Best Practices for Business-Quality Communications: Moving to a Higher Level of Maturity than E-mailThis draft plan restates as positive goals the problems associated with the use of E-mail in relation to the requirements for business-quality communications, as outlined at http://ambur.net/EmailAsStageOfImmaturity.pdf.It is our intent to use Chris Fox's Strategic Learning application to invite others to join us in crowdsourcing the development of this plan. If AIIM expresses interest in doing so, it may be published as an AIIM best practice.Owen Douglas AmburODA_70334220-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995Owen chairs AIIM's Strategy Markup Language (StratML) Committee and has a long-standing interest in document and records management. He is frustrated with the inappropriate use of E-mail and believes there must be a better way(s) to conduct business-quality communication.Chris FoxCF_703343ec-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995Chris is building support for the StratML standard into his StrategicLearning application and has also expressed frustration with the inappropriate use of E-mail.Daniel LevitinDiscussing the problem of information overload in The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, Daniel Levitin says, "e-mail comes up time and time again as a problem. It's not a philosophical objection to e-mail itself, it's the mind-numbing amount of e-mails that comes in." (p. 98) Due to the
number of steps formerly required to send notes and letters, we didn't take the time to do so unless we had something important to convey. (p. 99) Now, however, he observes, we sacrifice efficiency and concentration by
interrupting priority activities with e-mail. Formerly, the mode of communication conveyed a sense of relevance, importance, and intent. "The medium was a clue to the message," he says, but since e-mail is used for everything, that is no longer the case. On the other hand, he asserts, "e-mail is approaching obsolescence as a communicative medium." (p. 100) He suggests we should "train" our friends and coworkers not to expect immediate responses.
(p. 102) However, it seems like it might be more important for all of us to train ourselves to use the proper tools for the task, depending upon both its importance as well as its urgency, and that E-mail should be used only for
non-urgent, low-priority communications -- when more appropriate means are unavailable.Atle SkjekkelandSee Atle Skjekkeland's blog entitled "4 Reasons for Replacing Email with New and Better Collaboration Tools."Business-quality information is available to anyone whenever and wherever they want it ... and ONLY then and there._70334496-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995To outline the goals and objectives that should be supported by business-quality information systems (and which are not well served by E-mail)_70334c70-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995Business QualityThe meaning of this term (will be) specified in the goals and objectives set forth in this plan. However, at a minimum it includes the characteristics (attributes) of a record as set forth in ISO 15489: authenticity, integrity, reliability, and usability.AuthenticityIntegrityReliabilityUsabilityBusiness Process MaturityThe Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a widely recognized framework for evaluating the formality and optimization of processes. E-mail is a highly immature (CMM Level 1, Chaotic) means of creating, sharing, and managing business records. A more mature process for meeting the underlying requirements would address the challenges expressed as goals and objectives in this draft plan.Strategic AlignmentEnable users to retrieve information that is directly and explicitly related to their own objectives._70334c71-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9951Problems: Spam (signal-to-noise ratio) -- lack of strategic alignment with one's own objectives (StratML).
According to ZDNet, nearly 70% of E-mail message are spam.
See "Worldwide spam rate falls 2.5 percent but new tactics emerge," January 23, 2014. http://www.zdnet.com/article/worldwide-spam-rate-falls-2-5-percent-but-new-tactics-emerge/
Goals & ObjectivesEnable users to document their own goals and objectives in an open, standard, machine-readable format._70334c72-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9951.1ImportanceEnable users to automatically separate tasks that are important from those that are not._70334c73-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9952Problem: Violation of urgency versus importance paradigm.
Brett & Kate McKay have noted, "Important tasks are things that contribute to our long-term mission, values, and goals." See "The Eisenhower Decision Matrix: How to Distinguish Between Urgent and Important Tasks and Make Real Progress in Your Life," October 23, 2013, at http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/10/23/eisenhower-decision-matrix/
See also https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20131007002546-85816712-urgent-or-important-which & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Things_First_(book)
_70334c84-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995RetrievalEnable users to retrieve information exactly when and where they choose._70334d4c-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9953Problem: Information is pushed (imposed upon) people at the time of others' choosing.
Time ShiftingSupport time shifting._70334dec-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9953.1See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_shifting & Asynchronous CommunicationSupport asynchronous communication._70334ea0-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9953.2See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asynchronous_communicationDeliverySupport Just-in-Time (JIT) delivery of information._70334f4a-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9953.3See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-in-Time_Manufacturing.Narrow CastingEnable users to receive information that is discretely targeted to them based upon their personal attributes, interests, and particularly their intentions (longer-term goals and near-term objectives)._70334ff4-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9954Problem: Broadcasting versus narrow casting.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasting & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowcasting _703350a8-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995AttachmentsProhibit the transmittal of attachments_70335152-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9955Problem: Transmittal and sharing of attachments containing not only unwanted information but perhaps also malicious code.DM/RM ServicesAutomatically strip &/or store attachments in Internet-based
document/records management services with malicious code detection capabilities._703351fc-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9955.1Trusted LinksProvide trusted links to files referenced as attachments.
_703352b0-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9955.2RequirementsEnable usage of the applications, tools, and services that are well suited to the underlying requirements._70335364-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9956Problem: E-mail is often inappropriately used as a quasi-document management, records management, decision support, to-do list, and work-flow management/work routing system.
Document ManagementEnable users to manage documents in accordance with the requirements set forth in ISO 12651-2._70335418-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9956.1See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Document_management_system & http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Document-Management
Records ManagementEnable users to manage records in accordance with the requirements set forth in ISO 15489._703354d6-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9956.2See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Records_managementDecision SupportProvide decision support capabilities consistent with the requirements for such capabilities._70335580-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9956.3See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_support_systemTo-Do List_70335634-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9956.4Workflow Management/Work Routing_703356fc-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9956.5Trusted NetworksEstablish White List trusted networks based upon an open standard(s)._703357b0-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9957Problem: Untrustworthy senders.
Relevant attributes include not merely whom one knows but also personal values and, most importantly, the evidence (records) of intentions and actions as well as the results produced. [StratML]
See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitelist _7033586e-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995De-DuplicationDisallow the needless duplication of information._70335936-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9958Problem: Needless duplicates -- While software exists to eliminate needlessly redundant data (e.g., multiple copies of the very same attachments), it is better to avoid needlessly duplicating data so that de-duplication becomes unnecessary. (Data should be physically stored in at least two widely separated places for purposes of security and continuity of operations.)
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_deduplication
_703359f4-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995ContextEnsure that business records contain sufficient context._70335ab2-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9959Problem: Lack of context & metadata -- One definition of the term "document" is "data in context." Without context, data is meaningless. Each business record should contain sufficient context to meet the requirements for the purpose for which it was created. Additionally, sufficient metadata should be associated with each record to facilitate its management and discovery.
XSDsSpecify XML schemas (XSDs) for each logically separable set of business records._70335b84-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f9959.1E-DiscoveryApply the best practices outlined in this plan in order to reduce the cost and increase the precision of discovery not only in litigation but also in support of routine business processes as well as queries by interested stakeholders._70335c42-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f99510Problem: High cost/inefficiency/imprecision of e-discoveryMachine-ReadabilityCreated and maintained business records in machine-readable format._70335d0a-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f99510.1Machine-readability (and metadata) – Records should be created and maintained in machine-readable format, in which case much of the required metadata can automatically be gleaned into query/discovery services.SpoliationEnsure that records may not be destroyed or made inaccessible if they may exist anywhere else._70335de6-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f99511Ken WithersKen Withers coined the terms the "Spectre of Spoliation" and the "Vampire Effect". http://ambur.net/ARMA2/sld019.htmlProblem: What is deleted is of greatest interest to adversaries in court (Spectre of Spoliation) and least accessible to the organization itself when needed for ongoing business purposes._70335eae-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995Vampire EffectAvoid using systems that enable the distribution of records in ways that are unmanageable._70335f80-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f99512Ken WithersProblem: Vampire Effect -- It is almost impossible to destroy E-mail records with certainty.
If you don't manage your own records effectively, your enemies may do it for you -- for the express purpose of using them against you._7033608e-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f995CollaborationUse tools, applications, and services that meet the underlying requirements for efficient and effective collaboration._70336156-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f99513Problem: Inadequacy for Collaboration -- "Nearly half of the people surveyed by 1105 thought that such a heavy reliance on e-mail for collaboration was increasingly inadequate, while close to 40 percent thought that their agency's total suite of collaboration tools would not meet their ongoing needs." See http://gcn.com/microsites/2014/download-huddle-government-cloud/04-agencies-are-outgrowing-old-school-tools.aspx ObjectivesBase collaboration on common and complementary objectives._70336228-3411-11e5-a2ea-44dd13c0f99513.12015-07-26OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net