Introduction

Welcome to my Weblog. This site is dedicated to my thoughts, views and understanding on anything that touches upon records management, archives management as well as information management in Malaysia. I believe in becoming a 'functional and meaningful' information professional, the term I refer to as person who can function in many ways possible for the betterment of this discipline. Interested parties, may reproduce or quote materials published with the condition that they are credited to alwiyunus.blogspot.com Comments must be accompanied by names or pseudonyms. Anonymous postings and those containing profanities and obscenities will be rejected. http://adf.ly/8Y1UN

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Understanding your organization for good record keeping practices

Dear all...

It is crucial to do business process analysis prior to implementing a good record keeping practices or embarking on it. As such, will determine the gaps, the loopholes, for record management implementation.

Image result for business process analysis imagesMany organizations exist because there is a need to be established, for higher objectives and vision not for the purpose of records management establishment. This is based on the nature and direction of the organizations themselves. Records management comes into the picture because organizations needs to proof that they exist, manage its transactions and ensuring accountability and responsibility based on the scope of work and functional requirement of each department. Without which, the high order of vision, mission and objectives of the organization cannot be documented and properly kept for track records or future use.

Image result for business process analysis imagesThus, it is undoubtedly important that records management or record keeping practices must be in place to bear the task of keeping track of the achievement, progress and development of an organization. A sound and proper running of an organization must have proper record keeping practice. It ensures accountability, increasing the organizational image, maintaining trustworthiness of the organization and its staffs thus allowing for organization to grow and flourish further.

To do that, proper record keeping practices must be in place. Hence, a study or business process analysis must be made to understand how organization works before implementing records management properly. At any instance, once an organization is set up, it has in some manner a record keeping practices, however though, it depends on the organization whether they have a professional staff having background in records management to establish records management policy and procedures to be used in daily transactions. Should they have it, then the organization is in its right track. On the other hand, in most cases, many organizations do not have it, and they manage their files as it is (Alwi, 2016).

Image result for business process analysis images

To establish a record management practices, one must be able to understand and collect information as part of business process analysis, the followings:  
  1. How organization works?
  2. Scope and nature of operations.
  3. Demarcation line of authority.
  4. Identify the type and scope of transactions.
  5. Understand the workflow and standard operating procedures of transactions.
  6. Define the relationship between one transaction with another.
  7. Understand the segregation of works, inter-department as well as intra-department department transactions.
  8. Current work practices used.
  9. Work processes and workflows.
  10. List out activities and transactions.
Business process analysis (BPA) is critical in order to investigate business system, taking holistic view of the organization. This includes examining elements of the organizational structures, staff development, current processes and IT system in placed. 

BPA is also meant to evaluate actions to improve the operation of business system, as well documenting the business requirement for system support using appropriate documentation standards.

The core business analyst roles could be defined as an internal consultancy role that has responsibility for investigating business situations, identifying and evaluating options for improving business systems, defining requirement and ensuring effective use of information system (records management) in meeting the need of business.

In this manner, records management is is an integral part of business system which ensures the success and achievement of business operation in term of efficiency and economy of work process and business practices.  To do so, business analyst or records management specialist must be able to focus on understanding the needs of the business/organization as a whole, its strategic direction, and identifying initiatives that will allow a business to meet those strategic goals. It also includes;

It also includes:
  • Creating and maintaining the business architecture
  • Conducting feasibility studies
  • Identifying new business opportunities
  • Scoping and defining new business opportunities
  • Preparing the business case
  • Conducting the initial risk assessment

Ultimately, business analysis/records management specialist wants to achieve the following outcomes:
  • Create solutions
  • Give enough tools for robust record keeping practices
  • Improve efficiency and reduce waste of resources
  • Provide essential documentation, like requirements document, project initiation documents and others.
  • develop file plan structure for document control.


Reference:

Kathleen B Hass, Richard Vander Horst, Kimi Ziemski (2008). From Analyst to Leader: Elevating the Role of the Business Analyst Management Concepts, 2008. ISBN 1-56726-213-9. p94: "As the discipline of business analysis becomes professionalized"

"Business Analysis Body of Knowledge v2.0" (PDF). IIBA. Retrieved 2012-08-26.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Smart partnership

Dear all...

Image result for collaboration imagesYesterday,  6th of October 2016 marked a historic moment for Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Perdana Campus and D.G.KOM Sdn Bhd - a local software provider company specializing in electronic records management system (ERMS), where a memorandum of understanding was signed by both parties to officially launch mutual and win-win cooperation and collaboration in records management activities.

Displaying IMG_5901.JPGThe collaboration and understanding includes cooperation in joint research and development in electronic records management system development, shared and exchanges of expertise, advocacy of records management professional and discipline in Malaysia as well as industrial placement for internship for graduates of records management program of Faculty of Information Management. Through the MOU, the industry (D.G.KOM Sdn Bhd) has agreed in sponsoring and installing ERMS software application known as DGFlo for the faculty, providing 100 user license for DGFlo software, 2 set of servers and Cloud computing capability for storage in the ERMS Smart Lab at Faculty of Information Management at UiTM.
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Such initiative is a hallmark of smart partnership and truly a strategic undertakings between UiTM as the only university in Malaysia that solely provides a degree in records management to students with D.G.KOM Sdn Bhd. an ERMS software developer and provider.  

Why collaboration?

Image result for collaboration imagesThe global ICT trends that dynamically evolves from time to time and the limitation of budget, resources and experts in developing the highly customized ERMS software suitable and fulfilled the functional requirement of ERMS has paved the way for industry-institution collaboration and smart partnership in this case is between UiTM and D.G.KOM Sdn Bhd. Due to the fact that, industry is more dynamic in responding to market demands and full exposure of project implementation has created for such smart partnership and collaboration. UiTM (Faculty of Information Management) on the other hand is the only educational provider in the country for graduates and professionals in records management discipline has made the matching of industry-institution collaboration and reality.

Displaying IMG_5906.JPGThis collaboration will open up for greater cooperation between two organization for the benefit of the nation and society which is in line with the government of Malaysia's aspirations towards electronic service delivery and the e-government flagship in the country. A shared and mutual understanding for research and development, shared expertise, shared efforts towards achieving full flagship of e-government initiative could be achieved.

Displaying IMG_5896.JPGIt is a hope that this collaboration and smart partnership will be beneficial to both parties and dynamically heightened the records and electronic records management discipline in Malaysia.