EDRM or Finding a needle in a haystack

Unless you’re highly organised (and most of us aren’t), you can waste a lot of time looking for a particular document you saved on your computer or put in the corner cupboard, say, a couple of years ago. You know what it’s like, hence the title!

But what if that document was created by someone else? What if they’ve since left? What if you don’t know whether or not the document still exists somewhere or has been deleted. What if your organisation is under scrutiny and the document is a vital piece of evidence?

In May 2005 Morgan Stanley were fined US $800,000 for failing to produce for the court crucial email documents in a fraud case.

No one who works in the public sector can afford to take a relaxed view of how they manage and share information. On the one hand the potentially tragic consequences of doing so were highlighted by the Victoria Climbie Inquiry. On the other the stakes have been raised by a raft of recent legislation including the Data Protection Act, the Environmental Information Regulations and the Freedom of Information Act.

Nor is it just critical information that goes missing that poses a danger. Equally threatening is information you may not be aware of that could come creeping out of the woodwork.

But the case for effective knowledge management within the public sector isn’t just negative or defensive. Getting things right will help to develop and deliver better, more joined-up services because individuals and teams will be in a better position to know what’s going on elsewhere, to collaborate where it makes sense to do so and to build on each others’ ideas rather than reinvent the wheel.

The solution lies not just with the technology but also with the mindsets and behaviours of the people who use it. That is where Spark's interests and expertise lie and our work is based on a set of guiding principles.

During 2004 we put those principles into practice helping the DTI to increase usage of its newly-installed EDRM system. To find out about our approach and what we achieved, download the case study (104KB). You can also read about how we can help you or, better still contact us to register your interest.