Finding the right captain for your IG program.

• Position: INFO GOVERNANCE - Information governance - Column

A successful information governance (IG) program that is truly enterprise-wide requires buy-in from all corners of the organization, particularly legal, records, information security, compliance, IT, and the business units. This way, everyone's needs will be represented.

It sounds good in theory, but then reality hits and the committee members become overwhelmed by their daily responsibilities, sending the IG initiatives to the back burners.

"Representation on the committee is rooted in the best of intentions, but it doesn't necessarily facilitate the process of actually getting things done," said attorney and IG expert Linda G. Sharp in a recent JD Supra article. "The true dynamic that has arisen typically consists of sprawling committees of individuals that already have a full-time job with little to no time to make committee meetings, much less make things happen."

Without a single person tasked with overseeing the initiative, many IG initiatives drag on for years with little or no real benefit to the organization. "Everyone is on deck to ensure they're not forgotten, but rarely is a dedicated captain at the helm," Sharp pointed...