Software - the Challenge
Managing electronic records is different from managing paper records;
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We are far more dependent on the cooperation of the end users
There are far more records to worry abou
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There is an entirely new language and new concepts brought about by the software
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We are bound by, but generally do not understand, the capabilities and limitations of the software
The biggest barrier to overcome is user reluctance. In the old days, records management was something the “records people” worried about. Now however, we are dealing with hundreds of emails per day, creating and storing documents on our won, and have access to millions of records at our fingertips. No matter what software makers may say, one reality is absolutely inescapable – we need end users to take the time and effort to identify (qualify), classify, and declare the records, each and every day.
To an ECM user, recordkeeping really should be almost invisible. It really is a different way to store and retrieve documents, along with a different place and means of storing our documents. For example, there are places where only records are stored, there may be places where records and non-records are stored together. But it’s clear at all times which documents are records, and where records are stored. In an ideal system, the end users are not even aware they are practicing recordkeeping!
That’s the bad news. The good news – it’s easy to achieve! Electronic recordkeeping is actually ECM done right! We have to focus on the so-called “soft side” of the project, so that end users are willing to contribute to the process. We then carefully measure the three critical metrics each and every day.
