Objectives of the Information Audit
The information audit has a series of specific objectives. These can be divided into immediate, short term and long-term objectives.
Immediate
An interim report on the current state of play, which is non-judgemental and allows the process owners to confirm, amend or refute your preliminary conclusions. It is an overview, whose outcomes will shape the way you go about the detail of the audit. In many situations these will be accompanied by process maps which allow you to go back to your informants and say, 'this is what I think happens in your area, is it correct?' This is probably the vital stage for achieving willing buy-in from your colleagues. It is also an important element in a Communication Strategy.
Short-term
To establish the shape of the organisational structure
To identify which business functions create which records
To identify what these records are used for
To identify where they are kept and by whom
To identify how long they are kept and how long they should be kept
To identify who needs to use them now, and who might need them in the future if the present record holder leaves the institution, or if the structure of the organisation itself changes.
To identify legacy systems and records which might be discontinued
To identify vital records, that is the small core of records which are necessary for the institution's daily business and legal obligations. It is vital that these records remain accessible whatever disasters occur.
Long-term
Development of economic records storage and retrieval
Improvement of records management systems
Development of improved work-flow processes
Development of retention schedules (also known as disposal schedules)
In practice in almost every case it is the short-term which will determine the approach and the priorities.
