Who manages records?
Recordkeeping responsibilities of all staff
All staff in an organisation are responsible for making records and capturing these into official recordkeeping systems. These responsibilities should be set out clearly in corporate policy and procedures. This is particularly important when records management systems are rolled out to users and they capture their own documents into the system, and where email is sent direct to the recipients without passing through any central registration system. The timely capture of the record itself and relevant details about the record (metadata) determine the reliability and useability of the records over time.
Nominated senior officer
Under the Standard on Managing a Records Management Program a NSW public office must assign responsibility for oversight of the records management program to a senior officer, known by State Records as the 'Nominated Senior Officer'. This person must be at a suitably senior level, have organisation-wide influence and appropriate strategic and managerial skills to be able to direct the records management program.
Records managers
The management of records requires a range of strategic and operational skills. Depending upon the scale of the organisation, these roles are filled by one person or by a number of people.
Records managers work in partnership with ICT professionals, business managers, and other information and knowledge managers to build good recordkeeping into the business activities of the organisation.
Strategic and managerial skills are needed for:
- formulating corporate recordkeeping and records management policies for records in all formats, including electronic records
- setting corporate standards for recordkeeping and records management
- monitoring performance and compliance with standards and other requirements
- providing records management consultancy services to business units
- designing recordkeeping systems (in partnership with ICT and business managers).
This requires a wide range of skills beyond an understanding of recordkeeping. Other skills and knowledge that may be required include:
- strategic planning
- performance monitoring
- project management
- business analysis techniques
- information systems design and documentation
- data management principles and techniques
- high level communication skills, and
- resource management.
Operational skills are required to implement records management processes and tools in an organisation, whether for the whole of the organisation, business unit or workgroup level. These skills include:
- classifying, registering and tracking records in recordkeeping systems
- implementing retention and disposal authorities
- maintaining classification schemes
- inventorying records systems, and
- providing quality records services.
Other skills that are required include:
- good communication skills
- training
- time management and prioritisation, and
- planning.
In smaller organisations, an operational records manager may have a number of other duties.
