Information Management Reference Model (IMRM).

I recently joined the working committee for the Information Management Reference Model (IMRM). The team is newly formed so there’s not too much to see on the Web site but I’d suggest keeping an eye on the progress that the team makes. The IMRM team is made up of customers and vendors; from what I’ve seen so far, it is focused very clearly on a nice simple agnostic model. The official goal of the IMRM Project is “to provide a common, practical, flexible framework to help organizations develop and implement effective and actionable information management programs.”

What’s the point? Don’t we already have ECM interop standards failing all over the place? Indeed a skeptic might agree but this isn’t an interop or an architectural standard, it isn’t CMIS. It is more about creating a model to provide “common language and reference”. For example, if you look at the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), you will find that most vendors have embraced this and will talk about where their solutions play in the terms shown in this common model. If someone says “we have an issue in the Preservation area” then everyone knows what they mean and the vendor’s solutions magically become a panacea for that area of the process.

Just FYI, the official project description is… “The IMRM Project aims to offer guidance to Legal, IT, Records Management, line-of-business leaders and other business stakeholders within organizations. The Project seeks to facilitate dialogue among these stakeholders by providing a common language and reference for discussion and decision-making based on the needs of the organization.”

I’ll Blog about the progress that we make so there’s something to look forward to!

Comments

[Peterk]

If the project is to offer guidance to "Records Management" how many folks on the project are involved in records management as in professional records managers? Or will the project be operating in a vacuum with regards to records management input?

[Peterk]

an interesting blog response concerning the proposed IMRM

http://cunninghamabovetherim.blogspot.com/2009/07/atr-information-management-reference.html

[Sean Regan]

While EDRM may be perceived as a a group of E-Discovery experts there are fact a great deal of records management professionals and experts involved in the projects. 25% of the participants in the IMRM are RM professionals. A critical component to achieving the project's objectives is to draw on resources outside of the group throughout the process. That is why have divided into 5 sub-groups. One of these sub-groups is focused on industry trade associations including ARMA and AIIM. EDRM has been instrumental in helping IT and Legal work together. Through EDRM IT and legal can now speak a common language. The IMRM project will hopefully realize some of the same benefits. Operating in a vacuum won't improve information management for anyone. Open discussion and collaboration such as that fostered by EDRM will help IT, Legal, RM and others meet the challenges of managing records, non-records, unstructured data and other information wherever it may exist.

[Douglas P Allen, CRM, CDIA+]

Does this group have any sort of mandate or "portfolio" of authority from ANSI? from ISO? from OMG?