When to create a record?
Keep the knowledge – make a record!
Our training package will help your agency's staff decide when to create a record.
Creating records
Records are created to support the business of an agency and managing records should be an integral part of everyone's work. Records help an agency conduct its business in an efficient and accountable way.
Records can either be created as part of a business process, such as writing a report, letter or email, or as a deliberate action after the event, such as writing minutes or creating a note for file. It is important that your agency has procedures in place to ensure records are created routinely by staff.
Records document:
- what happened
- what was decided or recommended
- what advice or instruction was given
- when it happened
- who was involved
- the order of events and decisions.
Records need to:
- be complete, accurate and reliable
- reflect the purpose they were created for
- be detailed enough to suit the circumstances and be understood by others
- be created close to the event to ensure they are accurate and reliable.
Knowing what records to create involves:
- knowing the requirements of legislation and your agency's business including its policies, procedures and directives
- using work process analysis to identify what records are needed to document business or work processes. A good tool for doing this is the Australian Standard AS 5090—2003, Work process analysis for recordkeeping
- assessing risks associated with not creating records.
Once they are created, records need to be safeguarded in a system that will keep them authentic, reliable and useable for as long as they are needed.
