Case study of RDM measurement for State Records
March 2004
Marion Measures Up
Founder of Gartner Measurement, Len Bergstrom, said, “If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it” and this statement is now part of basic management principle. Records Management, by its very name, is a management discipline and State Records have developed a measurement matrix framework that facilitates process alignment and outcome improvement.
Mid last year Marion City Council took up the challenge to apply the “Records Management Improvement Matrix” to their record management processes and their findings will benefit all Records Managers who seek improvement in Record Management outcomes and alignment with business process. Terry Bruun, project sponsor within Marion City Council said, “We started out seeking to put a stake in the ground, to measure where we were in the records management best practice environment, and in the process we created a management framework and consciousness of the significance of records throughout the Council. I believe we have taken Records Management from the basement into the boardroom and, in the process of compliance measurement, we have achieved real business benefit.”
Marion City Council was already advanced in their Record Management culture when the opportunity to test the matrix, and their own competence, presented itself. MCC had aligned their RM goals with their core business goals and good record management practise was seen as integral to delivering customer service to rate payers and job satisfaction to employees. As part of their commitment to good governance compliance to a record management standard made sense.
The “Records Management Improvement Matrix” is a self-assessment tool developed by State Records to enable agencies to assess the adequacy of their Records Management processes and outcomes.
Ten outcomes form the columns of the Matrix - Creation, Capture, Disposal, Access, Locatability, Reliable, Planned, Training, Reporting and Policies/Procedures/Practices. The ten columns are divided into six levels of improvement, 60 cells, with each cell briefly describing the attributes of that outcome at that level. Levels range from ‘inadequate practice’ to ‘sustaining enduring best practice’.
Marion City Council Records Management team were aware of the tools embedded in the matrix and sought to firstly put a stake in the ground and show the “as is” state of their Records Management practise. Joanne Smith, Records Manager, said, “The workshop approach and using external consultants to facilitate and drive the process has proved very successful. The matrix was used to guide the discussion and by going beyond box-ticking and actually looking at the issues behind the statements we were able to create a deliverable of on-going value.”
Having established their current “as is” state the team set about analysing the gap between their current state and the desired state of ‘best practice’, identifying which processes are in need of upgrade and exposing those holding other processes at an immature level due to their lack of function or visibility.
Karen White, Manager of Information Management and Technology at Marion, said, “The workshop had such a successful outcome because of three main factors – professional facilitation, attendance and active participation by the CEO and communication through all levels of the organisation resulting in cultural buy-in”.
One of the mantras of the Marion City Council is sustainability. Karen said that the effort to retain the awareness created by the workshop has been rewarded with sustained momentum and an enterprise culture compliant with capture as part of the delivery process.
As part of the Marion City Council Records Management improvement program framework, the matrix will be reapplied at defined intervals to check progress and alignment with the business requirements of the agency.
Bottomline:
The insights gained from the Marion City Council’s use of The “Records Management Improvement Matrix” include:
· Measurement, management and improvement are a continuous cycle.
· Before undertaking any project put a stake in the ground and know your starting point.
· Align project goals with business drivers – not just what to do and how to do it but why it is being done.
· Use external experts and high-level internal sponsorship to get buy-in and maintain momentum.
· A commitment to cultural change through pervasive communication is essential to sustainability.