Electronic Document and Records Management System

4.2 The Council does not have an existing policy for records management, and thereare very few procedures in place within the Council at the present time toeffectively manage the creation, maintenance, storage, use and disposal ofrecords.4.3 The perceived importance of maintaining the traditional semi-structured paperbasedfiling systems has declined as users favour the use of technology and theease of saving information electronically. In the absence of any control, however,information is being stored electronically in unstructured systems, with no controlof versions, duplication, access or disposal. The explosion of electronicinformation storage has resulted in an equal proliferation of server facilities andthe consequential demands in maintenance.4.4 Studies have shown that employees within medium sized organisations spend anaverage of 25 minutes a day looking for information. For each 20 office-basedemployees, this equates to the equivalent of 1 full-time employee per annum.5. Drivers For Change5.1 The Council’s Mission Statements for the Resources and Performance StrategicTheme areas respectively are:-• To ensure a sound basis for service provision is delivered by effectivemanagement of the Council’s human, financial, technological and physicalresources; and• To secure continuous improvement through development in the quality ofworking practices, drawing on best experience inside and outside theCouncil, within a culture which embraces critical review and change.5.2 The Strategic Theme for Resources is supported by 6 core objectives, 3 of which(RE3, RE5 and RE6) are supported by the introduction of an EDRMS andassociated policies and procedures.• RE3 – Provide Members with the resources to assist them in decisionmaking and leadership in the community.• RE5 – Use technology to improve efficiency and service delivery.• RE6 – Ensure Council assets are maintained to maximise their useful lifeso that they are safe and accessible for users.5.3 The Strategic Theme for Performance is also supported by 6 core objectives, 2 ofwhich (PE2 and PE4) are supported by the introduction of an EDRMS andassociated policies and procedures.• PE2 - Meet the challenges of the modernisation agenda by developing theorganisational capacity.• PE4 - Achieve enhanced service through electronic service delivery.5.4 Successful management of information, with the ability for all informationmanagement system processes to deliver accurate, up-to-date information, veryquickly to whoever needs it, via various access channels, is a pre-requisite in thedelivery of the above objectives.5.5 Office accommodation at Furzehill is also at a premium. A full review of recordsand appropriate digitisation will help relieve this pressure and reduce the riskcurrently posed by the lack of backup facilities for manual records. Officeaccommodation costs have been calculated at £125 per square metre.5.6 Members will be aware from previous reports on E-Government Priority Servicesthat the ODPM Priority Outcome G19 requires the Council to Implement107