Business and Records Classifications Schemes are a hierarchical set of terms for categorising an organisation's business information.
To develop either classification scheme you need to understand your agency's responsibilities and the types of records, information and data that are created and captured as a result.
The following resources are helpful for developing terms and definitions for Functions, Activities, Transactions and Topics:
- Conducting an information review
- Governance documentation such as enabling legislation, charters, strategic plans and other high-level documents
- Agency-specific Records Authority
- ADFA Express Version 2 and other general records authorities
- AGIFT – Australian Governments’ Interactive Functions Thesaurus.
Developing terms for classification schemes
Functions
Functions are generally expressed as nouns. Functions should cover all the areas of responsibility within your agency.
Try not to use Functions that have the same name as organisation units. This may lead to staff attributing that term to classify records for all business activities, for example: if the agency's people management unit is called People and Culture then the function should be Personnel Management or similar.
Activities
Activities are often expressed as verbs or action words. An activity is made up of smaller tasks that form a major task.
For example, Grant Funding is an activity that represents many smaller tasks, such as submitting funding applications, assessing funding applications, awarding successful applications, and responding to unsuccessful applications.
All data, information and records should belong to a function and activity. However, you may also define Transactions and Topics under some activities. They are useful when using or setting titling conventions.
Transactions
Transactions are the smallest expression of an activity.
If they are routine transactions that are aggregated for ease of management, they may be grouped by a date range or some other modifier.
Topics
Topics are defined lists of aggregation terms that are applicable to activities and routine transactions such as Ministerials, complaints and applications.
Topics may be specific subjects, geographic areas or addresses/locations, or any other mutually exclusive categories.
For example, Information Technology and Telecommunications – Allocating – Mobile Phones – Gascoyne region.
Attributing term sources
When using terms taken from Keyword AAA or AFDA Express Version 2 for example, it is useful to attribute them. That way you can see terms that have been created within your agency as well as ones that have been borrowed from other sources.
Although it is common to use terms from Keyword AAA and AFDA Express for administrative functions, they may not work for your organisation.
For example, your agency may prefer the term Corporate Governance to Strategic Management.
When you use alternative terms, map them to the equivalent terms in AFDA Express 2 to enable disposal processes.