Checkers, chess, poker and records

Checkers is a simple game.

It has simple rules.

They can be understood in under five minutes by almost anyone.

Chess is more complicated, but ultimately it's still a computation problem - there's no variation, no chance, no ability for unexpected things to happen.

The pieces can only do what the pieces can do within the rules - so you can always understand exactly what can happen next on any chess board, the only limit is your ability to pay attention, and make predictions.

Poker on the other hand, is a game of probability.

There's one hand that can't be beaten.

If you're not holding it, there's always a chance that someone else is.

You can also win with a pair of two's.

Effectiveness is a dynamic outcome.

It depends on the actions of all the other players and how they respond to you - a good percentage of which comes down to random chance.

What does this have to do with records?

Compliance is simple.

It's a game of rules, and whether you can enforce them.

if you've got a strong compliance enforcement process, you implement the rules, people play within them, and life is simple.

The problem we have though, is that at some point, records got really complicated.

Unfortunately, we mistook it for chess - we took the rules that we'd put in place as things that couldn't be broken.

We didn't realise that everyone else was playing poker - and that most of the time, they had the face cards.

What this means, is that anything we do, will be probabilistic.

We will implement a rule, or a system, or a practice, and there will be a probability that people will follow it.

If we implement things that fit the working environment well, that are low effort, or that have a very strong enforcement mechanism, there will be a high probability that our action gets the result that we want.

If we implement things that don't fit, and take a lot of effort, or that have archival institution grade enforcement, there's a low probability that it will work.

When we're doing important things, we have to take them seriously.

This starts with understanding the game that we're playing and knowing its dynamics.

This means not mistaking checkers and chess - places where we can implement a rule.

For poker or records management - where we have to take action, see how people respond, and adjust.

If we want to win.