Two maturity models related specifically to Enterprise Content and Records Management have caught my attention over the last year.

I discovered the Enterprise Content Maturity Model after it was released in February 2009.  You can read about it's history and how it was developed at this link.  I think it is a great start.  We've used it with some of our clients to describe their current state and future vision when defining their ECM strategy.  While we were able to assess which level they were at across most of the dimensions through our current information gathering methods, I believe we need to develop some specific questions that can help fine tune the results, particularly in the area of their current state.  I plan to focus some time this year in drafting those questions.

This model focuses on the human, organizational and technology challenges that face any ECM strategy.  The model suggests graded levels of capabilities from rudimentary information collection and basic control through increasingly sophisticated levels of management and integration.  The end goal for most organizations would be a mature state of continuous improvement.

Unfortunately not much has happened since the model was originally released.  A couple of us at Access Sciences submitted our names as being interested in participating in future development, but I'm not sure they have included others outside of the original group that developed it.  The blog in the above link mentions a planned version 2.0 last summer, but it hasn't happened yet.  I know each of those that helped in the development and review have other full time jobs, too, making it difficult to find time to continue moving it forward.  I hope we see more in the development of the model this year.

ARMA, the not-for-profit professional association and authority on managing records and information, recently released a Maturity Model for Information Governance.  This maturity model, released last month, is based on the eight Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles (GARP) that were released last year.  I have not spent as much time with this model as I have the previous, but I believe it provides a very good start for an organization to assess where they are across the eight principles of recordkeeping - Accountability, Transparency, Integrity, Protection, Compliance, Availability, Retention and Disposition.  I plan on spending some time learning more about the principles and the model in 2010.

If aren't familiar with either of these models, you should spend some time in discovering what they have to offer.  I believe they can form a good basis for measuring where your ECRM program is and can guide you as you chart a path for where you want to go.