managing records on your shared drive - university of manitoba
TRANSCRIPT
Managing Records on your Shared DriveGuidelines on setting up a file plan for your electronic content
Issued 2020
Access and Privacy Office
• A file plan is a filing structure designed to aid employees in properly saving, finding, and managing electronic records within their shared drive.
• Think of it as a map to your filing system, one that uses your records authority schedules as a key to help you locate relevant documents.
What is a File Plan?
A file plan enables:
• Better control and access to records;
• Improved compliance with FIPPA and PHIA;
• The correct filing of documents;
• The ability to manage record retentions.
Why should I have one?
Access and Privacy Office
Sounds good, what’s next?
• Prior to making any decisions and changes to your shared drive, it is important to ensure management support of the project. This type of project will take time.
• Once the decision to proceed is made, you may choose to contact the Records Manager to discuss the project for additional help.
Access and Privacy Office
Recommendations
1) The Common Records Authority Schedule and any function-specific schedules related to your office should form the “trunk” of your structure.
2) Try to ensure that your structure does not include more than 2 or 3 levels of folders above the actual records –keep it wide and shallow, as much as possible.
3) Evaluate what you do in the office – frequent tasks and commonly accessed documents need to be close to the “trunk” of your structure.
Access and Privacy Office
Recommendations
4. Structure folders to support disposition management (destruction or transfer of the records). This is usually done at the second or third folder level, not the “trunk.”
5. Meet with co-workers to discuss changes, and communicate status frequently.
6. Don’t make any changes without communicating the plans and timelines with coworkers first.
7. Use shortcuts that link to records, rather than saving multiple copies of the same document.
Access and Privacy Office
Step 1: Start with the Common Records Authority Schedule
Start by looking at the Common Records Authority Schedule as a template for filing electronic documents. These are the basic activities that most areas carry out. Identify the functions or “containers” that apply to your office.
Access and Privacy Office
Step 1 might look like this:
Access and Privacy Office
Let’s Review:
You may have records related to these tasks, but you may have different names you use to refer to them in your unit. The file plan needs to reflect the unique needs of your office.
Identify your main activities and bring them up to the “trunk” level so they are readily seen, rather than in a larger container. We can refine this based on your knowledge of how the office functions.
Access and Privacy Office
Let’s ask ourselves and our coworkers:
✓What files do we need all the time?
✓What are our most important duties?
✓What terms do we use to refer to our files?
Access and Privacy Office
Step 2 then looks like this:
Access and Privacy Office
Let’s Review:
We have brought our most important and frequently accessed folders to the top of the filing structure, which is a huge improvement on our first look at the shared drive.
What can we do at the next level to help us find and manage records?
Access and Privacy Office
Filing by Fiscal Year
Since many business files are organized in this way, it might make sense for your unit to begin filing by year.
Access and Privacy Office
Permanent Records
Many governance files, such as Faculty or Department Council minutes are permanent. Active files are retained by the creator. Inactive files may be transferred to the Archives. Contact the Records Manager to request a records transfer or if you have questions about the process.
Access and Privacy Office
Case files, such as student or employee files are retained as active records when the relationship is active. When the relationship ends, that becomes the date that triggers the retention.
Access and Privacy Office
Case Files
But… we’re not done yet.
It takes continued effort to maintain order! It is best to assign responsibility for managing the records on the shared drive with the staff responsible for creating and using them. You can assign responsibilities for maintaining folders to staff, who should make sure to review the folders annually and manage retention based on the Records Authority Schedules in place.
Access and Privacy Office
For More Information:
Please contact Rachelle Ross, University Records Manager
Email: [email protected]: (204) 474-8757
