Legacy systems often hold large volumes of high-risk records with limited governance controls and poor visibility. Decisions to migrate, decommission, or maintain these systems are rarely straightforward. Governance should guide decisions about legacy systems — not convenience, cost alone, or organisational inertia. Reflection questions: - Do you have legacy systems holding critical or regulated records? - Is there a clear plan for managing or retiring those systems? Action: List one legacy system and the key records-related risks it presents.

Information governance is sometimes criticised for adding overhead. In reality, well-designed governance should reduce effort, not increase it. The most effective controls are often invisible — they guide behaviour quietly and consistently. Reflection questions: - Which governance controls feel genuinely helpful? - Which feel unnecessarily complex? Action: Note one control that could be simplified without increasing risk.

A business unit wants to retain records well beyond the approved retention period “just in case they might be useful later”. There is no legal hold and no documented business justification. What would you do? - Enforce disposal strictly? - Allow an exception? - Ask for justification and document the decision? - Escalate the risk? Explain your reasoning, not just your decision.

RIM teams are often framed as cleaners of organisational mess. This undervalues strategic contribution and creates frustration. The emotional impact accumulates over time. Naming this matters. Questions 1. Where do you feel this perception most strongly? 2. How do you respond to it? Action - Acknowledge one contribution that went unseen.

RIM involvement often arrives post-implementation. By then, constraints are real and options are limited. The role becomes one of mitigation rather than design. Knowing what to push for — and what to let go — is judgement. Questions 1. Where are you most often brought in too late? 2. How do you prioritise interventions? Action - Identify one late-stage fix that had the biggest impact.