The Board Checklist: Information as an Asset 

A simple framework to help you quickly assess opportunities to make better use of information, evidence and knowledge as an asset.

To implement successful change, introduce technological innovation, improve quality of care and transform services and our workforce, the NHS needs to get better at managing information, evidence and knowledge.

These are valuable assets, yet rarely considered at Board level. Using data and research evidence, sharing know-how and implementing best practice are all business critical.  

Why spend time on this?

Do you have a clear idea about the information issues and risks that your organisation is facing?   

Do you understand the opportunities to leverage information to drive innovation?  

Review the Board checklist to better understand “why” this must be managed at the highest level in the organisation.  

Questions for you and your board

Are you and your Board confident that your organisation could never:

• risk massive fines and corporate embarrassment from information misuse 
• frustrate and handicap your employees through a poor information environment – low information reliability and quality; lack of information standards; barriers to information access 
• fail to take opportunities for increasing efficiency through improved management of information 
• fall behind competitors who manage and exploit information more successfully than you  
• miss opportunities, created through information, to develop your business in new directions? 

Are you and your Board confident that: 

• you are always specifically and adequately advised about the information issues and risks associated with all investment decision and business plans 
• your access to objective, accurate and current information enables effective decisions 
• you always seize opportunities for innovation that leverage developments in information matters
• you regularly reap the benefits from exploiting information assets that adds value to customers, markets, collaborators and partners 
• you know where all your organisation’s data and information is held 

Are you and your Board entirely satisfied that: 

• an information strategy supporting organisational strategy is in place 
• the policies, processes and practices to implement that strategy have been established and are followed within the organisation 
• the organisation, culture and people processes are matched to the information strategy 
• the above elements are audited and reviewed at Board level regularly? 

In short is the Board regularly assessing performance as an information driven organisation and acting on the findings?  

Acknowledgement: the Information as an Asset report is a joint project by CILIP, KPMG, CIO Connect and the IK SpringBoard to promote senior-level engagement with the value of information assets.

Assurance

How you can be assured that you are using external evidence and organisational knowledge effectively?  

NHS England has developed a simple framework to help you quickly assess opportunities and “how” to make better use of information, evidence and knowledge as assets.  Ask your Knowledge and Library Service Lead for further information.