Making the leap to an information governance role.

• Author: Wiler, Vicki
• Position: CAREER PATH

Though the term "information governance" (IG) has been in use for at least a decade and has been widely used in records and information management (RIM) circles since 2009, many RIM professionals are still struggling to understand what it is and why it should matter to them.

If you are among that group, it should matter to you because it represents a tremendous opportunity for you to catapult yourself into a strategic leadership role that will be even more valuable to your organization --and your career.

What Is Information Governance?

ARMA International defines information governance as "A strategic framework composed of standards, processes, roles, and metrics that hold organizations and individuals accountable to create, organize, secure, maintain, use, and dispose of information in ways that align with and contribute to the organization's goals."

Because RIM--with its focus on developing and implementing policies, systems, and procedures to manage information throughout its life cycle is the foundation that supports IG (as illustrated in Figure 1) moving from that role into an IG role is the natural next step.

How IG and RIM Are Different

An IG professional's roles are to maintain a strategic focus and work with upper-level executives to ensure cohesive information governance across the enterprise. For example, IG professionals work to understand the business structure and processes, determine what industry regulations and legal requirements are relevant to the business operations, identify what policies and procedures are needed to address the requirements, and initiate the change management processes needed to ensure enterprise-wide changes are made.

Although some RIM professionals are also involved in higher-level strategic discussions and are an essential part of the information governance team, they are usually more focused on the tactical aspects of managing information. For example, they are responsible for writing the policies and procedures IG has identified as being needed, working with business units to implement them, and monitoring compliance with them.

"There is not a wide demarcation between the two roles," said Diane Carlisle, IGP, CRM, the executive director of content for ARMA International. "They are a team; each has a different area of focus, both of which are critically important."

Both, for example, must have an enterprise-wide perspective. Although RIM works with business units across the enterprise, Carlisle said that often not all units in an organization will take RIM seriously. An effective IG program supports RIM by developing strategies that help ensure that business units across the enterprise comply with RIM mandates.

Carlisle gave some examples of how the IG and RIM perspectives and...