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Weeding your government record garden: A 5-step approach
Mary Ellen Buzzelli
June 21, 2024
4 Min Read
As summer gardening ushers in a spirit of renewal and rejuvenation, it’s a perfect time for state and local government agencies to embark on a digital “weeding” of their legacy records. Cluttered records management is inefficient, wastes valuable staff time, and can be costly from various perspectives. Fortunately, just as tending to an overgrown garden brings a sense of order and vitality, streamlining legacy records through technology can revolutionize how agencies operate and serve their communities.
Automating records management promises greater efficiency in information retrieval, leading to significant time and cost savings. A study from Gartner found that records managers can lose up to 50 percent of work time from simply searching for the information they need. This in turn diverts them from more critical tasks and can lead governments to costly inefficiencies and poor citizen services. Additionally, with less clutter, organizations can better meet stringent security and compliance requirements, ensuring their agency’s unique authorizations and permissions are applied to records.
In today’s digital age, manual approaches to records management are no longer viable. Agencies’ lack of budget and shortage of workers to complete time-consuming records management task only makes traditional approaches even more inefficient.
Fortunately, a technology-driven approach will overcome some of these challenges. To get started, agencies must undergo five steps:
Identify what you have
The first crucial step in any successful legacy records cleanup initiative is to identify and understand the scope of existing records. This involves sorting and assigning records to determine which should be digitized, stored, or defensibly destroyed. This audit allows agencies to gain clarity on the state of their records landscape and guide the planning of the following steps.Digitize into a standardized platform
Once records are identified to be digitized, it’s time to unlock them from paper/fiche/film and bring them to life. From state personnel files to motor vehicle forms to child welfare documents, transforming these records into a standardized digital format enables documents to be searchable and actionable. The transition to electronic storage also drastically reduces physical storage costs, as research has found that paper storage costs 57.6 times more than electronic storage.Establish a future-ready repository
Once these legacy records are successfully digitized, agencies must build a future-ready repository, such as on-premises digital storage or with a secure cloud-based digital records solution, to manage these records effectively. Leaders should seek to ensure compliance via access control, visible ownership and automated retention policies. This step not only fortifies cybersecurity measures but also supports the evolving needs of a hybrid workplace, where remote access and collaboration are necessary.Automate processes
In these standardized and digitized formats with structured metadata, agencies can look to streamline records management processes that were previously manual. This is transformative for government employees, who no longer need to spend hours searching for the information they need. This automation also eliminates the need for staff to dedicate time to mundane tasks, like data entry and hours of manual audits, allowing them to focus on more high-value tasks. Think of it as a Digital Records manager at their fingertips.AI & beyond: Unlock your data possibilities
Basic automation is just the tip of the iceberg in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insights. Agencies can unlock the true potential of their data by identifying patterns and trends, driving data-driven decisions and analytics. This data-centric approach not only enhances internal operations but also serves as the foundation for initiatives such as Generative AI, enhanced citizen experience (CX) and the overall transition to digital-first services.
In one case, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (KCHFS) grappled with inefficiencies due to its paper-based employee records system, serving 7,000 employees and maintaining five years of inactive files. The department faced challenges in responding to requests promptly, with manual record entry and retrieval taking up significant time. To address this, KCHFS adopted a technology solution to streamline workflows by prioritizing records for digitization based on demand, integrating directly with their current platform for seamless access and searchability. Through this new tech-driven approach, KCHFS was able to digitize more than 2 million records, realize near-instant record retrieval and free up significant hours for its record managers.
This summer is the time for state and local government leaders to reevaluate their current record management processes and seek areas for innovation. By embracing a technology-driven approach to legacy records cleanup, agencies can optimize efficiency, bolster security, and ultimately deliver better services to the citizens they serve.
Mary Ellen Buzzelli is the director of state, local and education strategy at Iron Mountain Government Solutions. She specializes in guiding effective information lifecycle management strategies and transforming the digital solutions within government sectors.
