Doing Information Right™

AI can get you to the wrong conclusion really, really fast. How much are you willing to gamble on its answers? In this episode of Nattering Nabobs of Information, the Nabobs talk about “playing the odds” with AI. It looks like magic, but fundamentally it’s math — and a convincing answer still needs checking before you put it to work. We natter about: -- Why good information and sound workflows mat...

Bad dates and bad data can both leave you wondering why you trusted them in the first place. In the first episode of Nattering Nabobs of Information, Bryant Duhon and Steve Weissman connect online dating, marketing, and information governance through a shared problem: figuring out who and what you can trust — and living up to the trust other people put in you. Bryant brings lessons from the online...

Most governance initiatives don’t stall because of technology — they stall because people aren’t aligned behind the effort. For many, the solution is to create a communities of practice that changed the trajectory of their programs.  Have a listen and learn how leaders like you have structured their communities, sparked participation, and created the kind of cross‑functional momentum that makes go...

Many organizational policies are written as a series of imperatives: do this, don't do that, always, never. While well-intentioned, this approach often leaves capable professionals feeling like children who have to be controlled rather than trusted. The result? Policies that are read reluctantly, followed inconsistently, and viewed as obstacles rather than guidelines. This installment of our...

This IG Community Roundtable is an “Ask Us Anything” session in which the conversation was driven entirely by YOU.    Think of it as nearly an hour of free consulting with three top resources – plus a bit of peer review – and you get the idea. Watch, learn, and enjoy! * See our page on LinkedIn! * https://www.linkedin.com/company/infogovroundtable  Your hosts:  • Steve Weissman - steve@hollygroup....

If you’re reading this, then your to-do list probably includes tasks like updating your retention schedule, reducing paper, cleaning up your data stores, protecting privacy, boosting findability, etc. But you can’t do any of these things without first knowing what information you have and where it’s stored – which is why you need to start by conducting an information inventory and drawing a data m...

If you’re exploring, piloting, or implementing AI, take note of this critical distinction when it comes to ingesting and leveraging information: •  Citation: the information exists, and I can tell you where to find it •  Provenance: the information exists, and I can tell you where to find it, where it originated, and when it arrived Understanding the difference is foundational to getting practical...

Creating policy documents takes an awful lot of effort. But are we making it harder on ourselves than we need to? Lewis Eisen of Perfect Policies says “yes,” and you need to hear why. Spoiler: it’s because the people who should be focused on approving the policies spend too much time wordsmithing the user version – a job better left to those on the operational front lines. Have a watch and you’ll...

The most efficient and effective governance projects tend to be those that follow some sort of emergency: a breach, a lawsuit, a flood, etc. Hence the expression "never waste a crisis" – a phrase of which I was recently reminded by Cheryl Banke, CEO and Founder of Belvedere Consulting and my special guest in this episode of Speaking Of. Have a watch and let us know what you think as we d...

You know how important metrics are to doing governance right. (If you don’t, have a watch of our May 2025 Roundtable on the subject!) But simply collecting them isn’t enough; rather, you have to ensure they are viewable, analyzable, and actionable on an ongoing basis, and reportable in easily-digested ways to senior executives and external overseers. In practical terms, this means enhancing your d...

When pursuing good governance, time needs to be at least as well budgeted as money. Otherwise, you’ll do a poor job of it – or worse, never get done at all. © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655

Remember how AI was going to disrupt and transform our businesses? Well, according to research and my own observations, a lot of that hype has since fizzled. Why? Because there’s more focus being placed on installing AI than installing AI of practical value – and it’s the latter that is going to make or break it where you work.   Here's a short list of critical tasks to keep your initiative f...

Here's a story about that time a client with a privacy initiative almost skipped SalesForce as a system to include in its search for PII – "because it doesn’t have any private information in it"! Note the word ALMOST! -- Steve Weissman steve@hollygroup.com 617-383-4655 © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655 © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved...

Selecting an information solution can be one of the most challenging and time-consuming parts of any governance initiative because a number of factors nearly instantly muddy the waters. For example: •  There are simply way too many offerings on the market to be able to keep track of them all. •  Most of those you do find boast features, functions, and adjectives (“market-leading!” “cutting-edge!”...

Hear about the time a client asked help installing a culture of governance at his company because, as much as he tried to play Good Cop, “I’m not really getting anywhere.” Turns out he needed a Bad Cop as well – or at least the spectre of one. -- Steve Weissman steve@hollygroup.com 617-383-4655 © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655

No conversation about information is complete without talking about data quality. This is especially critical when it comes to AI, of which so much is expected, because – as is true everywhere – you have to put good stuff IN if you want to get valuable stuff OUT. (GIGO, anyone?) But: what exactly IS “data quality” anyway? How is it defined? Measured? Improved? In this InfoGov Community Roundtable,...

Imagine you have a piece of paper and you’re going to peel the information off the page. Why? Because it's the INFORMATION that has the value. The fact that it happens to be on a piece of paper or a disk or hard drive doesn't matter. It's the information that's key.  © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655

A lot has been said – much of it by me – about the enormous opportunity AI has to propel records and information professionals into the heart of their organizations’ data-related discussions and deployments. After all, it can be only as effective as the quality of the information it operates on enables it to be. So, truly, AI is something we should embrace and not fear. Explore this dynamic furthe...

One of my go-to pop references is the scene in the 1991 movie City Slickers where Jack Palance tells Billy Crystal that the secret of life is One Thing. The catch, Palance says, is that we have to figure out what that One Thing is for ourselves.  The One Thing in information governance is to serve the cause of Doing Information Right™. Fixating on this single principle allows you to evaluate and p...

That time a client knew how much the siloed nature of its information was costing it in terms of operational time, money, and efficiency, but didn’t know how or where to start its improvement program. Here’s what we did to help. © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655

That time when a client had boxes of paper records all over the place – to the point where the fire marshal ordered it all to be moved so people could get out in an emergency.  Here’s what we did to help. © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655

Effectively propagating our messages of information governance goodness is one of your biggest and most important challenges, whether you're trying to get your programs moving in the first place or reinforce the successes you’ve already had.  Join me and content marketing consultant Bryant Duhon as we talk about the need for, and role of, the kind of communication needed to win people’s heart...

People-related issues require people-centered responses. So when the folks in your organization resist your information governance efforts, make it personal by addressing the usual challenges of politics, baggage, and religion.  © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655

As information professionals, we deal daily with a mass of details and endless internal politicking. But it’s vital that we always remember that there are PEOPLE at the end of our workstreams who are affected by what we do. My thought is to create an IG Code of Human Ethics to ensure that what we do actually provides human benefit. Are you with me?  © Steve Weissman • All Rights Reserved • www. ho...

Organization not moving fast enough for you regarding information governance? Or getting off the schneid at all? Join me and long-time infogov professional Rich Lauwers as we discuss all manner of points to make in order to foment success where you work. Things like: • Think about technology in terms of both adaptability and adoptability. • Consider your business needs first. • Ensure you have an...