Hi Linda:
Our office had absolutely no records management component until 5-6 years ago when they purchased an electronic document management system (EDMS) and we still have a long, long ways to go, however, during my work in getting their EDMS set up and running and overseeing it since, I came across another municipality here in Alberta that I was very impressed by!
The Town of Okotoks in Alberta hired a consultant to look at all of their records in all of their locations and come up with a plan on how to move forward with records management, electronic records of all kinds! They kept this consultant on full time for a number of years, working with them in making better use of their EDMS and in determining what software/hardware/services should be used for what, what should be scrapped, what should be reorganized, creating new policies and procedures, etc.
The step they took that I was most impressed with was that no one in the organization was to get approval for any purchases relating to records (software/hardware/services) unless they consulted with their EDMS, because that product was being under utilized because most people did not realize the power of the Forms with reporting options and Workflow components that came with the product. Even our office still does this wrong. We have third party software that could have been built into our EDMS saving not only the purchase price, but also the monthly services charges and yearly license charges that are necessary with each one. I don't know if this is happening in your office, but this can make a huge difference in streamlining, simplifying for everyone, and saving money in the long run.
Bottom line, if the head of your organization does not realize that improvements need to be done, then it will be difficult to make any change. I hope someone here will have some great comments that you can use to get you started on the path you envision needs to happen!
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Connie Prendergast
Records Management Clerk
Flagstaff County
Sedgewick, AB CANADA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-21-2019 10:30
From: Linda Brooks
Subject: How do you talk about the importance of RIM?
Good morning! I have recently started a new role with a company that doesn't seem to care much about records management (surprise!). The reporting structure has the role under IT/ IT infrastructure/ Cybersecurity. From what I can see the previous RM manager did a lot of good work to promote RM in the organization but it didn't go anywhere. The company is currently implementing O365 with SharePoint as the records repository. What I am looking for is for examples of how you got your company to understand the importance of RIM. I know the usual talk on retention, search, legal and regulatory compliance but I am looking for something that would relate to everyone. Thanks in advance, looking forward to your reponses!
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Linda Brooks
Owner
LMB Consulting Ltd.
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