Scottish Government information management strategy

'I collaborate with others to share knowledge and information'

In line with the ambition of being ''An outward looking government which is more open and accessible to Scotland's people than ever before'' we need to share information and knowledge with colleagues, business partners, stakeholders and the public as appropriate – and understand the benefits that this brings.

We must recognise that sharing and protecting are complementary activities, and are not mutually exclusive. Information and knowledge are key corporate assets and we all have a responsibility to share and re-use them to release their value and maximise benefits to the business and the public. Data held by the SG should be open to re-use unless there is a good reason not to. We must make the most of the knowledge and information we already have rather than reinventing the wheel.

We must:

• make information management a strategic priority for the SG and which supports our vision as an open, capable and responsive government;
• ensure the right information is available, to the right person, at the right time, in the right format, at the right place, enabling effective and efficient working, improved business decisions and accountability;
• ensure our information management provides a return on investment through improved and consistent data, information and knowledge sharing and management; and
• ensure we can readily provide, exchange and publish information across the SG and externally when and where appropriate.