TurboDriver said:
I have a hugh task of carrying out a record survey of all our records our
organisation has. I work for the Social Services department of our local
Government. Has any one got any suggestions\sample of questions they have
used previously.
I have done this very task for a government department as the Records
Improvement Officer as a part of our automation project of the time. It
involved bringing together into one comprehensive classification system, all
the file systems that were actively in use by 30+ departments spread
continent wide and to include those that had been in use for the previous 80
odd years or more. This involved designing a Records Classification System
from scratch after creating an inventory of all the records from the past
and present (and trying to forecast the future) as well as giving a detailed
description of the software required to be used to keep track of all of the
records so that a Request for Proposal could be issued to software
developers for tender. I was also responsible to oversee the software
development and then the implementation of both the software and the data
entry into the system and finally the training of the staff as to how the
system was to be used.
You will have to do your "homework" on each of the departments that your
organization has regarding their functions, responsibilities, special
requirements and history. You will also have to know in detail the Records
Management requirements of your organization as a whole, the rules and
regulations under which your records are maintained and the practices and
procedures that your organization uses to follow those rules and
regulations.
You will find that the creators of records usually don't have much of a clue
as to what good Records Management practices are for the records that they
produce and have under their control. Furthermore, they are usually
uninformed when it comes to their responsibilities.
The questions asked should address the aims and objectives of the survey
whatever they may be. Some basic questions could be as follows.
What kind of records do you have under your control? (Case files for
individuals, administrative files for the section, classified files,
unclassified files)
What form do these records take? Are they hard copy, electronic,
photographic or some other kind or a mix of some or all of the previous?
Where are these records stored and what volume of records do you have?
Is the storage area appropriate for the safety and security for the type of
records being kept?
Are active and dormant records stored in the same place or are they
separated and given appropriate safety and security?
Do you ever dispose of records?
What methods are used to keep track of these records?
Are there back-up systems in use in case of catastrophe?
Are there special requirements for your records regarding storage, access,
etc. that might not be common throughout the organization?
If your survey is more like an inventory, then you will actually have to
inspect the records for their actual content and that can be VERY labour
intensive.
