Competency B
Evaluate, manage, and develop electronic records programs and applications in a specific organizational setting;
Personal Definition and Importance
Competency B is a high level view of managing electronic records. Evaluating and developing records programs are functions of managing an electronic records program. Really this is where management of electronic records, ie. data, documents, information, is mostly developed and implemented to help users. The users might not need to understand everything behind the scenes, but data management and data governance should be aimed at them. Concepts such as metadata and taxonomies are part of electronic records programs. Management of electronic records should be transparent and incorporate or tweak current practices when possible to minimize disruptions to operations.
Supporting Informatics Courses
All courses in the SJSU Informatics program have some component of competency B, but the specific courses that address the way I am presenting it here are the following: INFM 206 Electronic Records and INFM 207 Digital Asset Management. The data lifecycle framework and data governance concepts were explored in INFM 206, while in INFM 207 the concepts of taxonomies and metadata are explored. These tools are intended to wrangle and organize electronics records programs. I think perhaps the most illuminating concept provided around competency B is the idea of non-invasive data governance where data management and governance ideally do not disrupt normal business or organizational operations. Most organizations have some sort of data practices that either need to be tweaked for compliance and best practice or just formalize existing practices after analyzing them.
Evidence
Evidence 1: INFM 206 PowerPoint Final Project
I selected this PowerPoint project to present data governance and the data lifecycle model or framework. The data lifecycle as presented in the PowerPoint consists of a loop of Plan, Design & Enable, Create Obtain, Store Maintain or Dispose of, Use, and Enhance with regards to data. As a certificated substitute teacher I am interested in the educational environment. In this PowerPoint the data lifecycle framework is explored in the context of transitioning from a current California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). I also presented some applicable laws including the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA), and the California Public Records Act (PRA). As well as some standards and guidance for data governance in regards to public education.
Evidence 2: INFM 206 Data Governance
I selected this document to present the concept of data governance in the context of existing organizations and operations. This shows the thoughts and steps of how to implement data governance with minimal disruptions to normal operations. Step 1 is just gathering information as it is; Such as, what is the state of data and data operations, how does the company operate? The second step is to analyze the information gathered in step 1. The third step is to classify with metadata and a taxonomy, and valuate data, all with the input of appropriate stakeholders. The fourth and final step is to formalize the plan and policies; this could be formalizing what is already being done or updating policies if necessary. All with the goal of minimizing disruption to ongoing operations and complying with any legal requirements. This document explores data governance and the goal of performing in such a way that is as non-disruptive as possible to normal operations. It is about formalizing current practices and making changes if necessary, but this is where the "evaluate" and "develop" components of competency B are as important as the management itself.
Evidence 3: INFM 207 Metadata and Taxonomy
I selected this document on metadata and taxonomy to highlight the different uses and purposes of the two. One tough concept is how to organize data, and thinking in terms of metadata and taxonomy goes a long way in easing this issue. A taxonomy is a way to organize data or information in relation to other data. Metadata is used to label data in useful ways outside of the taxonomy; For example, who has access to a piece of data or when it should be destroyed, etc. This is an exploration of the uses and differences in metadata and taxonomy. Metadata is data about data, these are tags that help access data or information, and know when to dispose of data for example. A taxonomy is a formal organization of data and information. One interesting concept is gamifying metadata to make it useful for all types of users, while still being able to have a formal taxonomy. The concepts of metadata and taxonomy can help an organization be organized with their data as well as be able to expand or restrict the uses of specific data. This goes a long way in helping data governance be non-disruptive to organizations and users.
Professional Application Value of Skill
I can implement data governance policies by following non-invasive governance practices and with reasoned justification if disruptions are necessary. I understand that there are legal compliance reasons data governance is necessary. I can locate standards, guidance, existing taxonomies and metadata practices to ease implementation around best data practices and mandatory compliance. The frameworks and non-invasive data governance concepts of INFM 206 show how to both involve many stakeholders but also to not shake up an organization for the sake of streamlined management. INFM 207 shows how to organize data as a management friendly taxonomy framework, while robustly designing metadata to make data useful for both management functions and various end-users.