Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) has released its latest report on the maturity of information management (IM) across the State public sector.
PROV runs its Information Management Maturity Assessment Program (IMMAP) every two years to gather data from Government Departments and Agencies to help it assess IM maturity.
The Office said its report, Information Management Maturity Assessment Program 2019-20 De-identified Data, mapped the state of IM across eight Departments and two Agencies within the Victorian Government.
“It is the third IMMAP report to be issued and flags IM strengths and weaknesses as noted by participating Organisations across the four dimensions of people, organisation, information lifecycle and quality, and business processes and systems,” PROV said.
“Machinery of Government (MOG) changes, technological and system changes, and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have strongly impacted on prioritisation and resourcing available for IM activities this assessment cycle,” it said.
“As a result, the maturity levels this cycle were similar to and in some cases less than the levels achieved in the last assessment cycle.”
PROV said the Information Management Framework and the Victorian Protective Data Security Framework (VPDSF) continued to be leveraged for strong IM governance; strategic alignment and direction; executive level investment; and top-down engagement led by multi-divisional committees.
It said Departments and Agencies with a strong digital focus and investment appeared to have transitioned to remote working more smoothly than others, which had a positive impact on maturity levels achieved this cycle.
It said Departments and Agencies which approached engagement from multiple points had a broader reach across their Organisation than those whose focus was “purely top down”.
“Regular and ongoing review, analysis, reporting and management of identified gaps or risks as part of a dedicated and resourced program of work are essential for improved IM maturity,” it said.
“Those Departments and Agencies who incorporated a program of this kind (whether it be an audit, risk management, compliance management or based on another area of expertise) generally achieved a higher maturity rating.”
PROV said its improved analytics and review processes were likely to identify additional risks or gaps, which could negatively impact the current assessment but would ultimately result in improved IM maturity.
The Office’s 80-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
