Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO): a case study

1. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO):a case study Graeme Thompson, PCO Records Adviser Archives New Zealand Government Recordkeeping Forum 7 March 2007

2. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • OVERVIEW • Introduction to the PCO: • PCO recordkeeping systems • Email / ECM interface • Interface with recordkeeping systems • Email management • Current advice • Future solutions? • Summary

3. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • INTRODUCTION TO THE PCO • Statutory responsibilities: • drafting Bills and regulations that implement Government policies • advising drafters of Local and Member’s Bills • access by public to legislation

4. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) PCO RECORDKEEPING SYSTEMS

5. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • PCO RECORDKEEPING SYSTEMS • Documentum v.5.3 - electronic content management system (ECM) • Legislative Docbase • Administrative file structure developed 1997 by SWIM • Groupwise v.7 - electronic mail application • Physical files: • Legislative drafting files • Administrative files • ‘Print and file’ mandatory for all documents

6. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • PCO Recordkeeping Systems (2) • 1984 – dumb terminalelectronic messaging and rudimentary word-processing system based at Parliament • 1985 - computerisation of drafting • 1994 - electronic mail • 1995 - first DMS, Softsolutions • 1999 – Administrative Business Classification System • 2002 – Documentum installed as a DMS

7. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING FILES • Electronic records: • drafting documents • file notes • email: • agencies sponsoring legislation • other drafters for advice/review • Pre-publication unit for draft copies for Parliament

8. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Legislative Drafting Files (2) • Electronic legislative draft filing: • Hierarchical based on primacy of document type • Will be replaced by Public Access to Legislation (PAL)

9. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Legislative Drafting Files (3) • Drafting docbase in Documentum: • arranged by document type, not by legislative drafting job • multiple-drafter file content scattered • does not mirror physical drafting file structure • cannot be duplicated in Groupwise as shared folders

10. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • ADMINISTRATIVE FILES • Business Classification Scheme • High-level cabinets mostly functional based • uncontrolled growth

11. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • ADMINISTRATIVE FILES • Business Classification Scheme: • Canadian block numeric • mnemonic prefixes • Electronic and paper systems mirror each other

12. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) MANAGING EMAIL IN DOCUMENTUM

13. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • MANAGING EMAIL IN DOCUMENTUM • Two stage import process of email into Documentum: • conversion retains metadata, but alters format • now converted into text document to ensure accessibility by any format. • document-level access restriction to prevent alteration of email already saved • Documentum does not have same search functions for email as Groupwise

14. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • INITIAL ADVICE • July 2004 – June 2005 • “The Public Records Bill is coming! The Public Records Bill is coming!” • Contact with groups, individuals. • July 2005: • Public Records Act 2005

15. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) CURRENT EMAIL ADVICE

16. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • CURRENT EMAIL ADVICE • Developed when Records team had fewer resources • organisational, not recordkeeping, priorities • partial solutions and quick-fixes handed to end-user

17. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Current Email Advice (2) • Do not print, file, and delete significant emails • You may delete non-significant records when no longer needed • Use Groupwise to store email: • has search functionality that Documentum does not • joint access folders possible for business units • email is in place for bulk transfer later

18. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Current Email Advice (3) • Use In box and Sent box as To-do lists: • add “finished” email to appropriate subfolder • Email strings: • add last email in “string” to appropriate subfolder and delete any previous email with duplicate content • Print and file email into physical file • Delete non-significant email when no longer administratively required

19. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING EMAIL MANAGEMENT • Drafters create folders in GroupwiseCabinet, labelled: • Current Draft Legislation • Completed Legislation • Subfolders then created in Completed Legislation folder, labelled: • Enacted Bills • Made Regulations • Not Proceeded With

20. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Legislative Drafting Email Management (2) • Personal folder: • Current Draft Legislation: • PCO 1234 – The Email Re-organisation Bill 2007 • PCO 1235 – Email Re-organisation Regulation 2007 • PCO 1236 – Sub-Folder Hierarchy Bill 2007 • Completed Legislation: • Enacted Bills • Made Regulations • Not Proceeded With

21. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Legislative Drafting Email Management (4) • Current Draft Legislation: • PCO 1237 – Email Re-organisation Amendment Bill 2007 • Completed Legislation: • Enacted Bills: • PCO 1234 – The Email Re-organisation Bill 2007 • Made Regulations • PCO 1235 – Email Re-organisation Regulation 2007 • Not Proceeded With • PCO 1236 – Sub-Folder Hierarchy Bill 2007

22. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • ADMINISTRATIVE EMAIL MANAGEMENT • Create Documentum folder in Groupwise Cabinet • Replicate administrative files that you use based • Use In-boxand Sent-box as To-do lists • place last email from string into appropriate sub-folder • delete non-significant email when no longer administratively required

23. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Administrative Email Management (2) • File sub-series in titles to aid access • folder access shared with PCO Records Administrator • automated notification of new email.

24. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • PROBLEMS • Lack of control over naming of folders and sub-folders • Bulk transfer of email into Documentum: • untried and only semi-automated • If the drafter is amending legislation drafted by others, it is easier to review email in the physical file than look for it in Documentum

25. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Problems (2) • Joint Access to Groupwise folders: • possible for PCO-wide joint access to folders, but: • legislative drafting emails have confidentiality issues • all who share folder get a notification for every email posted

26. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) FUTURE PCO EMAIL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

27. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • FUTURE EMAIL MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS • User-friendly interface: • click and drag transfer into Documentum files • automated duplication deletion: single instance storage can reduce overall storage up to 80% • Documentum interface: • ‘plug and play’ • Reliability – no more print and file

28. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Future Email Management Requirements (2) • Compliance with: • Public Records Act 2005 • Electronic Recordkeeping Systems Standard • best practice recordkeeping principles • Record integrity: • Automated restrictions to prevent alteration • preference for preservation of email format

29. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) EMAIL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS?

30. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • “EMAIL ARCHIVING” TOOL • Options: • build or buy something like Datamail email archiving tool • automated capture based on email title and content • email application search functionality

31. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • PROBLEMS • Indiscriminate records capture: • false search results/too many search results • no match to physical files, in PCO environment, is crucial • different contexts may use same terminology • Is a storage system, NOT a records management system

32. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EDRMS) • User-friendly interface: • document creator determines document significance • click and drag transfer of email • icons to differentiate between document types

33. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • EDRMS (2) • Integrity of record • accessible to all users across an office • access restrictions to individual folders or files can protect confidentiality • registered emails can be copied but not altered • attachments stay linked to parent emails

34. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • EDRMS (3) • Recordkeeping functionality: • compliance with ERKSS • automated retention and disposal • integration with current systems • integration of physical and electronic files

35. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • EDRMS (4) • Access: • automated assignment of access restrictions to email at: • folder level • document level • end-user level • editable document titles in EDRMS aid end-user searches

36. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • SUMMARY • The PCO has to integrate all its recordkeeping systems: • access to all email by all staff • integration of physical and electronic files • save staff time and resources • improve office efficiency • best-practice recordkeeping • compliance with legislation and standards

37. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Summary (2) • Create end user awareness of issue • Even mistakes are better than doing nothing • Justify the extra resources

38. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Summary (3)

39. Managing Email at the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) • Summary (3) • Stop flirting with email solutions! • Take the plunge! • Go out on that first date! • Take wine!