In ARMA’s March/April edition of their Information Management Magazine, Cheryl McKinnon, IGP, CIP, provides us with a high-level summary of the “Forrester Research and ARMA International Records Management Online Survey, Q1 2017”in her article, “The Next Frontier for RIM Pros.”
Respondents are echoing challenges we have seen for a long time in Records Management:
“1) the volume of digital information outside of records and information management control, including newer content sources; 2) aligning policies and priorities with IG stakeholders; 3) and attracting and helping millennials develop needed skills.”
Findings note:
• “19% of survey respondents replied that they had “a steering committee of senior stakeholders to guide decisions” – down notably from 28% in 2015”
• “25% reported no formal governance of their programs at all”
• “17% saying they had a center of excellence or dedicated program team”
• “67% of surveyed RIM professionals said they are included in their company’s IT strategic planning”
There are several insights that the survey provides, but what we found to be most alarming at InOutsource is that responses suggest less than half of the organizations surveyed indicated they had a clearly defined governance group. From a technology perspective, this raises the question: How many sources for client-matter data are stored within firm systems, potentially under no governance? Where does your group stand on Information Governance? Does your policy extend outside of your physical records policies?
