Information management plan for Army

The Australian Army required a plan for governance and management of its information.

Army had a compelling need for clarity. Significant issues had to be addressed in relation to storing and managing information, as well as preserving its historic and sovereign information with easy-to-maintain processes and practices.

Also, information management was recognised as an important tool for decision-making. The larger and more complex the data spread, the more critical it is to have a well-defined set of information management tools, schemas and processes.

Frame developed the Army Information Management Plan. This explained how to:

• address dramatically expanding data holdings
• store information from ubiquitous and disaggregated ICT systems
• align information management governance, processes and practices with ICT plans and roadmaps
• align information management with whole-of government and Department of Defence legislative and regulatory requirements.

The plan will assist Army to:

• have all the relevant variables and inputs to be able to make decisions
• put a focus on knowledge management and the knowledge domain
• reduce or eliminate rework, wasted effort and ambiguity, providing a competitive edge
• allow for the safe capture and storage of deployed data.

Frame engaged with staff in Army commands and HQs on the eastern seaboard, using workshops, interviews and follow-on discussions to identify and document:

• the current state of Army information management
• issues and problems arising from the current information management environment and supporting ICT solutions
• compliance issues and FOI challenges
• information accessibility
• existing processes and procedures, their commonality and consistency across Army
• unique challenges faced by units, as well as their requirements
• provision of sustainable information management practices, in keeping with the Archives Act
• a single filing plan for Army
• a development path for maintaining metadata standards
• training requirements, by rank and role
• information management service requirement scenarios
• an information management governance structure and responsibility matrix.

The plan was delivered with many recommendations. These provided an implementation roadmap that will significantly lift Army’s self-reported information management maturity level.