INFORMATION &PLANNING MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

SCOPE

scope, and a comprehensive information & Planing  management Department should address the following areas:  recorded information management (both paper and electronic);  data and database management;  information productions and services; website management;  resource centre collections and library usage;  coordination and accountability;  skills development and training;  communications and awareness; and  evaluating performance in information management. Good information practices in these areas  will provide critical support to  our organization’s knowledge management initiatives. The plan should be developed with clear Understanding to the ’s knowledge management planning. Developing the plan our information management plan can generally be developed in a relatively short period of time. Ideally the timing of information management planning should coincide with business and information technology (IT) planning. In this way, the plan will address the business direction  and the activities outlined in your plan can be included in your budget planning. the key steps in developing the plan. Information Management Planning.

1.  Developing the Information Management Plan. Members should represent a mix of information practitioner(e.g., information management, records management, web management, libraries, knowledge management and IT) as well as the business units of the organization.
2.  Define vision and future state. Before developing the plan, the team should define the vision and future state that you are trying to achieve. The vision and guiding principles of the Information Management Framework can set the stage for this discussion. However, it is important to define the future state in terms of the NIEH business objectives and operating environment. You’ll want to consider broader NIEH priorities as well as industry (national and international) standards and practices, the evolution of technology and the changing demographics of NIEH’s resources.
3. Establish Planning Team Define Vision and Future Identify Gaps; Set Priorities Assess Current Develop Action Plan Validate Plan Executive Endorsement Communication Information Management Planning/information-management-branch. Assess current state. It is important to understand current practices related to information management.
4. This will help to identify information volumes and growth rates, its strengths (i.e., good practices that are in place), any gaps and will help you to recognize where you are starting from. Identify gaps and set priorities. By analyzing the results of the interviews, current state assessment, the project team can then begin to identify gaps between current practices and the planned future state. For each gap, you’ll need to assess “what needs to be done,” “what is the level of effort required,” and “what is the likely impact on the organization.” Develop the action plan. Based on our assessment of priorities, the next stage is to develop the action plan.
5. The action plan should address all gaps. Typically, the action plan will be a three to five year strategic and tactical plan to improve information management practices with the outcome of moving closer to the future state identified earlier in the process. The action plan should include an estimate of resources – both human and financial – required to carry out the plan. Validate the plan. Because information management occurs in a distributed manner in most organizations, it is important to validate your plan with staff.
6. This will allow National Institute of Environmental Health the opportunity to gain “buy-in” and to show how the plan will improve productivity and help the office achieve its business objectives. Based on the validation, you may end up making adjustments to the plan. Executive endorsement and communication. Involve your executive management. Endorsement of the plan by executives will help integrate information planning into the strategic direction of the ministry. With executive endorsement, you can then implement your communications strategy for the plan.
7. Information Management Planning. Establish Planning Team Objective Today’s reality is that information management occurs in a distributed manner throughout the organization. Everyone is an information manager! While information professionals (Records and Information Management specialists, Library staff,  Coordinators, Information Technology Specialists, Knowledge Management specialists) provide expertise and support, they can’t do it all. Establishing a planning team can help ensure the plan is business-driven. It also supports a more integrated approach to information management. Who to involve The core planning team should have representatives from the range of information practitioner communities appropriate to your ministry. These typically include:

i Records management

ii Information management

 iii Knowledge management

iv legislation

v Libraries

vi Communications

vii Web management viii Information technology services

ix Archivements and

x Business continuity planning It is critical that the team also include representatives from major business units or programs. While the involvement of the team lead is likely to be substantial, the amount of time required from team members is likely to be about 1-2 days a month over the planning period. This time will be spent in preparation for meetings and review of documents, team meetings, developing the vision, setting priorities, validating the action plan and communicating with their business units. Information Management Planning. The following activities typically occur at the beginning of the planning cycle:  

• Develop project charter or terms of reference. This will ensure everyone understands    
   the nature of the work to be done and the expected outcomes. The project charter should include how the project will be managed (governance model) and a high-level      communications plan – how you plan to communicate to staff and others about the planning process. It is important to get the project charter endorsed by executive decision-makers. This will ensure that you are able to get business units involved in the planning process.
• Review and discuss the National Institute of Environmental Health Information Management Framework. Everyone on the team should be familiar with this asset management framework and what it means for National Institute as well as the corporate activities that are underway to support National Institute of Environmental Health. The Framework can be found at National Institute of Environmental Health/IM-Framework. Service NIEH (Information Management Branch) is also available to provide support.
• Identify documentation to be reviewed. What is in place in your organization, or elsewhere, that will support the planning process? For example, if you have an information plan in place, the team should review the plan to see where “you have been” and “where you are.” You will also need to review the legislative and regulatory environment that affects the activities and requirements to document activities because information and records management policies and procedures should reflect the application of the legislative and regulatory environment to your business processes. National Institute of Environmental Health business plan, IT plan, and other plans should also be reviewed. Finally, government, national and international standards and resources such as the “ISO Standard  Information and Documentation” will also support the planning team’s work.
• Develop a detailed communications plan. It is important to map your communications activities throughout each stage of the planning process. How are you going to let management and staff know about the planning process and the results? Your communications plan should include the timing of presentations to Executive Committee or to the Senior Management Team. You might also consider an announcement in a ministry staff newsletter or on the National Institute of Environmental Health Intranet. Information Management Planning A typical planning cycle is about 3-4 months. However, to ensure you stay on target, establish a clear project plan with team meetings and key milestones noted in the plan. Checklist:
•   Do you have adequate representation from business units?

 Do you have a project charter or terms of reference for the planning team?