Case Study: Implementing an RMEDMS Archives New Zealand

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MATT OMARA
Records Manager Archives New Zealand
Case Study Implementing an RM/EDMS _at_ Archives
New Zealand
Focus Training Change Management
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A Brief History

• 1954 2000 Department of Internal Affairs.
  National Archives
• Archives, Culture and Heritage Reform Act 2000
  established Archives New Zealand as a stand alone
  department

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Archives New Zealand Function
Keeper of the Public Record - the Memory of
Government
Archives New Zealand exists to ensure that full
and accurate records of government activities are
created and maintained, and to enable access to
those records of enduring value.
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SOME FACTS

• 125 staff
• Operating budget - 17 million (39 million worth
  of fixedassets)
• Repositories Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
  Dunedin.
• 17,000 readers each year
• 75,000 reference enquiries each year

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Archives New Zealand holds

• 79,000 linear metres of paper files from all
  government agencies
• 540,000 maps and plans, including Public Works,
  Lands and Survey and others
• 1,316,000 photographic negatives, and 520,000
  prints.
• 22,000 individual cans of film, primarily from
  the National Film Unit
• 1,560 artworks, including the National Collection
  of War Art.

Collection valued at 526 million
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WHERE DID WE START?
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PROJECT BACKGROUND

• 1 Head Office located in Wellington, 3 Regional
  Offices located in Auckland, Christchurch and
  Dunedin.
• Disparate, largely paper-based record systems in
  each office.
• Paper-based filing system in Head Office no
  longer met requirements of Organisation.
  Evidence of this included the usual symptoms,
  some staff not using the filing system, difficult
  to follow the Business Classification Scheme,
  duplication, difficulty in locating some records,
  feral filing systems!
• A number of legacy systems and ubiquitous Access
  databases!!!

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BACKGROUND Continued

• Curiouslythe absence of a Records Manager or
  formal internal records management role
• An RM/EDMS system had already been selected, my
  brief and the brief of the system was to replace
  the broken down paper based system

EXPECT THE WORSTSun Tzu
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MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

• Excedere to go beyond
• Dont promise what you cant deliver or dont
  know
• Develop a rapport
• Day 1 communicate, communicate and communicate
  with end users (get a dialogue going day 1!)

Happy End Users Project Success
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AN ACRONYM TO KEEP IN MIND

• S - heer Hard Work
• E - nergy lots of it!
• X - trovert - you need to deal with everyone
• Y - the importance of You as end users

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SEE THE BIG PICTURE GAIN SOMEINITIAL QUICK
WINS

• The focus of my first 3 weeks was to gain a
  handle on the current state of play to do this
  I did 3 main things
• DEVELOPED A KNOWLEDGE BASE (essentially a
  simple relational database) to collate
  information on existing filing systems databases
  and legacy information systems
• DEVELOPED ISSUES REGISTERS (these were given to
  managers to discuss with staff and report back to
  me)
• HELD A FILE AMNESTY (this communicates firstly
  there is a current problem and secondly that
  there is going to be change and this is the first
  step)

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AND OF COURSE A PICTURE
LETS JUST SEE HOW BROTHER MATT IS GETTING ON
WITH THE EDMS PROJECT!
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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY
TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

• Before any implementation of new technology or
  systems it is vitalto carry out a Training Needs
  Analysis. This will answer the following key
  questions
• How computer literate are your end users?
• Is there a gap between what they know now and
  what they will need to know?
• Has a training budget been estimated in
  response to the above questions?

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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY
Tell me and I forget, teachme and I remember,
involve me and I learn - Benjamin Franklin
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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY

• TOUGH CHOICES WHAT DO WE TEACH END USERS?
• Suggest generic training to cover basic
  functionality (no more)

ABOVE ALLMAKE THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTNON-THREAT
ENING AND FUN
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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY
Your approachable, non-confrontationalapproach
has done a lot to win over people scared by the
idea of having to suddenly change their
work practices
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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY

• Who will do the training?
• Recruit trainers from key sections
• Trainers will give support to their sections in
  an everyday context

It is important to give trainers the confidence
and skills they need.
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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY

• MAKE IT FUN RULES FOR LEARNING
• ASK QUESTIONS
• The only dumb questions are the ones you dont
  ask!
• MAKE MISTAKES
• Training is a great place to make mistakes. Then
  you wont make as many at work in the live
  environment!

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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY

• MAKE IT FUN RULES FOR LEARNING Continued
• HAVE FUN
• This rule is very important!
• CHEAT
• Watch how other people do things or yell for help

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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY

• LEARNING OUTCOMES PROVIDE
• A ROADMAP FOR LEARNERS
• A BOUNDARY FOR TRAINERS.

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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY

• AN EXAMPLE OF LEARNING OUTCOMES
• LOGGING ON
• NAVIGATION
• ADDING DOCUMENTS
• SEARCHING

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DELIVERING CUSTOMISED TRAININGSUCCESSFULLY

• And after the generic training?
• Ensure staff know what the next step is
• For example, section trainers will provide staff
  in their area with refresher and specific
  training as soon as the system is introduced
• Give people the confidence to come to you, the
  project champion, with questions an open door
  policy!

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CHANGE MANAGEMENT

• Develop a Communications Management Plan
  utilising all mediums of communication channels,
  consider
• Newsletters
• Road shows
• Marketing Competitions
• Staff Meetings Section Meetings
• Ensure support for the project at the highest
  level have this support made public
• Typical Model of Change Freeze, Unfreeze,
  Refreeze
• Consider carefully what cultural changes may
  occur as a result of the project

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CHANGE MANAGEMENT
CULTURAL CHANGE FROM A USER PERSPECTIVE

• The system has brought the Organisation closer
  together
• When I want to know whats going on, rather
  than phone someone at Head Office, I look
  on the system
• I feel that my work is more valued when I am
  storing it in a system where it is
  accessible across the whole Organisation

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CHANGE MANAGEMENT
CULTURAL CHANGE FROM A USER PERSPECTIVE

• Also there is a downside the system does
  take more time than our old system, but we
  are told it has speeded up business at Head
  Office

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SUMMARY
This presentation outlined the importance of a
well planned training program when implementing
any new technology. Key points included

• Importance of carrying out a training needs
  assessment and implementing a structured
  training program
• Well defined learning outcomes
• Involving end users in the entire process at
  the earliest possible stage
• Consideration of cultural change implications

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For further information matt.omara_at_archives.govt.
nz http//www.archives.govt.nz
QUESTIONS