What is Bob talking about now? There is no impact of Access and Disposition? If something is disposed of, it is not accessible and therefore this is a moot discussion, right? If you access something it is not disposed of therefore is it’s not an issue, you can find it. So what exactly does this mean, Impact: Access and Disposition?
We know that disposition is an aspect of content and records management that needs to be addressed. At some point in time content and records lose their value to an organization and at that point in its lifecycle we need to clear it away and dispose of it. So how does access impact disposition? That depends upon the circumstances. (I know, that’s a consultant answer but it is true.)
Let’s use insurance as an example. Regulation says that a policy can be destroyed seven years after termination of the policy. Using life insurance as an example, this may mean that the policy was cancelled or the policyholder has died. So according to regulation, after seven years the carrier can dispose of this policy, simple right? Let’s now add a twist. The regulation also says that if the policy is accessed for business reasons within that seven year period, the retention of seven years begins again once the policy is returned to storage. So as we see, access does impact disposition under certain conditions.
In this scenario we used records as the example but content should follow similar practices. As content becomes obsolete or no longer has value to the organization it should be removed and destroyed. In my view, organizations need to establish content retention policies and guidelines to purge their repositories of unwanted and unneeded content. Many feel that having this content for all time is a value unto itself yet as the same time it could also present a risk. If you have it, it is discoverable and even though it may appear to be harmless and inexpensive to maintain, if found, it could be used against you.
Put a value on your content and establish guidelines in managing it. Develop and implement disposition processes and train users on how to comply with these guidelines and processes. Use version controls for development of content and define when and how the content becomes the official version that would be used in times of audit or litigation.
What say you? How are you managing content disposition? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.
Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:
- New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
- Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
- San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
- Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
- San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09
We look forward to seeing you there.
I will also be in Chicago delivering an ECMp workshop at the Document Strategy Forum on October 6th and 7th. Will you be there?
Bob Larrivee – AIIM
Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.
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