The DIRKS methodology is an eight-step process for agencies to use to improve their records management and information management practices, including the design and implementation of new records management systems. The methodology is compliant with, and expands on, the methodological framework of the Australian Standard for Records Management, AS ISO 15489 – 2002.
The DIRKS methodology will help federal Australian Government agencies to:
- understand the business, regulatory and social context in which they operate (step A)
- identify their need to create, control, retrieve and dispose of records (ie their records management requirements) through an analysis of their business activities and environmental factors (steps B and C)
- assess the extent to which existing organisational strategies (such as policies, procedures and practices) satisfy their records management requirements (step D)
- redesign existing strategies or design new strategies to address unmet or poorly satisfied requirements (steps E and F)
- implement, maintain and review these strategies (steps G and H)
The methodology gives rise to a number of practical tools that underpin good records management. It provides the essential framework to:
- establish a business case for records management
- develop a business classification scheme that identifies, labels and defines the unique functions and activities of an organisation
- construct agency-specific classification tools such as a functions thesaurus
- compile a functions-based records disposal authority for records unique to an agency
- compile a general disposal authority for records relating to common administrative functions
- adopt appropriate metadata standards for control and retrieval of records
- design or select records management software products and other electronic business information systems that meet an agency's requirements to create, control, retrieve and dispose of records
The DIRKS methodology is flexible and can be applied at different levels depending on the particular needs of an agency. It may be applied on an agency-wide basis or confined to specific records management systems, business activities or business units, depending on the nature of your particular records project.
Practical guidance on the use of the designing and implementing records management systems methodology is provided in DIRKS: A Strategic Approach to Managing Business Information (DIRKS Manual). The primary audience for the manual is government agency records management project teams and consultants.
