Content and scope of Step G

• Overview
• Summary of Step G
• Why should you do Step G?
• How is Step G scalable?
• Relationship to other steps

Overview

This section is an introduction to Step G: Implementation of a recordkeeping system. It:

• outlines the aim of Step G
• summarises the major elements of Step G
• explains why it is important to undertake Step G for DIRKS projects
• indicates how Step G is scalable, and
• shows how Step G relates to the other steps in the DIRKS methodology.

Summary of Step G

DIRKS should not be seen as a linear process, and this is most obvious when you examine Step G. There are many aspects of implementation should be a consideration from the very beginning of any DIRKS project.

Examples: Implementation measures required from the beginning

• Change management initiatives, such as the involvement of staff and communication methods with staff and management, should be built into your project planning at the start and happen throughout the project.
• Some people chosen for the project team should be good communicators and have the skills to sell the project.
• Choosing a suitable champion for the project, and gaining the support of senior management should be at the beginning of the project but will be a crucial part of implementation.

As these need to be addressed throughout the project, they have been explained in Introducing DIRKS and referred to in various steps within the manual.

You may have already examined implementation issues and chosen the appropriate mix of design, standards, implementation and policy strategies to best meet your particular situation and goals in Step E: Identification of strategies for recordkeeping. These are designed in Step F: Design of a recordkeeping system, but need to be practically implemented in Step G. This might involve:

• planning for implementation
• communicating roles, responsibilities and skills to staff by training and other means
• introducing staff to new policies, procedures and tools, and
• conducting your rollout of systems according to chosen methods.

Tip: There is no such thing as a perfect system
Do not try to implement the perfect system as perfect systems do not exist. Just try to implement the system that will help your organisation to meet its business needs.

Why should you do Step G?

Any project, no matter how large or small should involve a planned and considered implementation to increase the chances of success. Even if you have only performed a few of the DIRKS steps, you have probably spent time and energy on your project. If you are integrating new or improved systems with office communications and business processes you may have very high accountability and financial stakes. In addition, all recordkeeping projects will invariably impact on organisational responsibilities, work practices and procedures, and there is considerable risk that staff will not embrace the changes.

Planning and managing the practical implications of implementation can minimise risks to your project. It give you a better chance of integrating your improved recordkeeping tools, systems or practices in your organisation in way that causes minimum disruption to your business activities. It will also:

• contribute to organisational requirements for quality accreditation
• encourage uptake by staff, and
• help you to remain within your budget.

This will allow you to capitalise on your investment of resources.

Tip: Implementation is costly
You should never underestimate the importance of your implementation or the costs. In significant projects in large organisations implementation costs can account for over 50% of the total budget. Even in small projects, implementation time and costs can take up a large amount of available resources.

How is Step G scalable?

The implementation step is essential for any DIRKS project - there is no point in creating solutions for existing problems or designing systems if you do not implement them. However, the scale of Step G will depend heavily on solutions you are implementing and how much of the DIRKS process you have already undertaken. With large and complex changes, you may choose to implement aspects gradually to make the best use of resources and to manage change effectively.

There may be management-driven imperatives to skimp on resources for implementation or to implement systems or components of systems without fully understanding recordkeeping requirements and organisational constraints. Be aware that implementing a new system without proper resources or the knowledge that comes from completing relevant steps of DIRKS may adversely affect:

• how the system or component is configured or developed
• its ability to meet your organisational needs
• the way implementation is carried out, and
• the acceptance of the change by staff.

You may ultimately incur additional, and otherwise avoidable costs (in terms of staff, time and goodwill) and your system may not be able to guarantee you are creating and managing the evidence you need to satisfy your regulatory and business needs and community expectations.

Relationship to other steps

All other steps

Step G is, of course, reliant on having something to implement, so you will be undertaking other steps of the DIRKS methodology in order to use it. You may have undertaken some or all of the following:

• analysed recordkeeping requirements and organisational constraints. These can be derived fully from Steps A to E
• developed any specific tools to assist your records management needs, such as a corporate thesaurus (arising from Step B or C) and retention and disposal authority (derived from Steps A to C)
• developed a list of vital records which can help you to protect them from disaster, promote business continuity and prioritise recovery efforts during a disaster (derived from Steps A to C)
• identified the strengths and weaknesses of your existing systems (Step D)
• agreed on a range of strategies to satisfy your recordkeeping requirements and organisational constraints, including implementation strategies (Step E)
• developed a plan that shows how the various system components (processes, procedures, people and technology) fit together in practice (Step F)
• obtained management support and resources to implement the plan, and/or
• acquired necessary hardware and software.

Step E and F

Step E: Identification of strategies for recordkeeping and Step F: Design of a recordkeeping system are closely aligned to Step G and in many cases these steps will be undertaken together. In Step E you choose strategies to meet your needs and you design these in Step F to implement in Step G.

Example: Relationships with Steps E and F
You may decide in Step E that an important strategy for implementing a thesaurus across the organisation is to have classification procedures in place (policy strategy) and to train staff in those procedures (implementation strategy). Step F is where you design these procedures, decide training methods and write the training course. Step G is where the procedures are distributed to the organisation and where training is conducted.