NARA recently released its draft FY 2018 – FY 2022 Strategic Plan. In addition to digitizing more than 500 million pages of records, NARA announced that it will cease accepting non-electronic records from agencies by the end of 2022.

Given that NARA will only be accepting electronic formats with appropriate metadata tagging, while rejecting any permanent or temporary records in analog format, agencies need to be prepared for the deadline that lies ahead. This gives agencies a good reason to assess their current records and information management (RIM) framework and complement them through value-added modernization capabilities.

Agency Progress and Looking Forward

Even though print-and-file email retention methods have decreased dramatically in recent years, many agencies (according to the latest Records Management Self Assessment, at least 46 percent) are still using manual paper-based processes, which slow down workflows, increase inefficiencies and human errors, and eat up agency budgets. As agencies evolve and implement wholly digital record keeping strategies, they have an opportunity to not only meet, but exceed government-wide records keeping goals and prepare for NARA’s impending strategic change.

While the digitization of paper records is one essential approach for reducing and eliminating paper-based processes, it can be very costly, and should be only one consideration, not the be all end all approach. Firstly, agencies should examine their storage processes, seeking to identify creative approaches that reduce their reliance on NARA storage for physical records. Potential alternatives include working with private industry to arrange the off-site storage of essential physical records and reevaluating retention periods to create more robust policies that better map to agency records storage needs. An off-site, consumption-based (i.e. Records Management as a Service) model will also reduce agency footprints while improving service levels.

Workflow Automation

Meeting NARA’s 2022 deadline goes beyond just managing the storage of physical records. It also compels agencies to modernize their technologies and processes to eliminate the necessity of creating physical records. Instead, agencies should be cultivating methodologies to ensure that any newly developed records originate and are managed digitally throughout their entire lifecycle. This includes adopting technologies that help them to simplify the creation, identification, retention and disposition of records.

One area of focus that is best poised to make a significant impact on agencies’ digital chain of records custody is workflow automation. The implementation of workflow automation software helps to eliminate administrative tedium, enables faster processing and increases accuracy. It starts with capturing information at the start, managing and accessing that information effectively, integrating automation into business processes, and measuring and storing what is needed. It takes content-heavy processes and simplifies them, and can be applied across many functional areas, such as contract management, FOIA response management, employee file management, vendor management and document management.

An automation-focused approach will not only put agencies ahead of the 2022 curve, but will deliver ancillary benefits such as increased information security, increased agency and public accessibility, and significant cost-savings. IDC research shows that fundamentally transforming content-centric workflows, such as contracts management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, HR and many more, can lead to a more than 30 percent reduction in time spent on document-intensive processes; a 30-40 percent reduction in errors; and a 25-30 percent increase in productivity, depending on the specific functional area and process.

Pulling Ahead in Records Management

According to NARA’s 2014 Automated Electronic Records Management Report/Plan, “automating records management will not only reduce the burden of records management responsibilities on individuals, but will make federal government records and information easier to access because they are more consistently managed.” Automation lessens the burden on agency end users, as it eliminates the requirement to touch each file and make a separate recordkeeping decision about each one. With the integration of automated capabilities, records are consistently captured and managed and therefore more accessible for support of the agency mission. Processes are able to scale up to handle a higher volume of information, a vital capability for agencies that are dealing with increasing data generation on a daily basis.

Conclusion

As agencies look ahead to evolving their records programs to align with the new NARA Strategic Plan, they should ensure that they are dedicating the necessary attention and resources.

Agencies can start by evaluating their current RIM frameworks, and assess their more paper- and content-intensive processes. This means that these functions have the highest potential for meaningful improvement, and therefore the most potential for increased ROI.

Working to identify these types of opportunities now will only better position agencies to meet and exceed the looming deadlines … and beyond.


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