Astro Findings
The answer for this question within document management is easy: “A document becomes a record when the description of the document’s capacity may be found on the company’s official records retention schedule.” To be more definite, “A original document becomes an official record when the content of a document matches words on the organization’s official records retention schedule.” Be aware that a copy of an official record is called an unofficial record.
Pay your attention to the words, “original,” “official,” and “copy.” Ah, for the tough decisions of a records manager. Now you can begin to see the challenges of being a records manager. For instance, if the official record (original) is deleted, the copy becomes the official record and must be appropriately protected and saved. But what if the original is destroyed and there were 10 copies produced. One of those 10 copies is the original, but which one? In the perfect case, the records manager keeps track of all electronic and physical documents. Ideally, the records manager should be able to contact those individuals that own known copies when the original is deleted.
Sounds difficult? Yes, it is. And I know of no records manager who has ever been able to successfully keep to the paper trial of a document from making to use and to disposition. Now it is possible to control these documents and records closely if the records manager has a large staff, if the company is small, and if the funds are unlimited.
Is there option to declare a document a record within document management? No doubt, a plenty of people will call a document a record when the content has legal, fiscal, operational, historical, or business value, but this is too vague for me. With this means, too many records managers tend to declare all documents as records and be done with it. And lo and behold, now you understand why there are often thousands upon thousands “extra” records being stored offsite or even onsite. Why you ask? Because now when the file cabinets get full, all documents, records, and unofficial records are stored offsite. If you agree with the first variant that a document is just considered a record when it can be found on the records retention schedule, then the only record that should concern you is the official document. All others should be given a short life and deleted.
So, in document management documents only become records when they meet two key demands: (1) content fits descriptions on the company’s official records retention schedule; and (2) the documents are originals. All other documents are copies and can be destroyed when they are no longer referenced frequently.
Tags: document management, document management for business, document management for online business, document management software, suitable document management
Posted in Business · February 27th, 2010 · Comments (0)
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