The Asset Principle

Information will be recognised as an asset that has value to the government and will be managed accordingly

Information systems are critical to decision making in the allocation of entitlements and the imposition of obligations by government. Accordingly, they are a valuable resource; and should be treated as such.

Rationale

• The Ownership Principle of the Policy Framework for Government Held Information states that ‘Government-held information created or collected by any person employed or engaged by the Crown is a strategic resource 'owned' by the Government as a steward on behalf of the public.’ⁱ
• Accurate, timely data is critical to accurate, timely decisions. Most assets are carefully managed, and information should be no exception. Information is the foundation of decision-making, so it must be carefully managed, to ensure that its location is know, its accuracy can be relied, and it can be obtained when and where it is needed.ⁱⁱ
• The availability of official information enables more effective participation in the making and administration of laws and policies; and promotes accountability of Ministers of the Crown and officials, and thereby enhances respect for the law and promotes the good government of New Zealand. ⁱⁱⁱ

Implications

• The implication is that there is an education task to ensure that all organizations within the enterprise understand the relationship between value of information, sharing of information, and accessibility to information.
• Stewards must have the authority and means to manage the information for which they are accountable.
• We must make the cultural transition from "information ownership" thinking to "information stewardship" thinking, whereby information may outlast an organisation, or information may be collectively owned by the community.
• The role of steward is critical because obsolete, incorrect, or inconsistent information could be passed to people and adversely affect decisions across the enterprise and wider.
• Part of the role of steward, is to ensure quality. Procedures must be developed and used to prevent and correct errors in the information and to improve those processes that produce flawed information. Quality will need to be measured and steps taken to improve quality - it is probable that policy and procedures will need to be developed for this as well.
• A forum with comprehensive enterprise-wide representation should decide on process changes suggested by the steward.
• Since information is an asset of value to the entire enterprise, stewards accountable for properly managing the information must be assigned at the enterprise level.

Footnotes

[i. Policy framework for New Zealand Government-held information, SSC, 1997]

[ii. http://www.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8-doc/arch/chap29.html, 2007 October]

[iii. Official Information Act 1982]