Records management policies and procedures: a roadmap towards proper records management

Correspondent | Friday May 12, 2017 11:57

The truth is that, every business or organisation is involved in the production and recipient of records in their daily operations and there is a need for organisations to manage their records effectively. However, it can be argued that proper records management largely depend on the availability of records management policies and procedure for their management.

Policies and procedures act as roadmap or lens for proper management of records in every organisation because they spells the does and the don’ts in relation to records management practices or activities. Proper records management can only be achieved if there are available policies and guidelines that drive records management activities within the organisation.

Policies and procedures underscore how records are managed from their points of creation to their disposition stage.

One can argue that organisations which have records management policies and procedures or guideline for the management of their records are also in compliance with ISO 15489 which is an international standard for managing records.

This standard emphasis that all organisations, whether public or private should have formally agreed policies and procedures for the management of their records; therefore it is advisable that organisation whether public or private should establish records management policies and procedures for the management of their records.

The policy should also spell how records generated by means of technologies should be managed such as email records, word processed documents, electronic spreadsheets as well as audio-visual records.

All records, whether in the form of paper, electronic or audio-visual are important assert of every organisation and they need to be managed effectively regardless of the medium they have been created or received; therefore the development of records management policies should address records in all format.

In nutshell, the records management policy should provide guidance to the management of records irrespective of their format.

However, organisations which do not have records management policies and procedures are likely to suffer from poor records management and some of the consequences of poor records management include; poor decision making, increase in corruption, fraud and theft, loss of business opportunities, poor corporate governance as well as difficulty in complying with legal and regulatory requirements.

DONALD RAKEMANE