; Provide access to information and respect the information, and privacy, rights of others; Retain and dispose of information appropriately; Protect information and the privacy rights of others; Comply with information policy and legal requirements; and Take responsibility for your performance in the management of information.

MANAGING INFORMATION: WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? You’ll find the right information faster and easier - when you need it. You’ll reduce ‘level of effort’ by minimizing duplication of work. You’ll be able to more easily share information with your colleagues. You’ll be able to provide easy access to quality, reliable information to others in the department, inter-departmentally, in private industry and in the public, as appropriate. You’ll be able to make informed decisions based on up-to-date information, and You’ll increase your ability to meet business, legal and accountability requirements, such as access to information requests, litigation and reports to Parliament.

You have just completed Information Management 101 You may now: –Test your knowledge with the following Quiz. For additional, important detail on many of the topics discussed in this module it is highly recommended that you review the other IM self-study modules in this series: Managing Effectively Information Security Records Management and You! Privacy and Personal Information – What Canadians Expect IM and the Departing Employee Understanding IM Within the Federal Government CONGRATULATIONS!