When it comes to records managers and SharePoint administrators, the question is how the responsibilities should be divided. On the one hand, the records managers know the processes, the document flows and the laws and regulations, and they have had thorough training in everything that has to do with records management. On the other hand, records management is actually implemented with SharePoint, where the business is inclined to skip the records managers and do direct business with SharePoint administrators. The records managers also suffer from their image here: only a few decades ago they were primarily the ‘custodians’.
It is not keeping but sharing that is hip nowadays. Moreover, demands in terms of daily application, customers and legislation (such as the Dutch act on openness of government, WOB) also require that the information should be easy to find and quickly reproducible. Fortunately, many records managers have long since kept up with developments, partly based on the spread of the records continuum philosophy. They recognized the importance of information technology and the changes involved for their area of work. In this so-called post-custodian discussion, it is argued that the professional domain of the records manager is shifting from the actual storage and physical processing of archives towards understanding and managing patterns of data flows and offering context and structure, so that the archives are useful.
What does all this say about the role division between records managers and the SharePoint administrator? First of all, records managers are records management professionals in terms of content. They are used to adopting a proactive approach along with the business in terms of the reflection of processes in documents, liability and laws and regulations. This knowledge is required at all levels of records management and should remain with them. On the other hand, there are social and technological developments with which the SharePoint administrator is more familiar. Microsoft introduced the 'Work like a Network' idea, for example, which ties in with Enterprise Social/Enterprise 2.0. It has an impact on all areas of information management and therefore on records management as well. Based on this, the records manager would have to be responsible for the formal side of records management. The SharePoint administrator is responsible for the implementation of records management, using SharePoint. In addition, the SharePoint administrator advises the records manager on new developments and requirements arising from the business. For the application of new technologies and the development of new and fun features, staff members from the business will much sooner visit the SharePoint administrator than the records manager. In many cases, records management plays a role in social features of SharePoint as well. Yammer, Office 365 Groups and Delve are examples of this.
If you want to know more about records management in SharePoint, you can find my book, SharePoint records management and metadata on Amazon
You can also visit www.alfreddeweerd.com, to find some additional information.
