BRIDG 08/19/04

August 19, 2004

Electronic Records Policy Working Group (ERPWG) Update- Michael J. Kurtz

The ERPWG barriers report closed for public comment on August 1, 2004, and the comments are being reviewed by the ERPWG. The report is available online at http://www.cio.gov/documents/ICGI/ERPWG_Barriers.pdf. Four high-level barriers to effective records management in agencies were identified in the report: records and information are not managed as agency business assets; records management is not seen as critical to agency mission; records management receives marginal support from the agency; and information technology and records management organizations are poorly integrated within agencies. Draft recommendations to Congress, OMB, and the Archivist concerning these barriers are being developed for review by the Interagency Committee on Government Information (ICGI) at the end of September.

ERPWG Toolkit- Susan Sullivan

The ERPWG has proposed the development of an ERM policy guidance toolkit that will be an Internet portal to share proven ERM guidance resources, both web-based and otherwise, to assist agencies in effectively managing electronic records, including Government information on the Internet. NARA will sponsor the portal and lead the ERPWG in developing processes to support the ERM toolkit. These include procedures for the identification, collection, and description of toolkit resources. NARA is asking for Federal agencies' help in identifying proven guidance tools already in existence.

The toolkit is envisioned as an interactive, searchable web site that will assist users in identifying the appropriate guidance tools for their needs and then direct users to the tools via hyperlinks or by supplying appropriate contact information. In FY05, the ERPWG will focus on establishing the ERM toolkit by developing supporting procedures and creating the initial version of the ERM toolkit. Once the ERM toolkit is established, future activities can focus on identifying and adding tools.

Status Report on Records Management Integration Initiatives- Lewis J. Bellardo

NARA has made significant progress this year on the 26 tactics developed for the redesign of Federal records management. NARA held numerous meetings with agencies to advocate records management. A sample senior level position description for Federal records managers has been released. The records management training curriculum has been updated to focus on integrating records management into agency business processes and redesigned to be modular so it can be taught in any configuration depending on agency needs. NARA published for comment a proposed redesign of the regulatory framework for Federal records management; during FY 2005, the regulations will be revised to incorporate the new strategic directions in records management. NARA completed a project to evaluate different levels of risks to records at agencies and is using the results to set priorities and allocate NARA resources for scheduling and appraisal activities. NARA's business process re-engineering (BPR) of the scheduling and appraisal processes has completed an as-is model and is working to create a to-be model that includes greater flexibility in scheduling and more collaboration with NARA's customers. Flexible (big bucket) schedules have been created for five agencies as a pilot and two new GRS transmittals have been released. For electronic records, NARA has expanded the acceptable transfer formats, created procedures for the pre-accessioning of electronic records, and is investigating providing electronic records services in the records centers.