Where should records management sit in local government structure? RMS – Local Government Group Thursday, 9th February 2006 What’s Outside the Archive? Where should records management sit in local government structure? David Aspinall solutions for the public sector Company Confidential © Anite 2005

Do you know who’s out there? Records Office Do they know what you can do for them?

Do you know who’s out there? Do we have a CFP, record series, R&D policy, taxonomy etc. Do you know the relative size of each records series. Do you know which department is responsible and their storage and retrieval costs. Do you know the current corporate and departmental business plans? Have you identified your corporate allies? Does your RM department have any responsibilities for digital information?

Do they know what you can do for them? Is RM department advice sought in relation to current record series? Is the RM department consulted in relation to new information management projects. Is RM practice and policy part of your councils induction training? Do you advertise your services in any way?

How do you present your services? OR

Perceptions What do your users think about their RM services? Is it perceived as a hindrance to effective working or as positive benefit? What can we do to improve those perceptions?

Perceptions of RM Services RM Measurements Volume of records held Number of enquiries received Enquiries handled within SLA Cost of service User Measurements % of requests that relate to RM End user service level Importance of current information Costs relating to service provided

User perception of RM Information Process Tools Capture Import Retrieve Index Classify Document Management Records Management Store Process Archive Dispose Workflow

User perception of RM Relative ROI The opportunities for efficiencies and return on investment are greater in the business processing/workflow and then document management activities than records management. So given Sir Peter Gershon’s message, we must first of al ensure that we improve our business processes. This will automatically lead to better document handling which will then allow us to look after the generated records in an appropriate manner. If we just think that we have to introduce effective records management to handle FOI, DPA and EIR requests, then we are missing the whole point of effective governance.

The information culture change PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY e-GOV etc.. FOI DPA EIR DISASTER RISK AUDIT GOVERNANCE LEGISLATION REGULATION Public Service DEMANDS BENEFITS BEST PRACTICE CORPORATE ADVANTAGE Business Analysis Space Usage Public Image Asset management CORPORATE RECORDS MANAGEMENT THE BASIS FOR DECISION SUPPORT

Conclusions RM is the final step in the information management process Users need people who can help them with the whole process not just part of it. RM specialists are uniquely qualified to help. Must understand the implications of information in all formats Must implicitly understand the business environment in which today’s public services operate.

It’s time to come out of the archives! The alternative is to be ignored and side-lined.

Why is justification a problem? “It doesn’t matter if you think you can or you can’t…….. You’re probably right!” Henry T Ford This is a nice quote attributed to Henry Ford and it will very much mirror ones success in introducing change management strategies. Or, in other words, if you don’t believe that you can have an impact on your organization then you probably won’t because you won’t have the courage of your convictions to carry things through. In order to justify an investment we have to believe that investment makes sense even given all the other management priorities and we have to be able to convince other people.

Thank You