When it comes to effectively managing official records, proper organization based on a record’s retention period (as outlined in the Carleton University Retention Schedule) will do most of the work for you. For example: If a retention period for a particular record type states that it must be disposed of 7 years after the end of the current fiscal year, then sorting your records in folders by their fiscal year means that you can clear out all of these expired records in a single action.
Similarly, records with a retention period based around a project’s closing date should be stored together, ideally with the closed date somewhere in the project’s top-level folder (once it is closed). This way, when it is time to transfer or delete a project, you can be sure that all relevant content is contained in a single location.
To zoom out further on this concept, a broad-to-narrow folder structure based on the top-level functions of your business unit is a valuable way to sort a centralized records repository (such as a shared network drive). This way, record types do not exist in multiple locations, which could lead to misplaced or mismanaged business information. The Carleton University Retention Schedule’s top 11 categories (Administration, Finance, HR, etc.) is a great starting point for dividing your work in this manner.
To learn more about organizing official records to minimize risk and enhance office effectiveness, check out the Advanced Records Management Toolkit, which focuses on these concepts and much more!