OMB to enforce records management

Federal officials have expanded the federal enterprise architecture program by adding a large-scale records management initiative. Their aim is to harmonize records management practices agencywide and governmentwide.

Officials intend for the enterprise architecture program to prescribe standard practices for handling federal records.

Officials from the Office of Management and Budget, the National Archives and Records Administration and the Federal CIO Council’s Architecture and Infrastructure Committee released a records management profile last month. Profiles combine guidance and best practices in a basic methodology that agencies can use.

The records management profile has links to each of the five federal enterprise architecture (FEA) reference models: Business Reference Model, Service Component Reference Model, Technical Reference Model, Data Reference Model, and Performance Reference Model.

The profile includes sample questions to help officials evaluate their records management systems.

Officials anticipate that the profile will evolve as FEA technologies and records management policies mature. Possible additions to the profile include methodologies for dealing with vital records, continuity of operations planning and disaster recovery preparations.

Federal architecture officials said the benefits of a records management profile include:

n Using the FEA as the governmentwide framework for identifying records management requirements.

n Identifying records management issues and requirements and linking them to implementing technologies and business processes.

n Building records management requirements into agency information technology governance processes for capital planning, enterprise architecture, business process design and systems development lifecycle planning.

n Establishing a concise and coherent body of records management resources.