Creating The Right Information

Information may be created for many different purposes. It may be deliberately created solely to inform others through its content. Alternatively it may be that its creation is merely the by-product of a process where its true value lies mainly in providing evidence that the process in question has occurred (for example a receipt for goods purchased). Either way it is important that the information in question is fit for purpose.

An example of a typical set of information which generally serves its purpose well is that which is created as part of the administration of a business meeting:

• The agenda: provides required factual information such as details of where and when the meeting is to be held, what is to be discussed and in what order so that everyone comes to the meeting equally and fully prepared
• Background papers: provides attendees with the information they will require to make informed decisions during the meeting
• Minutes: provides an agreed evidential record of what took place during the meeting

When designing a new process or system, it is worth considering what information you should be creating and why. For example, when documenting a new process, is it sufficient just to know that a stage in the process was completed or is it important to also know who completed it and when? This will depend on the nature of the process being undertaken, its importance and formality and a host of other factors. The important thing is that these issues are considered.

It is also important to ensure a consistency of approach to information creation across operations. It is less than ideal if a project being managed in one department creates a comprehensive set of documentation, whereas a similar project in another department creates next to nothing. Defining an agreed document 'set' to be used in such circumstances can be beneficial in terms of ensuring the right information is being created across all projects. The JISC infoNet Project Management infoKit includes an example of such a document set for project management and how it is used to ensure that each stage of a project is documented appropriately. Adopting this approach also has the benefit of making it much easier to compare information between projects.

It should be remembered that it is also possible to create too much information. This might not seem an important issue in an age where it is so easy and cheap to transmit and store information but it can easily lead to hidden costs and considerable user frustration. For example, it might be very useful for the administrator of a database or content management system to know when a change has been made to its content, but a system which generates an automatic email informing all users of every edit made will result in thousands of unnecessary emails being sent and considerable frustration on the part of staff who repeatedly receive worthless messages.