Keeping record of important documents has transformed in the last few years. Gone are the days of filing papers into files. Most documents are now archived electronically. The government document scanning guidelines and processes are important. It allows staff easy access to documents and smooth client service.
The quality of the records or documents varies from each department. Information must be captured correctly and in the correct manner. If it is not captured correctly, it will make accessibility and retrieving the file very difficult. It may also result in an unresponsive agency and a delay in dealing with certain issues.
Each department should analyse the documents that they receive and send out. It should be flagged on a priority and/or importance scale. This will determine where and how the data is stored and if it should even be rejected.Some documents may seem to be a problem as they may be working documents or draft copies. Procedures must be very clear in how to handle such documents.
The nature of the department should be clearly understood by the program manager. It is the responsibility of this manger to make sure all staff adhere to the procedures and policies. The requirements for document storage need to be explicitly clear to all staff to ensure that quality and professionalism is maintained.
Electronic mail is the new form of official communication and it is advised that staff should make sure they understand and implement email etiquette. Once you receive an email you need to decide if it\'s important or if it should be discarded. You need to manage your email effectively to ensure that you keep only that which is relevant.
There are some drawbacks with this system, but they do not represent too big a challenge. For example, working documents and draft documents may not be effectively archived. The other problem is that often these types of documents contain valuable input and comment which may not be adequately saved. The diversity of materials may also pose a problem.The security and integrity of the documents must be taken into consideration. The length of time the documents need to be kept for and measures for backing up data must be deliberated.
The government document archiving policy and procedures are critical to ensure that information is efficiently available to all who require it. Records that are managed well impact on programs and can assist to improve business process and sharing of knowledge.
