Based on the Australian Standard AS 4390, Records Management, this International Standard was developed to standardise international best practice in records management. It provides guidance on managing records of originating organisations, public or private, for internal and external clients.
This International Standard defines records and records management as follows:
Records - information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business.
Records management - field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.
International Records Management Standard
By implementing the International Standard, organisations will ensure that the appropriate attention and protection is given to all their records, and that the evidence and information they contain can be retrieved more efficiently and effectively, using standard practices and procedures.
The International Standard is published in two parts. The first part provides general guidance on managing records of organisations. The second part is an implementation guide to the first part, and includes a methodology (Design and Implementation of Records Systems (DIRS)) which will facilitate the implementation of the first part.
The Records Management DIRS methodology
The DIRS methodology consists of an eight step process with feedback, as follows:
- Preliminary investigation - to provide the organisation with an understanding of the administrative, legal, business and social contexts in which it operates;
- Analysis of business activity - to develop a conceptual model of what the organisation does and how it does it;
- Identification of requirements for records - to identify the organisations need for records based on the conceptual model;
- Assessment of existing systems - to survey existing records management systems, and enable the identification of excessive or missing records;
- Identification of strategies for satisfying records requirements - to determine the most appropriate policies and procedures for the effective management of records;
- Design of records system - to develop a records system based on the strategies developed in the previous step;
- Implementation of a records system - to implement the system developed in the previous step;
- Post-implementation review - to measure the effectiveness of the records system, and to establish a monitoring regime.
It should be noted that BS ISO 15489 can be applied equally to records of all formats, including paper and electronic forms.
By implementing an Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) - as distinct from an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS), all the facilities which are needed in order to be able to comply with BS ISO 15489 will be included. In particular, the following facilities will be included:
- Ability to hold records in a 'read-only' format, such that records cannot be changed once stored;
- System for the identification of the retention period for a record, and the management of the record disposal process.
To assist with the understanding and implementation of the International Standard, BSI has also published:
- BIP 0025-1 Effective Records Management - A management guide to the value of BS ISO 15489;
- BIP 0025-2 Effective Records Management - Practical implementation of BS ISO 15489;
- BIP 0025-3 Effective Records Management - Performance management for BSD ISO 15489.
