Should we measure the benefits of records management?
The authors acknowledge the argument that records management is a core function of an organisation in the same way that human resources or financial servicers are and that as such should not be required to demonstrate a return on investment. Penn et al (1994, p.7)1 support this asserting 'The records management programme must exist because the function of managing recorded information is a necessity.' The authors agree that the importance of, and benefits to be derived from sound records management practices to an organisation are not in doubt, but just because such views are (understandably) commonly held by information professionals this does not necessarily mean that they will be automatically shared by everyone - especially as 'records management' is a far less generally understood concept than the work of the human resources or finance departments. Moreover we should recognise that measuring the benefits of a function need not question its validity or its status; and we should recognise that it is standard management practice to understand the value added to the organisation from the expenditure of its resources.
In his publication on performance management Jones (2003, p.6)2 notes 'Good records management practice is an investment for the organisation although it could easily be viewed as an overhead. The need to demonstrate tangible returns on investment is crucial if the programme is going to continue attracting funding and support.' This is a critical point - especially during difficult economic times - and reflects the two very different interpretations of the position of records management that can easily and understandably be arrived at by managers who are disinterested in the detail and (in the absence of supporting data) are only able to make a superficial judgement of records management's relative merits.
With the advancement of technologies particularly with the development of electronic storage, digitisation, and enterprise-wide system solutions the cost considerations of a records management solution can often represent an appreciable amount of an organisation's resources. In trying to solve its record keeping requirements an organisation may have a number of complex option choices available to it, each option with its own set of costs and benefits. For example the Department for Business Enterprise Regulation and Reform (under the guise of its predecessor, the Department for Trade and industry) had spent £49.7m up to February 2008 on its 'Matrix' EDRMS project (Bailey, 2008)3. This may be at the extreme end of the spectrum but does help to establish the scale of potential investment in this area.
The increase in technologies has implications for the identification and management of an organisation's records. Issues relating to the management of electronic documents concerning the introduction of desk-top PCs and email systems are still being identified and addressed within the organisation. Web 2.0, social software, collaborative tools, and portable devices all have an impact on an organisation's records management and corporate governance. Being able to articulate the benefits of records management will assist in raising the profile and necessity of the function within the organisation, allowing the opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process as organisations move forward with new technologies.
With this in mind the authors believe that records management practitioners will need to be familiar with relevant performance measurement methodologies so that, where possible, they can articulate the added value an on-going records management programme will give to their organisation.
