Communications – ARMA Magazine

Antiquated Policy Wording: Part 4 — The Problem with “Should”

Written by Lewis S. Eisen on April 26, 2020. Posted in Communications, Education, Leadership & Management Skills, Policy.

This is the final article of a four-part series on drafting requirements in IM policies, looking at the problems of using the words “must,” “may,” and “should.” Of the three modal verbs discussed in this article, “should” suffers the worst identity...

Antiquated Policy Wording: The Problem with “May”

Written by on April 15, 2020. Posted in Communications, Education, Leadership & Management Skills, Policy.

Businessman with bike eats lunch on the bench

This is the third article of a four-part series on drafting requirements in IM policies, looking at the problems of using the words “must,” “may,” and “should.” The word “may” suffers from the same deficiencies as “must,” discussed in Part 2....

Antiquated Policy Wording: The Problem with “Must”

Written by on April 8, 2020. Posted in Communications, Education, Leadership & Management Skills, Policy.

This is the second article of a four-part series on drafting requirements in IM policies, looking at the problems of using the words “must,” “may,” and “should.”(Read Part 1 here.) In traditional policy wording, writers use “must” to indicate...

Antiquated Policy Wording: “Must,” “May,” and “Should”

Written by on April 1, 2020. Posted in Communications, Education, Featured, Leadership & Management Skills.

This article is the first of a four-part series on drafting requirements in IM policies, looking at the problems of using the words “must,” “may,” and “should.” Part 1 — Overview The traditional use of “must,” “may,” and “should” when drafting...

Good Policy Statements Don’t Micro-manage

Written by Lewis S. Eisen on February 11, 2020. Posted in Communications.

Instructions in a policy statement that amount to micro-management confuse rather than clarify the requirements. I’m sure you’ve seen them – policy statements so detailed that they list the steps required. Take the following example, excerpted...

Introducing the Information Governance Implementation Model (IGIM)

Written by ARMA International on December 31, 2019. Posted in Analytics, Archiving, Audit, Backup, Business Continuity, Business Intelligence, Capture, Change Management, Communications, Compliance, Content, Content Management, Content Services, Content Strategy, Data Analytics, Data Governance, Data Management, Data Storage, Digital Preservation, Digital Transformation, Discovery / eDiscovery, Disposition, Document Management, Document Strategy, Electronic Records Management, Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Enterprise File Synchronization & Sharing, Enterprise Search, Featured, Foundational Concepts, Imaging, Information Access, Information Analytics, Information Architecture, Information Assurance, Information Governance, Information Management, Information Security (Information Protection), Information Technology, Interoperability, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Strategy, Legal, Metadata, Metrics, Migration, Mobility, Native Creation / Upload, On-Premises, Physical Records Management, Privacy, Process Automation, Process Management, Records Management, Records Strategy, Retention, Retention Management, Scanning, Search, Taxonomy, Vital Records, Web Content Management, Workflow.

This year, ARMA International released the Information Governance Implementation Model (IGIM), beta version. There are, of course, other information governance (IG) models available to the community, each looking at IG through a different lens. Why...

Have You Considered Tone of Voice?

Written by Lewis S. Eisen on December 5, 2019. Posted in Communications, Leadership & Management Skills.

When we review an old information management policy to see if it needs updating, what do we look for? Too often an organization will revise the operative content but fail to update the tone of voice. Obviously we check for accuracy to make sure...

Eisen’s Book on Rule-Writing Delivers on its ‘How-To’ Promises

Written by Jeff Whited on September 17, 2019. Posted in Communications, Leadership & Management Skills, Review.

Usually I pick up a how-to book only if it’s in the way of a book I want to read, but Lewis S. Eisen’s How to Write Rules That People Want to Follow (Pixley Press) conquered my bias rather quickly. Here are four reasons I’d recommend the book to anyone...

Can Information Management Policies Be Both Clear and Concise?

Written by Lewis S. Eisen on August 13, 2019. Posted in Communications, Featured, Leadership & Management Skills, Process Management.

Most information management (IM) professionals would agree that well-written policies are clear and concise. Too often, though, the policies are “dumbed down” because someone is afraid that maybe, somewhere, some individual in the organization...

Attorneys Respond to Delaware Court’s Affirmation That Emails and Texts May Constitute Corporate Books and Records

Written by Jeff Whited on May 29, 2019. Posted in Communications, Content, Data Governance, Digital Preservation, Discovery / eDiscovery, Electronic Records Management, Email Management, Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Information Governance, Information Management, Legal, News & Analysis, Records Management, Retention.

In reporting on recent actions in the Delaware courts, WilmerHale attorneys Stephanie C. Evans and Alan J. Wilson remind organizations to carefully manage all evidence of communications among boards and directors, whether it comes in traditional formats...