IM Blog: You’ll never manage everything – and why that’s not the point

Every organisation has ungoverned information.

Not because people are careless or policies don’t exist but because modern work creates information faster than governance frameworks can keep up. Shared drives, collaboration platforms, project tools and social channels generate vast volumes of content that sit outside formal records controls - often unnoticed, often unmanaged.

You do realise that 100 per cent information governance is not achievable? But that does not mean governance is futile. It means the goal must shift from perfection to meaningful, defensible progress.

What do we mean by ‘ungoverned’ information?

Ungoverned information generally falls into two categories, information that:

• sits outside organisational custody or control
• is technically in organisational custody but is not managed through its lifecycle to destruction.

This can include content on network drives, collaboration platforms, project management tools, email, shared cloud spaces and legacy systems. Some of it is trivial. Some of it is valuable. Some of it is high risk.

The challenge is that ungoverned information tends to accumulate quietly. It rarely attracts attention until there is an incident, a legal request, an audit or a system migration - at which point it becomes everyone’s problem at once.

Accepting the reality: governance is incremental

One of the most important mindset shifts is accepting that success does not mean governing everything.

Success means that some ungoverned information becomes governed - either through controlled lifecycle management or defensible destruction. Every file sentenced, every dataset assessed, every high-risk location brought under control reduces exposure.

Progress matters, even when completeness is impossible.

Start with visibility, not solutions

Attempts to govern ungoverned information often fail because organisations jump straight to tools, automation or wholesale clean-ups. Without visibility, these efforts stall or create resistance.

A more effective starting point is a structured stocktake:

• What ungoverned information exists?
• Where is it stored?
• Who owns it?
• Who uses it?
• Who might be affected by decisions about it?

This does not need to be perfect or technically complex. A spreadsheet, information asset register or simple inventory is often sufficient. The goal is understanding, not immediate action.

Importantly, this step surfaces something records managers know well: information always has an owner, even if that ownership has never been formally acknowledged.

Define value before deciding fate

Once visibility exists, the next step is not disposal - it is value assessment.

Records managers are uniquely positioned to ask the right questions:

• Does this information support current business outcomes?
• Is it required to be kept under a retention authority?
• Is it no longer useful to the organisation but of value to others?
• Is it low value and eligible for destruction?
• Is it sensitive, personal or high risk?

These questions move the conversation away from we should keep everything and towards proportionate decision-making. Not all information deserves the same level of effort, control or protection.

Decision trees, not blanket rules

Ungoverned information requires flexible, practical decision paths rather than rigid rules.

Possible outcomes may include:

• applying a retention sentence and governing it properly
• prioritising it for immediate control due to risk
• scheduling it for later review
• donating it to an external body where appropriate
• transferring it to an archive
• destroying it under an authorised disposal instrument
• consciously leaving it unmanaged for now.

This last option is often controversial but acknowledging that some information is too low value or too costly to address immediately is part of realistic governance.

Prioritise where it counts

Not all ungoverned information presents equal risk. Records managers can make rapid progress by prioritising:

• high-risk content (personal, sensitive or confidential information)
• low-value, high-volume material (system-generated reports, duplicates, drafts)
• areas owned by business units willing to engage
• locations known to create recurring issues.

Early wins build confidence, demonstrate value and create momentum. They also help normalise governance conversations across the organisation.

Pilots reduce fear and friction

Large-scale clean-ups often fail because they feel overwhelming and disruptive. Pilots provide a safer alternative.

By testing decision trees, stakeholder engagement and actions in a limited area we refine our approach before scaling. Pilots also surface practical constraints, unrealistic expectations, missing stakeholders or unclear authorities,  while the scope is still manageable.

Crucially, pilots turn governance into something people can see, understand and participate in.

Embedding change for the future

Governing the ungoverned is not just about cleaning up the past. It is about shaping future behaviour.

Long-term improvement comes from influencing:

• how new systems and platforms are designed
• where information is allowed to be created and stored
• how ownership is assigned at creation
• how retention and disposal are built into workflows.

Closing unmanaged repositories, guiding procurement decisions and embedding governance expectations early prevents today’s solutions from becoming tomorrow’s problems.

The role of records management

Ungoverned information sits at the intersection of risk, behaviour and culture. Records management provides the discipline, judgement and frameworks needed to navigate that complexity.

This work is not about enforcing control for its own sake. It is about enabling organisations to understand what they hold, why they hold it and what risks it creates and to act accordingly.

Perfect governance may be unattainable. Meaningful governance is not.

And in a world where unmanaged information continues to grow, progress -  deliberate, defensible and sustained - is the measure that matters most.

Based on the RIMPA Live 2025 presentation 'Governing the Ungoverned' by Carolyn Hartman

Meet your blog author:

 

Carolyn (McLeod) Hartman, CXRIM CRIM has over 40 years' experience in managing and leading the effective management of information assets. She aims to enable good, and inspire better, practice.

With no disrespect to African folklore that says, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, Carolyn believes ‘it takes a network to raise awareness’. She uses her and others' extensive networks to learn, share and deliver.

Carolyn will help you understand information value and will partner with you to maximise that value. She wants to see information used, re-used, shared, and aggregated to build knowledge, and wisdom.