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I will be speaking on this topic at AIIM 2012. My session, "Information Governance: What Works and What Doesn't," will be a panel discussion on Wednesday, March 21 at 12 PM. If you're interested in governance, and you should be, be sure to register and join us.

Information Governance, or what I like to call, a defined set of roles and processes that provide the “rules of the road” for how information should be managed within an organization, has become the major initiative of choice for many organizations that developed or inherited a mishmash of information repositories and databases that may or may not be linked together.  For myself, the term is not new but for many the concept is confusing and, in some cases, intimidating. 

However, in my opinion, the term is becoming overused and misused, creating hype for vendor sales and huge project initiatives for others.  The buzzword train has left the station and is now traveling around the industry confusing many and scaring off others that are afraid that an information governance implementation will waste too much time and money without a defined and measurable benefit to justify the effort.

For others – the people who have been merrily developing all kinds of “unique” SharePoint repositories, naming conventions and applications with no real “owner” - the idea of information governance is more of a buzz kill.  These innovators have created repositories and information machines that, in many cases, have provided real value to the organization.  When a records manager or compliance person comes along and says this repository or application needs to play by the rules it’s like the person who comes up to you during a party after you’ve had a lot of fun and a lot to drink and reminding you that you have to drive home and you’re in no condition to do so.  A real buzz kill.

However, the buzz killer is trying to save your life.  The designated driver among a group of partiers is the one who gets everyone home safely but still allows others to have fun.  And so it is with Information Governance.  People who know how to institute procedures and identify roles and accountabilities without completely stopping the party are more effective than those who create a new form of chaos and arcane procedures. 

After attending LegalTech this past week and listening to some interesting experiences where data and information governance proved useful during business interruptions and corporate crisis I’m convinced there is definitely a need for the practice.  The processes used were straightforward and well thought out – not some high-minded rhetoric that is only useful on a bookshelf.

So are you a buzz killer or a designated driver?  Are you mystified by buzzwords or are you caught up in the “information anywhere party”?  I’ll be moderating a panel at AIIM 2012 in San Francisco that will discuss what works and what doesn’t when it comes to information governance.  Come join us to learn how to keep the party going without losing anyone along the way.