New Outlook Tip (11/4/10):

Excel files in Windows 7 format that are sent by email cannot be saved into DM because DM does not recognize Windows 7. Although it looks like you can save it, when you later open it, it will be empty. Instead, manually save the file in the old format with the old .XLS extension (this also applies to other Windows 7 files with extensions such as .docx (Word) and .xlsx). Be careful to check the "Save Attachments Separately" checkbox for email that contain attachments in Windows 7 formats because that would erase the data in the attachments.


Outlook Resources (as of 10/18/10)

Your GAO Union has been working with management to address employee concerns about Outlook. We have actively solicited your concerns and brought them to the attention of GAO management. For example, the Union met with ISTS representatives to share problems employees are encountering in saving email in batches to DM within their Outlook Inbox in preparation for the activation of the 90-day auto-delete feature. During that meeting, we also asked GAO to provide information on:

  • steps ISTS will take for GAO employees who are on extended leave or international travel;
  • where employees can find a central source of information for reporting on or finding out about commonly reported errors or problems when saving emails from Outlook to DM; and
  • tips or tools GAO staff can use to minimize the time it takes to save many potentially important emails.

More information and resources are now available since our initial FAQ, which we issued in June 2010 (see section below), which also includes answers to the last question. Here are links to these resources:

Currently, there is no central source of information for reporting on or finding out about commonly reported errors or problems when saving emails from Outlook to DM. However, you can always contact x9500 or HelpMe@gao.gov to report problems and errors, and we strongly encourage you to do so.

Note: You can use job code 997902 to manage emails connected to the Outlook transition.
Outlook Transition: Q & A to Address Employees' Concerns (June 30, 2010)

Your GAO Union is working with management to address employee concerns about the ongoing email migration.  GAO management is changing the email application we use from GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook.  You may have attended a briefing on the planned migration to Outlook at a staff meeting or seen information on the transition through GAO Notices or on the GAO Intranet.  The Union has been receiving many questions and concerns from employees about these changes, particularly regarding the planned changes in policy for email retention and auto-archiving of email. 

GAO Management and Union representatives have been meeting to discuss this change over the past several months.  Management officials and staff met with Union representatives this week to demonstrate the Outlook email application with DM integration and answer questions.  We wanted to let you know what some of the questions are that we’ve been hearing from employees and, subsequently, raising with GAO management. 

We also wanted to share GAO’s answers with you.  We would like for you to continue to send us your concerns about this transition, specifically any adverse impacts on your work that you may foresee, so that we can raise them with GAO.   We will continue to update you as more information becomes available. 

Why is GAO moving from GroupWise to Outlook?

    According to GAO, Groupwise is providing less and less technical support .  Outlook is supported by Microsoft and can be integrated into DM.  They also expect that it will be an easier application to use for any integration of future technologies. 

When I drag and drop an email into DM, will attachments to emails be saved automatically?

    Yes, if you have clicked the same option box that shows up in DM now, attachments to emails be saved automatically when you save an email into DM. (Note: Since GAO provided this response, the Union has identified problems with saving emails individually or as a block: see 10/15/2010 Communique)

Once we transition to Outlook, is it true that my emails will begin to be automatically deleted after 90 days?

    Yes, according to GAO's plan, you will have to save any emails you want to keep to a DM folder. You can set up multiple folders in DM for each engagement, as well as set up a special Administrative folder for working or reference emails that will stay active for 7 years.  You set the access rights for your administrative folder(s), and in that way control who can see your working or reference e-mails.  Emails can be saved from Outlook by highlighting as many as one wishes to move into a given folder, and moved all together.  Each saved email will be automatically saved into DM as a separate document.  A document number will be appended to the end of the document name, to insure that the document name is unique.  Note that this is not the case for non-email documents, unless you have set the appropriate defaults.  

Why is GAO requiring that emails be deleted after 90 days?

    GAO states that this is based on best practices among government agencies and private companies.  

When will my emails older than 90-days be deleted?

    GAO management has stated that emails older than 90 days will be deleted at some point after the rollout is complete. This includes emails in your active mail box as well as emails in cabinet folders. However, GAO management has not specified when they will turn on the feature that will start the clock ticking towards the 90 days. They they will provide ample warning before it occurs. We will keep you posted as more information becomes available.

What about emails that have been archived - will they be deleted after 90 days?

No.  Emails that have been archived will not be subject to the 90-day deletion rule and will be retained. According to GAO's Outlook Rollout FAQ on the wiki: "When we move to Outlook, the GroupWise Archives that are copied to Outlook will not be deleted and will remain available indefinitely. We encourage you to start cleaning up your GroupWise Archives so that when your email account has migrated to Outlook, you can then easily click and drag emails into a DM folder to remove them from the Archive. Eventually we would like to have all GAO work-related emails in the GroupWise Archive saved into DM."

Could GAO set Outlook so that it automatically archives emails, rather than deleting them automatically after 90 days?

   Yes. Microsoft Outlook has an archive feature that retains emails. However, GAO is choosing not to enable this feature: see GAO's "Why 90 Days? GAO's New Email Retention Policy Reflects Best Industry Practices. 

Could GAO set Outlook so that it automatically archives emails in DM, rather than deleting them automatically after 90 days?

No. There is no current mechanism to automatically archive email from Outlook to DM.

Once saved to DM, can emails be searched for the way we search in Groupwise?

    There will be the capability to search email saved in DM, though it will be different from the way we can search email now that is archived in GroupWise.  GAO has created new search fields for email in DM.  For instance, we will be able to search on the name of the person who sent the email as well as searching on a range of dates for when the email was sent.  When saving an email into DM, it will capture this information in the document profile automatically.  For more information, go to:  http://info1.gao.gov/ists/learning/searching_for_emails_in_dm/searching_for_emails_in_dm.htm 

Can you search emails in DM while working in Outlook? 

    Yes.   

What happens if emails have the same subject header?

    They will be saved with individual DM numbers, so they can have the same subject header. 

Does GAO have sufficient storage space for millions of emails to be saved? 

    GAO states that it has added over $3 million in storage capability but also agrees that the storage space situation will need to be watched closely.   

What is to prevent a supervisor from deleting email communication that could be relevant to a potential grievance, arbitration, or litigation?

       GAO states that supervisors will be given additional training on this issue.

What happens if an employee becomes severely ill, or is injured, or is otherwise unexpectedly unable to come to work and save emails before they hit 90 days?

    GAO has said they are aware of this possibility and are working on a mechanism to address this scenario.  We will continue to update you as more information becomes available.

We will continue to share what we are learning from GAO management about the transition to Outlook.  Please consider how these policy changes may alter the way you do your work and tell us about it.  We’d particularly like to hear your thoughts about any adverse impacts there may be for you as a result of this transition and the accompanying policy changes.  We are committed to hearing all of your concerns and presenting them to GAO management.  You can email us with your questions at <gaoanalysts@ifpte.org>.