Stay-At-Home Activities for IM Professionals

So, you're stuck at home, doing your part and practicing social distancing.  Maybe you're working from home with reduced hours or reduced demands, or worse, you're not working at all (my sympathies).  But now you have some time to do things you wouldn't be able to do otherwise.  If that's the case, here is a list of activities you might consider to keep yourself both sharp and occupied as a practicing IM professional.

1. Professional development

• There are many institutions from Harvard and MIT all the way down to ARMA's website offering free courses on a wide range of topics.  Take them up on it!  If you need to earn CRA, CRM, or IGP maintenance credits, now is the perfect time.

• Get up to speed on digital transformation, cloud computing, and work-from-home technology.  Pundits seem to agree that this pandemic is going to permanently change the way the world works - get a head start on that.  YouTube is perhaps the best place to start; there are a lot of very useful videos and webinars on cloud computing in general, and on specific solutions from organizations like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.

• Apply to the ICRM for your CRA or CRM designation!  If finances are tight or your organization's training budget is gone, don't sign up - just start preparing.  You can't write tests anyway until the pandemic settles.  Look up the annotated study guides here.

• If you have the financial resources, sign up for a full course in an subject area that you want to be better in, or that makes you more attractive as a prospective employee.  Maybe it's in change management, cloud computing, risk management, or electronic information management.

2. Networking

This applies whether you are looking for work or not.  Networking is for more than just hoping one of your contacts has an inside line on a job.  It's also for learning from others, for hearing other stories and getting a sense of the world out there, and for simply commiserating with others going through the same things you're going through.  Try some of these things:

• Get your LinkedIn profile up to date.  Go through your list of connections and reach out to those you haven't chatted with in a while.  See how they're doing.  Post some comments.

• Host an online meeting with your current and/or former colleagues.  Introduce those that don't know each other.  You can do it with Zoom, Skype, Teams, or other video conferencing technology.  Or really go crazy - host an online Netflix Party!  Do a search on "information," "technology," or something similar to find some fitting shows (although, having tried that, I didn't have much luck... Perhaps Snowden?  Maybe you'll do better).

• Start posting on the IM online forums out there.  Forums exist at AIIM, IG Guru, and others like Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and LinkedIn.  Post your ideas and connect with other IM professionals.

• Have something you want to say?  Start a blog or a vlog.  Maybe it can be about movies and shows available on streaming services applicable to IM professionals. :)

3. A home RM project

If you're social distancing or even in self-quarantine, nothing is more exciting for a dedicated records manager than a home RM project!  There are a host of possibilities, and they can potentially cost zero dollars.  Try one or more out from the list below.  And if you're hunting for a job, of course list these projects in your resume.  Why?  They're 100% valid and valuable experience!

RM Fundamentals

• Conduct an information inventory in your home.  The physical records inventory will be easier, even if you have boxes in the attic - the electronic inventory will be more difficult.  Don't forget your records stored in cloud solutions like Dropbox.

• Create a records retention schedule for your home.  Include permanent records like your house title, and vital statistics documents, and short-term categories for financial and tax information.  Create archive categories for your children's art and school projects.  Implement the schedule to both your physical and electronic records!

Cleanup and Organization

• Clean up and organize your filing cabinets.  Maybe that's a huge job, because you've been cramming staff into them for years.  Don't be embarrassed!  (As they say, "the cobbler's children have no shoes.")

• Clean up your home computer.  Don't wince!  You've asked employees at your organization to do this on a daily basis - time to practice a little of what you preach. :)

• Organize your home email.  Oh no, you're wincing again... and again, you've asked employees at your organization to do this on a daily basis.  Choose your battles; perhaps you only want to organize the previous two years' worth, or organize your contacts and complete missing information, or unsubscribe from mailouts coming from vendors you just don't use anymore.

• Organize your DVDs or CDs (we all still have them!), or your home book and magazine library.  There are smartphone and computer apps for this very thing!  If you have the software, perhaps you would like to digitize your disk collection.

• Organize your photos.  This is a big one... now you have time to do it.  Check online software possibilities; you may want to subscribe to a photo subscription service such as Amazon, Facebook, or 100 others you'll find in a simple Google search.  (Also check the features and reviews on these sites.)

Information Security and Protection

• Is your virus protection software up to date?  Double check.

• Do some research and create an information security plan for your home network, computers, and devices, and then implement it.

• Create a disaster response plan (DRP) for your home.  There are lots of online resources for this.  Put it into action and do a test run with your family.

Digital Transformation

• How much physical mail do you receive?  How much of it can be received electronically instead?  Contact your institutions and make the switch to paperless.  Organize your My Documents location on your computer so that you can manage the correspondence properly when it comes in.

• Use an old computer or laptop to set up a media server in your home with access from your home network (especially if you digitized your CDs and DVDs).  Too daunting?  You have time now, not just to figure it out but to do it too!

• Choose any kind of digital transformation project that challenges you.  Even if you're unsuccessful, you'll learn a ton.

I would love to hear about your projects - let me know!

Wayne Hoff, CRM
ICRM Liaison, Calgary ARMA
icrmrep.armacalgary@gmail.com

ICRM Response to COVID-19

As you might have guessed, all Pearson Vue testing centres have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  You can see the ICRM statement here.  Of course, you can still prepare and study for exams; the ICRM will announce when the testing opens up again.

All the best in your studying and preparation, but also in your homes and places of work - please be safe.

Wayne Hoff, CRM
ICRM Liaison, Calgary ARMA
icrmrep.armacalgary@gmail.com

Employee Departures and Information Management

My organization has been in a fair amount of turmoil for a good year, with changes at the top and slashed budgets and other things besides.  It has led to the recent layoff of 200 employees.  We knew it was coming, which added to the stress.  But it also gave me some time to prepare.

Almost three years ago I wrote an information offboarding procedure, got approval, and implemented it enterprise-wide.  Essentially, when an employee leaves the organization, it is the leader's responsibility to check the employee's email, personal drives, and other areas where there may be information of value.  Leader notification is automated, but it still takes time to track it and chase down tardy responses.

I had never thought that that layoffs might be considered as an incident within a disaster response plan (DRP), especially when they were expected - but I thought wrong.  It has absolutely impacted the organization's ability to manage its information effectively.  It's been just over a month, and I'm still in the process of managing not only the information offboarding but all of the regular RIM requests that come to the records inbox on a daily basis.  There are some other lessons I've learned that come out of this.

1.  An information offboarding policy is an important policy to craft and to implement.  Not only does it help to capture records that might be otherwise lost when an employee leaves, but it also demonstrates to the organization that a) the responsibility for managing information doesn't suddenly cease when an employee leaves, b) enterprise knowledge management is important to the enterprise, and b) it is both an individual's responsibility and a leader's responsibility to manage information within their area of accountability.

2.  Having a process in place prior to a major event is a huge advantage.  Most leaders had already done an offboarding or two, and knew the process.  My team has been involved in all corners of the organization, so they know me and understand the expectations.

3.  Further to that, know your key stakeholders well.  I had met with HR in advance to determine the process.  Some exceptions showed up during the layoffs, but the lines of communication were already established, so with a quick call I was able to determine the issue and respond appropriately.  I had also met with the IT manager responsible for access control, and we understood that had to work together to make the offboarding work successfully.  There are still some issues we are working out, but again I know where to go when the issues arise.

4.  There is a human element to layoffs that can't be ignored.  My team was informed whenever there was an employee departure.  There was a higher than usual amount of attrition prior to the layoffs, which is not uncommon.  The heaviness of layoffs hung over everyone for several months.  I knew it was possible that someone on my team might be monitoring our notifications and see their own layoff.  As part of my team's preparation for the coming layoffs, I held special meetings to check in with them.  "Are you doing okay?" was the common question.  We banded together, stayed positive and stayed strong, through a very difficult time.

How have you managed during times of downsizing?  Any lessons of your own to share?  If so, please respond in the comments!  Thanks.

By the way, both of my team members were let go - if you looking for an excellent information management analyst in Calgary and area, let me know. :)

Next post:  lessons in demonstrating your RIM program's worth to the organization.

Wayne Hoff, CRM
ICRM Liaison, Calgary ARMA
icrmrep.armacalgary@gmail.com

The Era of Electronic Records Management Part 2

First off:  apologies for so much time passing since the last blog entry.  I would list all of my excuses but you either know them all or have heard them all a hundred times... I'll try to keep up better. :)

In my work several initiatives have taken off where I'm doing actual, honest-to-goodness, dyed-in-the-wool electronic records management.  How long have I been waiting for that?  Pretty much since I started in this industry 18 years ago.  I remember seeing Bruce Miller, the great pioneer in records management software and consulting, stating in 2003 or so that automatic electronic records classification would be commonplace within 2 years.*  Ever since then the golden gleam of RIM for electronic records has taunted me from afar.  Through those years I've a) tackled paper processes while watching electronic processes ignored, b) tried to address overrun email inboxes, while other electronic processes ran unmanaged, and c) created policies and procedures that addressed electronic records, but which never impacted actual practice.

But now I'm doing it!  We are working with stakeholders across the organization to apply records classification and closure to the records in our ECM system.  We are proposing and working through several models to increase automated processes to help tackle email inboxes (that are still overflowing, even after all these years...).  I am meeting with stakeholders to address master data management (MDM) and how our Records Management requirements impact the way we store and use structured data at the organization.

It's busy - really busy - but so excited as well.  It is literally what I have hoped to be doing ever since the beginning.  I feel privileged to be here.

Any others making headway in electronic records management?  Any questions or stories to share?  I'd love to see what else is happening out there.

We don't have another CRM preparation workshop booked in the near future, but let me know if you are interested in the CRA or CRM designation, and I can help you get started or provide some books from our lending library for studying.  In the meantime, all the best in your endeavours.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ICRM Liaison, Calgary ARMA
icrmrep.armacalgary@gmail.com      <<<  Please note the new email address.

*(I've spoken about that moment with him since, and he chuckled heartily, saying, "I predicted 'just another two years' for many, many years in a row!").

The Era of Electronic Records Management

I've always been impressed that the ICRM dedicates one entire exam, Part 5, to information management technology.  If you've been working in the industry at all, you will understand the necessity of that exam.

I delivered a presentation to a group of records management professionals recently on the topic of electronic records management.  My introduction sounded a bit like this:

"We have our paper processes nailed down.  When it comes to paper records, we're in pretty good shape.  When it comes to official electronic records, however, such as email, electronic content, and systems data, we don't do so well.  Question:  what percentage of your organization's official information is represented electronically, and what percentage is represented in paper?  It's likely in the 90/10 range, or if you still use a lot of paper, 80/20.  That means that we are poorly managing at least eighty percent of our official records.  That should cause us some concern."

Does this strike a chord with you?  Does it make you feel really nervous?  First, let's not be too hard on ourselves.  Paper is just much easier to manage.  It comes to us in relatively small volume and paper is a single format to manage.  Electronic information comes to us in large volume and in a vast array of formats and configurations.  So don't feel bad.  But second, it's not enough to lament about it and hope for the best.  As records managers we need to address the IM issues.

In my presentation I was more excited about the feedback it generated than anything I had to say.  Because people are doing things out there.  Let's share our secrets, our strategies, and our successes!  And press on!

In the meantime:  Part 5 of the exam is not an IT quiz.  It's more about IM in the current technological environment.  When you study for it, be happy knowing that the knowledge you gain will be critical in your IM career.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP
ICRM Liaison
icrmrep@armacalgary.org

CRM Workshop January 23rd - Space is Available!

Due to both the confines and the freedoms of the holiday season, this post comes a bit late, but there's still lots of time to register for the CRM Preparation Workshop scheduled for January 23rd at the Glenbow Museum.  Was does it entail?

8:00am to noon - In the morning we cover parts 1 to 5.  It includes:

• Subject areas covered in each exam
• Study resources
• Strategies for writing multiple choice tests
• Sample questions and answer review

12:45pm to 4:00pm - In the afternoon we cover part 6.  This includes:

• Study resources
• Sample prompts and expectations
• Strategies for creating a meaningful response
• The writing of a sample prompt, which will be marked by an ICRM grader, with comments returned after the workshop

The workshop is facilitated by..... yours truly!!  Yes, that's me.  And yes, in the afternoon, for the last 2 hours you WILL write a response to an exam prompt, and I WILL take them home and grade them for you.  (I grade part 6 exams for the ICRM most quarters.)  This is a highly valuable form of feedback.

To register, click here.  Hope to see you there!

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP

ARMA Calgary ICRM Liaison

icrmrep@armacalgary.org

Go ahead and write Parts 1-5 - ANYTIME!

The ICRM has officially announced that the first five CRM exams can be scheduled at any time during the year.  This is great news for those who have busy schedules.  Previously, candidates could only write the exams during one 2-week test cycle each quarter.  That opens up a few things for you:

• You can write the exam pretty much any week of the year.  It is still limited by those times made available by the Pearson Vue test centres, although there shouldn't be any major limitations.
• You can book the exam on short notice and take it right away - perhaps you suddenly feel like you've got it all in your head and you don't want to wait.  Book it for the afternoon!  (They haven't actually announced how long you have to wait between booking the exam and writing it, but so far it seems that there is no restriction.)
• If you do not pass the exam, you can write it again in as little as 48 hours.  Again, that's based on availability of test times at the Pearson Vue centres, but that's pretty handy.  Instead of waiting for three months and having to restudy the material, you can brush up in areas you felt you were weak and then write it again immediately with all of the material fresh in your head.

The Part 6 exam is not included in this change - it continues to be offered in the 2-week test cycle in February, May, August, and November.  This isn't a surprise; Part 6 requires human graders and that still has to be organized and administered under a regular cycle.

Let me know if this makes your plans easier.

On another note - the CRM prep course is being offered January 2019.  It's a little further back than we initially planned but this makes it better for those thinking about Part 6.  More details will be coming out later; if you're interested please give me a shout.

Wayne Hoff, CRM, IGP

ARMA Calgary ICRM Liaison

icrmrep@armacalgary.org