Records Express, the official blog of the Office of the Chief Records Officer at the National Archives, has announced the release of the 2012 Records Management Self-Assessment (RMSA).

According to the July 29^th posting,

“The goal of RMSA is to determine whether Federal agencies are compliant with statutory and regulatory records management requirements.  Each respondnng agency receives a numerical score between 0-100 and is placed into Low, Moderate, and High Risk Categories. These categories measure how effectively government records are managed based on the records management statutes and regulations.”

 

The report includes an excellent executive summary, and four main sections: Records Management Program – Activities

Records Management Program – Oversight and Compliance

Records Management Program – Records Disposition

Records Management Program – Electronic Records

Several appendices are included which offer recommendations and cumulative statistics for all respondents, as well as numerical scoring for the individual departments and agencies.

The scoring illustrates a broad variability in federal government records management compliance, with several departments represented by their respective agencies in all three (low, moderate, and high) risk factor categories.

While the report is published to document the RIM readiness of the federal government, state and local governments, corporations, and non-profit organizations can benefit by reading the questionnaire and creating their own “score.” The exercise will also help you identify weaknesses in your own policies, guidelines, and procedures.

Need help? Contact Cadence Group for assistance with all aspects of your records management program: from RIM program assessment to legal research, clean-up activities, special projects, and employee training.

Contributed by: Jim Washburn, Director of Business Development at Cadence Group

Image by: byggarn79 at ©Depositphotos.com