Records Management includes the full lifecycle: from record creation or receipt through processing, distribution, organization, and retrieval, to disposition. Records can be physical (e.g., documents, memos, contracts, reports or microfiche); electronic (e.g., email content, attachments, and instant messaging); content on a website; documents on all types of media and hardware; and data captured in databases of all kinds. Hybrid records, such as aperture cards (paper record with a microfiche window imbedded with details or supporting material), combine formats. A Vital Record is type a record required to resume an organization’s operations the event of a disaster.
Trustworthy records are important not only for record keeping but also for regulatory compliance. Having signatures on the record contributes to a record’s integrity. Other integrity actions include verification of the event (i.e., witnessing in real time) and double-checking the information after the event.
Well-prepared records have characteristics such as:
- Content: Content must be accurate, complete and truthful.
- Context: Descriptive information (Metadata) about the record’s creator, date of creation, or relationship to other records should be collected, structured and maintained with the record at the time of record creation.
- Timeliness: A record should be created promptly after the event, action or decision occurs.
- Permanency: Once they are designated as records, records cannot be changed for the legal length of their existence.
- Structure: The appearance and arrangement of a record’s content should be clear. They should be recorded on the correct forms or templates. Content should be legible, terminology should be used consistently.
Reference: ISO 9001-4.2
