Undertaking A Record Survey
Undertaking a comprehensive audit of the records you hold, the processes which create them and the measures taken to manage them represents a significant task. However, its findings are a crucial weapon in helping you manage records throughout their semi-active use and through to their final state.
Why Is This Important?
The records survey provides an objective assessment of an institution's record-keeping practices, and the way in which that information is actually used. In many respects it is the first and most important step towards getting control of records and the information which they contain. It is a time-consuming and labour-intensive process, but is likely to produce insights into many other aspects of the way in which your organisation functions, in addition to its records management focus. For example:
- highlighting where there is unnecessary duplication of records
- indicating where business processes might be streamlined for more efficient administration
- demonstrating where records are being kept too long
- highlighting areas where user training and awareness of records management tasks needs to be increased
- identifying vital records
- uncovering where cost savings might be made through economies of scale etc
- determining preservation requirements
This is not a comprehensive list of objectives, merely an indication of the potential range of knowledge that can be obtained through such a survey and the benefits it may bring.
How To Undertake An Information Audit
Because of scale and complexity of undertaking a full record survey, a separate mini-guide to this process is included within this infoKit .
