You might look for that champion in Legal or in Corporate Compliance.
Fortunately I am under Corporate Compliance and this gives the RIM
program a little more teeth or "clout" if you will that it would have
otherwise.

TK Train
Corporate RIM Manager
Qwest Communications, Inc.
303-458-2870


I facilitate change, protect vital assets, ensure compliance, reduce
risk, manage information.  I am a Records and Information Manager.

-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Broud, Trish
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 1:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: IT survey (IT vs IM/RM)


<snip>
Our IT department thinks they are IM because of the
systems/applications, but they do not relate to RM processes or
standards.  ...  IT is telling our users to delete, put on CD, or
another drive to get their email quota to a manageable size for storage
and costs on the exchange server.  Meanwhile we
(IM/RM) are developing the procedures for managing the email as a record
for the users, but they have been allowed to do their own thing in email
for so many years, that they say this is the way they do their work, and
they don't have time to structure, meta data, or catalogue their emails.
...this is a monster I know, but where do you start when IT has the
clout?? <snip>

Bonnie,
When IT has the clout, it is necessary to take it away.  This is
difficult at best; many of us have had to deal with that and I'm sure
you will get input from others, but let me give you my two cents worth.

One way to do it is to find a champion that is higher on the corporate
ladder than both the IT and IM/RM. Convince this person of the
importance of records management (there have been some suggestions on
"selling RM" previously on the ListServe).  This is really the "best" or
"easiest" because the hard part is in the beginning -- getting the
champion.

Now you have a highly placed champion that can issue policy.  Be
prepared to "draft" the policy.  I'm not trying to trivialize this
process but it does eliminate reasons like "this is the way we do our
work, and we don't have time to structure, metadata, or catalogue our
emails."  Once the policy is in place, you use the strong-arm methods
mentioned by Paul to enforce it. But, you say, this method takes time;
you're right!

You may need to do something while you are getting your champion.
Marketing RM throughout the company can raise the professional level of
RM.  Don't get tricked into in-fighting or end-running.

The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Trish Broud
SRA, International
Arlington, VA
[log in to unmask]

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Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance