New Cohasset/ARMA Benchmarking Report Says ‘We Aren’t There Yet’

ARMA International and Cohasset Associates are excited to announce the 2019 Information Governance Benchmarking Report. In 1999, Cohasset Associates launched the survey, which has tracked the evolution of the information profession over the past two decades. In that time, more than 14,000 respondents have helped chronicle the evolution to information governance (IG).

On its title page, the newly released edition of the Information Governance Benchmarking Report asks this question: “Are we there yet?”

The answer, according to Carol Stainbrook, executive director of Cohasset Associates, “is a resounding no.”

But we’re getting there. That’s a conclusion drawn from the responses of 900-plus respondents, consisting of ARMA members, Cohasset clients, Iron Mountain customers, and Records Management Listserv members.

“The number of organizations that have or are developing an IG program is at the highest level it has been since we started the survey,” says Stainbrook.

According to the report’s abstract, metrics from the February-March 2019 survey are used to examine “the state of IG advancement, achievements and the obstacles resulting from and impacting IG, and actions and strategies that facilitate effective and efficient information lifecycle management.”

The report highlights three specific findings and provides recommendations for action: (1) culture is a substantial barrier to the advancement of IG; (2) organizations benefit from interdisciplinary IG; and (3) automated processes and tools make IG more effective and efficient.

Among its uses, the report can be a benchmarking tool; a guide that sheds light on the real-world challenges and benefits of IG; and an instrument for IG advocacy. In any event, Stainbrook urges that it be used:

“If you are not moving forward, you are falling behind,” she says. “The time is now to take action. Don’t let change pass you by.”

Nick Inglis, executive director of content & programming for ARMA, encourages information professionals to make use of the report as well:

“This report highlights some of the ways we are making great strides, and it points us towards potential areas of weakness. It’s a critical report that we believe all people within the information profession will genuinely benefit from reading and embracing the findings.”

The free report is available on ARMA’s site. Iron Mountain provided financial support for this important project.