Many institutions are rapidly coming to the conclusion that email management can no longer be left to individual members of staff to perform on a 'best efforts' basis and that a more proactive and coordinated approach is needed. The purpose of this infoKit is to outline the main elements which need consideration as part of such an approach. In particular looking at how a combination of three main elements technology, policies/procedures, and user training need to be considered in unison to achieve an effective, institution-wide response.

The contents of this section build on and augment the information provided in the Information Lifecycle-Creation strand and should be considered in this light. What this section attempts to do is build on the general good practice guidance on information creation covered previously and look specifically at the additional requirements for creating good emails.

A PDF version of this material is available to download/print. (The Adobe Acrobat Reader to allow viewing of pdf files is available for download here).

Skip to one of the Email Management phases described below or start with the Introduction.

Creation Both email as a format and the functionality of the applications used to create them actually contributes to many of the problems associated with their management. Most aspects of email technology are weighted in favour of the sender and work against the interests of the recipient. This can lead to significant storage costs as well as the hidden dangers associated with uncontrolled email creation.

Active Use Although any discussion of the active use phase of the email lifecycle will inevitably have to make reference to broader issues relating to technical and legal issues it should be noted that the focus of the guidance included within this phase of the infoKit unapologetically remains the management of email itself with only superficial and passing reference to these broader topics where specifically relevant.

Semi-Active Use Email is not only a quick, convenient means of transferring ephemeral information. Emails can be, and often are, formal business records which provide evidence of important transactions. Most of the guidance relevant to the semi-active phase of the lifecycle reflects this need to manage emails as records.

Final Outcome It is important that any emails worthy of long term retention are identified and managed in such a way as to enable continued access to them in the years to come. Conversely it is equally important once the decision has been taken to delete an email that all instances of it have been completely removed. This last phase of the lifecycle focuses on these two possible final outcomes.