This presentation, delivered virtually on March 15, 2023 to the Southern California Inland Empire chapter of ARMA, outlined an approach for building a records management playbook.

1. Building and Sustaining
Your RIM Program with a
Records Management
Playbook
Jesse Wilkins
President and Principal Consultant
Southern California Inland Empire ARMA
March 15, 2023

2. Agenda
• What is a Playbook?
•The Value of the Playbook
• Building Your Records Management
Playbook

3. What is a Playbook?

4. What is a Playbook?
• A compilation of the organization’s
business “plays”

5. What is a Playbook?
• A compilation of the organization’s
business “plays”
• A description of how to execute the
“plays” as they exist today
• As-is, not ideal
• In the context of your organization and
your culture

6. What is a Playbook?
• A compilation of the organization’s
business “plays”
• A description of how to execute the
“plays” as they exist today
• As-is, not ideal
• In the context of your organization and
your culture
• A living document

7. What is a Playbook?
• A user manual for your department or
business
• In this case, a user manual for your records
program!
Source: Trainual

8. What the
Playbook
Is Not
A regurgitation of industry
standards and “best practices”
A copy of how another company
may have chosen to do it
A set of detailed procedures
A strategy

9. Agenda
• What is a Playbook?
•The Value of the Playbook
• Building Your Records
Management Playbook

10. The Playbook Should
Answer These Questions:
• What would your replacement need to
know in order to do your job for 30-60-
90 days?
• What are the things you do, create,
monitor, or report regularly?
• What are the questions you answer
every day/week/month?

11. Benefits of Using a Business Playbook
Organization
Efficiency
Cost Savings
Work Quality
Employee Training
Independence
Improvement
Source: Indeed.com, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-a-playbook-in-business

12. Organization
• Hey, it’s what we do!
• The playbook includes everything you
need to execute your program’s plays
– all in one place.

13. Efficiency
The playbook has the pre-
thought-out answers to
common issues and questions
All in one place!

14. Work Quality
Consistency in how tasks are
performed…
Even if you’re out of the office and
not the one performing them

15. Employee Training
• Speed up employee onboarding
and training
• Again, consistency!

16. Agenda
• What is a Playbook?
•The Value of the Playbook
• Building Your Records
Management Playbook

17. The Structure
of the
Playbook
• Introduction to the Playbook
• Introduction to the Program
• The Plays
• Appendices
• References and Resources List
• Assessment Results
• Roadmap

18. What Plays
Should Be
Included in
Your Playbook?

19. Records Management
Plays
• Capture, Scanning, Filing
• Metadata and Classification
• Respond to Records Requests
• Retention and Disposition
• Migration and Decommissioning
• Recordkeeping System Operations
• Records Center Operations

20. Records Management Program Plays
Review and Update Policies
Maintain the Retention Schedule
Assess and Audit the Program
RIM Inventory
RIM Training
RIM Awareness and Engagement

21. Information
Governance
Plays
Privacy Plays
E-Discovery Plays
Information Security Plays
Document Management / Document
Control Plays
Archives Plays

22. What Goes
Into a Play?

23. The Architecture of a Play
• The purpose of the play
• A description of the play
• The players involved in the play
• The frequency and schedule of the play
• The references, guidelines, standards, checklists, etc. required to
execute the play
• The metrics associated with the play

24. Example
Play: Send
Boxes to
Offsite
Storage
• Purpose
• Description
• Players
• Schedule
• References and Resources
• Metrics

25. Example
Play: Send
Boxes to
Offsite
Storage

26. How Do You Determine What Plays to Include?
• Review your existing processes and procedures
• Review any guidelines, templates, and job aids
• Make a list of job responsibilities for you/your staff
• DON’T review a RM textbook….

27. Who Should Build the
Playbook?

28. Who Should
Build the
Playbook?
• You!
• (The subject matter expert /
process expert)
• With management support
and signoff

29. Where Should You
Build and Keep
Your Playbook?

30. Where Do You Build And
Keep Your Playbook?
• Word document-type manual
• PowerPoint file
• As separate articles or pages in a wiki
• Trainual etc.
• SharePoint!
• Learning management system?

31. Where Do You Build And
Keep Your Playbook?
• Wherever it can be accessed by the
ones who need to access it
• Wherever it can be readily updated

32. Maintaining Your Playbook
• Only as valuable as it is current
• New processes / plays
• Legal or operational updates
• Changes to tools or configuration
• Implement a regular review cycle too

33. Additional
Resources
• The Business Playbook, Chris
Ronzio
• https://www.indeed.com/career-
advice/career-
development/what-is-a-playbook-
in-business
• Ariel Lim Consulting, Create Your
Own Business Playbook
https://ariel-
lim.com/blog/business-playbook/

35. For More
Information
Jesse Wilkins
President, Athro Consulting
https://www.athroconsulting.com
jesse.wilkins@athroconsulting.com
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessewilkins
Twitter: @jessewilkins