This presentation, delivered to the ARMA Mile High Denver Chapter on January 17, 2023, outlined the value and benefits of building a records management playbook. Attendees learned about the elements of a playbook and the individual plays within the playbook. The session concluded with a discussion of how to actually build a RM playbook.

1. Building and Sustaining
Your RIM Program with a
RIM Playbook
Jesse Wilkins
President and Principal Consultant
January 17, 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. The Structure
of the
Playbook
• Introduction to the Playbook
• Introduction to the Program
• The Plays
• Appendices
• References and Resources List
• Assessment Results
• Roadmap

10. What Plays
Should Be
Included in
Your Playbook?

11. 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

12. 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

13. RIM-Adjacent
Plays
Privacy Plays
E-Discovery Plays
Information Security Plays
Document Management / Document
Control Plays
Archives Plays

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

15. 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

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

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

18. Cost Savings • Identify redundancies and
inefficiencies

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

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

21. Independence
The playbook has most of the answers to
employees’ questions

22. Improvement
Identify areas with the program that need improvement
Identify common pain points and issues
Add them to the playbook!

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

24. 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?

25. What Goes
Into a Play?

26. 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

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

28. Example
Play: Send
Boxes to
Offsite
Storage

29. 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….

30. Where Do You Build And
Keep Your Playbook?
• In a Word document-type manual
• As a PowerPoint file
• In a knowledge base or knowledge
management application
• As separate articles or pages in a wiki
• Wherever it can be accessed by the ones
who need to access it
• Wherever it can be readily updated

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

32. Maintaining Your Playbook
• Only as valuable as it is current!
• Add new plays
• Update plays as needed to reflect
changes to laws, processes, tools, or
configurations
• 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
Twitter: @jessewilkins
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessewilkins