Benefits of Inter-Departmental Project Management

Transcription

1 Successful Collaboration Between Records Management WELCOME Information Technology Legal Subhead goes here. Remove Welcome and add Administration text box for presentation slides.

2 We re not Adversaries, We re a Team Some people fear giving up all or some control of a project We get a better outcome when we pool our specialties and knowledge Plus, much of the information that IT gathers in the project analysis is also useful to RM in the records analysis Make it clear that while RM needs to have a role, you know your boundaries Invite RM/Legal to the initial project meetings If the project won t affect RM or compliance, I will say so and step back

3 Find the Persuasion that will Resonate Possibilities: Save money & resources Easier to find needed records Public records requests Internal functions Legal Compliance E-Discovery with your Audience AGO Persuasion Legal E-Discovery I can save you time, money and give you some tips to use in you own discover efforts ITS E-Discovery Legal Compliance I can take the pressure off of you Administration It s the law

4 Cross Training Records Management has presented 3 information sessions to IT Records Management & Compliance They can help me too! ITS often first to hear about new systems, which often mean new record series. They are my ears. E-Discovery (2x) Records Management team with: Legal & Litigation support on e-discovery Legal/Information Technology on new DRMS New systems don t just mean learning new computer moves it can bring in ethics, security, and compliance Business Unit, Records, IT

5 Ongoing Projects: New & Updated Systems IT Project managers usually have a standard project checklist to follow when they are developing or updating systems. Get On That Checklist! (RM, Legal, Others) Everyone s job is easier if all aspects are addressed upfront IT design a system that suits needs of business unit RM make sure that records will be Retained as long as they need to be (and not longer!) Deleted from the systems when retention expires Legal make sure that we are in compliance with various laws & regulations especially security related

6 Project: Procuring a Document and Records Management System - RFP Make sure that all team members have a role in drafting the RFP ITS Records Legal Business Units When questions come in, divvy up responses. Our project manager was good at knowing which team member would be best suited to answer based on the nature of the question.

7 Project: Procuring a Document and Records Management System - RFP Reading/Scoring Proposals Again, all team members plus some new ones read, scored and discussed the proposals We each had a set of questions in our specialty area that we focused on We were good at deferring to others when it went outside our areas Vendor demonstrations All team members present Requested private demo of records functions Ensured that I saw what I needed to see While not forcing other team members to use their valuable time

8 Project: Procuring a Document and Records Management System - Implementation Roles: ITS Project Management (feasibility & implementation) Administration Approve resources, direct overall vision, champion, promote Legal security and ethics recommendations and training Records Tell people where to file things (at first) Assist in template designs (file structures) Old to new system transition training Business units sounding board

9 Project: Procuring a Document and Records Management System - Implementation Language Barrier Vendor/ITS/Records/Legal Project Team/Staff (Records became the Rosetta Stone) Internal section to internal section

10 Project: Procuring a Document and Records Management System - Implementation Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? It s hard for staff design a system that works for you when you don t know what it is capable of or can t picture how it will work. It s hard for vendor and team to demo a system when they don t have information on how staff will use it.

11 Project: Procuring a Document and Records Management System - Implementation Standards Committee (vendor, ITS project manager, RM, Legal) Designed several across the board templates Standardized terminology Standardized security Business unit meetings Separate meetings for different roles didn t work Lead to a lot of wasted time and re-drafting

12 Continuing Frustrations For Records Management The idea the RM s job is simply to tell people where to file things Deleting records is okay and should be done (legally) Concept that just because it has to do with a computer, it is IT s purview (this is misunderstood at all levels) Business Units call ITS because they need new/updated systems without thinking it could have a RM component Training for ITS on the extent of my role and the legal/compliance component of what I do Feeling like we re stepping on toes when we speak up Not being sure which parts need to involve persons with which roles Sometimes sticking to the schedule comes with a price down the road But be ready to make your case as to why something should slow down, especially when the others don t understand why your role is important

13 Positives and Progress Bolstered visibility for Records Management Administration knows who we are now Business Units are learning when to come to Records and when to go to ITS They freely come to us instead of hoping to avoid us Work more hand-in-hand with ITS Responsibility doesn t all fall to one group This is how we ve always done it is in play less and less (though not completely eradicated) Retention schedules have been updated or marked obsolete Records being maintained by series now and retention will be more automated

14 THANK YOU Pari Swift Senior Records Manager Ohio Attorney General s Office Pari.Swift@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov