MoReq2 is the standard of conducting electronic document management

MOREQ2 is a complex of standard requirements to electronic document management systems for the first time translated into Russian by forces of "Guild of managing directors of documentation" in 2008. The collection contains 716 requirements to management of electronic documents and is separated into 12 modules – system module of classification and the organization of affairs, access controls and security and so forth. Its main objective is the help to the companies which realized need of implementation of EDMS in formulation of all tasks which a system will be designed to solve, and the choice on this basis of the most suitable product. Thus, MOREQ2 is the most complete document fixing requirements to workflow systems, a certain EDMS standard today.

MoReq 2010 represents a series of requirement descriptions to preparation of electronic documents by which vendors of the software, specialists in the field of e-document flow and other interested users can be guided. It had to simplify and update seriously requirements of MoReq in comparison with the previous version of MoReq2. According to the initial plan of the DLM forum supervising this project, the plan of MoReq 2010 should be developed by May, 2010, and its final version – by September. As a result the existing time of providing documents for professional society was constantly postponed that led to the fact that this standard still remains the project. Nevertheless, as expected, the final version of these specifications can be provided in May, 2011. Despite the public nature of discussions of MoReq2010 among experts of e-document flow and vendors, the attitude towards him in Western Europe remains not unambiguous.

MoReq2010: problems and perspectives

Need of standardization of electronic document management and electronic document storage ripened long ago. Before the organizations implementing the systems of electronic document management / archive inevitably there is a number of questions of technical and organizational and methodological character and legal character: whether it is possible to get rid completely of paper and to transfer all documentation to an electronic form? whether it is possible to destroy paper documents after they were scanned? whether it is possible to store information on the third-party server (so-called extra office storage) or for its storage resources of the organization should be used only? How to ensure safety of documents when changing software or changing formats? The standards reflecting the experience acquired by professional community can be for the solution of these and many other questions good help.^[1]

Transition to electronic document management / electronic document storage aims to simplify and accelerate work in the organization, to lower time and finance costs. Unfortunately, solutions of this task are quite often followed by obstacles of legal character: legislative practice just does not keep up with rapid development of technologies. The standard which is accurately regulating questions of electronic document management / electronic document storage can quite become base when developing the relevant legislative arrangements.

Today situations when it is necessary to adjust document flow between the organizations which are in the different cities or even the countries are frequent. In these organizations absolutely different ECM systems can be used, and ensuring interaction between them in many cases represents rather difficult task. One of possible solutions of similar tasks is introduction of the standards describing functions, basic for all ECM systems, transactions the supported formats.

Emergence of MoReq2010 specifications became one of important events in the field of standardization of ECM. Important feature of these specifications is orientation to modern realities that is especially relevant in present conditions when many standards are not reviewed within several years (so, for example, the situation with the American DoD5015.2 standard which was not reviewed in 2007 is and therefore it will badly be approved with many realities of today). Distinctive feature of MoReq2010 positioned by developers as an original innovation is the so-called modular structure: all requirements are selected in it in separate blocks (modules) that allows to arrange better them under specifics work work of the specific organization. It was not in one standard, even in ISO 15489 yet. Besides, the new version of specifications contains a number of innovations of conceptual and methodological character.

The professional community reacted to the publication of the text of MoReq2010 specifications extremely ambiguously. It is possible to find the broadest range of responses in the Internet: from enthusiastic to skeptical. What so ambiguous acceptance of such important and long-awaited document is connected with? Whether MoReq2010 the conceptual base for theories and the practician of ECM of the future will be able to become? We will try to analyze these and other questions in the text of this article.

MoReq2010 innovations

In MoReq2010 it is possible to select a number of very interesting and perspective trends.

First, an interesting trend is failure from the centralized model of storage of content which will not always be approved with realities of a present era when the materials having the status of records (records) are created in the most different applications. Therefore MoReq2010 allows existence of alternative models of storage — such, for example, as management of records "on places" (the documents having the status of records are stored in that application in which they were created, but control of them is exercised by means of specialized software tools) or implementation of the module of management of records in other information systems.

Secondly, it is orientation to support of interoperability. Under interoperability in this it happens capability without restrictions is understood to interact with other systems and applications. Now migration of content from one ECM system in another is rather difficult and painful procedure. Use of the uniform scheme XML could allow all ECM systems "speak uniform language" that is especially important during our era of fast change of technologies and formats.

Thirdly, important feature of MoReq2010 specifications is orientation to service-oriented architecture that corresponds to realities of a new paradigm with its tendency to preference of cloud storage to the centralized repositories much better.

Fourthly, in MoReq2010 an attempt of detailed study of many questions to which obviously insufficient attention was paid earlier was made. For example, "sore point" of many ECM systems as in Russia, and abroad is the usability. The requirements of MoReq2010 stated rather clearly and in detail can quite become a basis for establishing order in the field.

Fifthly, an undoubted innovation is the modularity which is already mentioned above and flexibility: MoReq2010 specifications were initially planned as having mobile, changeable structure thanks to which they can be adapted for realities of the most different organizations easily.

MoReq2010 unacceptance reasons

Despite a number important and that does not raise doubts, necessary innovations, very many representatives of professional community accepted MoReq2010 specifications enough cool. What causes such reaction?

Many critical evaluations of specifications from the MoReq series are connected with complexity of the used terminology. MoReq2010 is the cornerstone opposition of two object types: document and record. An object the document types has the following features: (1) he acts as confirmation of events of the past, this, future; 2) he can be subjected to changes and (3) it have the structured form. The term record in ISO 15,489 receives the following determination the Information created, received and supported by the organization or the individual as the certificate according to requirements of the law or business (Information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business.) A record object has the following properties: (1) he acts as confirmation of events of the past; (2) it cannot be subjected by changes and (3) it can not have the structured form. For work with objects of two different types different approaches and methods are required.

Logic of developers of MoReq2010 specifications will badly be approved with that logic by which the legislation is guided. Above we already noted that legislative practice in most cases does not keep up with technical progress. As an example we will consider the determination of the document accepted in the Russian legislation:

The document - the material carrier with information recorded on it in any form in the form of the text, sound recording, the image and (or) their combination which has the details allowing to identify it and is intended for transfer in time and in space for the purpose of public use and storage. (law 77-FZ "About an obligatory copy of the document).

However "document" in the stated above determination on sense is closer to the concept record, than to document. For this reason many professional archivists and document specialists refuse to accept any other approaches to term translation of record.

It is interesting to note that the problem of transfer of document and record exists not only in Russia. Anne Mari Chaben, the translator of MoReq2 specifications into French, notes that transfer of the concept record as document archivé in many respects is a forced tribute to the developed tradition and cannot adequately retell the semantic matter of the original. The Czech specialists also pointed to complexity of adequate translation of the term record as on one of the reasons which are slowing down distribution of standards from the MoReq series.

Realities of a modern era are like that that the dokumentovedchesky practicians existing in texts of laws significantly differ from what takes place in real life. It is thought that withdrawal pains of the settled terminological schemes — only a matter of time.

The criticism of MoReq2010 specifications quite often is proved by the reasons of purely political and financial character. At the moment management systems for records which completely would correspond to MoReq2010 just do not exist. Probably, creators of specifications hope that MoReq2010 will become a starting point when developing the new ECM systems over time. Whether these hopes will be equaled — will show time. MoReq2010 specifications initially applied for the status all-European, but in the European market of ECM the American multinational companies which in many respects are guided in the activity by the DoD standard which discrepancies with MoReq2010 very and are very notable dominate.

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