Many promises are often made regarding the benefits which investment in improved records management will deliver, including increases in productivity and savings in overheads and operating costs. But can we really be sure this is the case? How robust is the existing evidence base for the 'return on investment' offered by records management and what are the implications if it is not as strong as we might think? This session will explore the above questions in the context of work conducted in the UK higher education sector using an innovative tool which enables users to accurately measure the impact of a records management-based change initiative. In addition it will consider the implications of data produced by 6 case studies using this tool for records management more generally by challenging received wisdom regarding the efficacy of various aspects of the records management toolkit and when and how they may most profitably be utilized.