Well it's certainly not a sensible practice but we all no doubt have similar examples.
 
My suggestion would be that you have only one controlled document which incorporates all variations. That way you have only one approved "Grass cutting procedure" but within that it says "If you are a 2002 man, cut is 2 inches, but if you are a 2005 man it is 3 inches" etc. Needs better drafting and organisation of the document than that of course.
 
That way you have only one current document to maintain. Retention of superseded versions can then follow normal practice e.g. CY +3 years. When terms become irrelevant (last 2002 man leaves) that bit can be excised from the current version
 
This makes the RM simpler and also adds incentive to the service to do something about it
 

Phillip Bradshaw


Room CY5C, County Hall

Phone:         029 2087 3346
Mobile :        07890 265987
Fax:              029 2087 3349

 

From: The UK Records Management mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lawrence Serewicz
Sent: 16 September 2011 11:06
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Maintaining copies of previous working practices in place [Friday question]

Dear All,

I think that this may be a Friday question.  I cannot seem to formulate it into a query that I can research so I hope you can help me with it.

 

The scenario is this:  A service has a variety of working practice documents for various activities and they want to know how to retain them for historical and business purposes.  The situation as I understand it, although I may have to clarify it, is the following. If a cohort of workers came in under the 2002 rules, they stay on the 2002 rules. If new rules are introduced in 2005, the 2002 workers stay on the 2002 rules and any workers hired after 2005 go on the 2005 rules. 

 

I believe that these are not nationally agreed contractual terms and conditions, but rather working practices developed within the service.  This is also different from the organisation's constitution, which will have set the context for the rules in force at that time for Council decisions or those delegated under the constitution at that time.

 

My questions are these, which I have not been able to formulate into a query to research.

 

1.Is this logically justifiable as a business practice?  By that I mean, it seems strange to have, in one service, a patchwork of working practices which only apply depending on when the person was hired.

 

2. How do I write a retention guideline for this approach as  I will have to retain multiple editions of rules and procedures.  Thus, I may have grass cutting procedure 2002, and a grass cutting procedure 2005 both of which are in force depending on when the grass cutter came into service.  [Don't ask me what happens when a grass cutter 2002 works with a grass cutter from 2005. It probably needs a grass cutter from 2007 to supervise. :)]

 

3. Has anyone else come across this issue and how have you addressed it?  Did you retain all the previous editions or do you harmonize the editions, sort of like upgrading software, so that the latest edition is the only one retained? 

 

Or is this the tail wagging the dog by which an attempt to harmonize business practice is being driven by a records management logic rather than being driven by a business processes logic?

 

Any advice or guidance or solutions would be gratefully received and certainly reciprocated.

 

Best,

 

Lawrence

 

Principal Information Management Officer

Durham County Council

Room 4/140

County Hall

County Durham

DH1 5UF

 

0191 372 8371

VPN 77778371

 

 

 

 



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