5 Key Steps to a Successful RIM Program: Lessons from the Field

April is Records and Information Management (RIM) Month – a great opportunity to highlight the critical role that records and information play in organizational success, and the importance of a well-functioning RIM Program.

Managing records and information effectively is essential to an organization’s overall success. One of the best ways to do this is by building a RIM program tailored to your unique needs. A thoughtful RIM program provides a strong foundation that supports growth and delivers value across the organization.

In this post, we’ve shared key steps required to develop and implement a RIM Program, informed by practical, proven approaches that help organizations move from reactive to resilient when it comes to their records and information. These key steps include: 

1. Understand your current RIM environment
Start by building a solid understanding of your current RIM environment. This includes identifying what types of records you create, receive, and maintain in your business, and determining the legal and regulatory obligations that apply to them.

2. Establish clear accountability for RIM
Accountability for RIM needs to be clearly defined and communicated across all levels of the organization, from individual employees to the board and executive levels to ensure that roles and responsibilities are understood. This promotes consistent practice and reinforces the strategic value of RIM across the organization. 

3. Establish a RIM Framework
The development of a RIM Framework is key to establishing a structured, consistent approach to managing records and information throughout its lifecycle. This step involves identifying RIM requirements applicable to your organization (i.e., regulatory or legal), and developing new and/​or updating existing policies, procedures, protocols, and training materials, in order to meet those requirements and support sound information practices.

4. Define a Retention Schedule
The development of a comprehensive Retention Schedule is essential to ensuring you meet business needs and legal and regulatory obligations. In defining a retention schedule, some key considerations that will help set you up for long-term success include defining: 

• a classification scheme that is appropriate for your organizational structure and the types of records and information you manage; and
• retention periods that balance the relevant legal requirements, business needs, and best practices (including privacy)

5. Implementation, ongoing monitoring and planning for the future
Once your RIM program is defined and documented, focus on implementation and long-term sustainability. Build processes to monitor performance and to ensure your program remains effective over time. As your organization evolves, so should your RIM strategy. Whether this means moving towards more digital records, incorporating new record types, or planning for regulatory changes, keeping your RIM policies and framework up to date will position your organization for success. 

Final Thoughts

Following the steps above to define, implement, and maintain a solid RIM program will help your organization achieve more than just compliance – it will: 

• Improve operational efficiency by reducing clutter, duplication, and time spent searching for information (including streamlined response to Access to Information requests);
• Reduce exposure to regulatory and organizational risk by defining accountability for information management and by avoiding poor retention practices such as retaining records for too long or prematurely destroying or deleting them;
• Support business decisions by ensuring accurate and reliable information is readily available across the organization;
• Support future growth and digital transformation by ensuring information is structed and ready for automation, AI, and analytics; and
• Reduce operational costs by appropriately limiting the retention of records and information and reducing the likelihood of retaining duplicate and transitory records.

If any of our tips resonated with you, or if you’re looking to strengthen your organizations’ RIM practices, we’re here to help! Contact us to learn how our Information Management services might be able to help you.