Frequently asked questions

Question:

Why do we need to carry out a preliminary investigation?

Answer:

Because stage three is the most labour intensive stage and when you are asked to first produce a PID for a combined RM and EDRM procurement project it is extremely difficult to scope the amount of work required in stage three. The best way to do this is to carry out a preliminary investigation and confirm the size and structure of your education organisation and all the contact points you need to make to carry out stages two, three and four (and four in particular). It is also extremely difficult to gauge at the start of a project just how much work will be involved in analysing your business activities and drawing up a business classification scheme. How many functions and activities does your education organisation perform and how many people will you need to interview and how much material will you need to study in order to complete such a task? Finally the initial investigation can give you a high level view of current records management policies, procedures and systems and hence how much work may be involved in improving them to best practice standards.

Question:

What can we do if we do not have the internal resources to conduct all these information gathering and analysis steps?

Answer:

There are three approaches you can consider. Firstly you can map out the work over an extended timeframe and hence phase the analysis of your business activity over several years. However, this just puts back the date when you start reaping the benefits and if the exercise becomes too protracted then it will become unmanageable. Secondly you can seek to acquire temporary support for the project by recruiting project staff or specialist consultancy resources to assist you with specific tasks. You still need to find a budget for this but if you can it means you can set a start and end date for a specific task such as an audit. Thirdly you can try and make as much use as possible of the models and guidance that are already available. By following the record life cycle report of you are an HEI and mapping your business activity to that model where it fits then you can speed up that process significantly. Also by following the National Archives guide to drawing up a business classification scheme you can cut down on effort significantly. A combination of all three approaches will probably represent the most effective approach.

Question:

Where can I find an example of a good analysis of the business activity of an education organisation?

Answer:

The Business Classification Scheme and Records Retention Schedule along with guidance conducted for JISC infoNet by Elizabeth Parker is an excellent example. It is geared specifically at HEIs but is also a good starting point for FE colleges (Use the following link for the FE Records Retention Schedule).

Question:

How do I set about identifying the record keeping requirements of my education organisation?

Answer:

See the guidance provided in the DIRKS manual - step C and in the JISC infoNet records management infoKit.

Question:

How do we carry out an information audit?

Answer:

Guidance is provided in the JISC infoKit on records management and the DIRKS Manual step D. You should also see The National Archives "Records Management - Records and Information Surveys" and "Guidance for an inventory of electronic record collections - a toolkit" in the Standards for the management of Government records series.