Op-ed: NARA framework distorts records management

Sound financial management demands reliable internal controls, which depend on good financial records. Audits by inspectors general succeed only when they have good records to rely on. Yet chief financial officers, IGs and chief information officers never hear from NARA that good records management is crucial to doing their jobs and improves mission performance.

No one fills the role of promoting the information management side of records management. No government entity advises agencies on best practices for integrating records information into their business processes. Nobody has developed guidance for how records information should contribute to efficiency and productivity in carrying out agency programs.

NARA argues only for the risks that occur when records are not documented and preserved. It never says that programs are more productive and efficient when a solid records management program exists.

READ MORE...

Closing in on records management

Defining what your agency means by “records” is as important as the systems that manage them

The business of government isn’t business—it’s records. People entrust vital records, legal records, historical records and other records to federal, state and local bodies. These government agencies must keep as many records as any business, while simultaneously providing public access and satisfying numerous regulations. Records management systems are needed to help acquire, categorize, store, query, recall and dispose of records quickly and efficiently.

“Government has had records managers forever; automated systems are different, but the basic concepts remain the same,” said Barry Murphy, senior analyst with Forrester Research of Cambridge, Mass.

In fact, there are many records management features to consider when deploying new systems—whether your agency is looking for a standalone solution or records management as part of another system, such as financial management or enterprise resource planning.

READ MORE...