Enterprise Content Management: In the context of Victorian Local Government ECM is defined as the policy framework, strategic plan, tactical and operational practices used to capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver all forms of content relating to the business of Council.
Electronic Content Management: is a subset of enterprise content management in that it represents the transformation of all content into an electronic (digital) form such that the practices of capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver can be undertaken in a electronic environment using appropriate information technology tool-sets.
Records Management: in the context if Local Government is the systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of evidence and information about council’s business activities and transactions in the form of records.
ECM In Local Government
In the current technological climate, ECM encompasses a vast array of challenges. From systems such as, corporate business information systems, intranet/internet, social networking sites (business related), email and even mobile phone SMS messaging, the challenge is to manage in a way that information/data captured, stored, accessed and used is compliant, easy to use, secure, complete, quick to access and trustworthy. A local Council represents a combination of several businesses under one roof that are driven by ultimately the same agenda, but operationally are quite different. For these departments to be integrated, it appears that unprecedented challenges need to be address to unify the complex array of information that is ultimately relied upon for Council operational and strategic decision making, and also to provide constituents with valid and relevant information upon request.
The ECM Step Program is an essential tool that assists Councils meet the enterprise content management challenge. Developed in consultation with the Public Records Office Victoria, local government sector practitioners, and private sector expertise, the tool provides councils a step by step guide to meeting best practice standards.
For more information on how you can apply the principles of the ECM Step Guide contact Ruth Edge on r.edge@cardinia.vic.gov.au