Forest for the the Trees a records management case study

Learning Objectives

  • Students will analyze the scenario based upon their understanding of records management principles
  • Students will design appropriate methods for capturing and registering records from this hypothetical organization.
  • Students will assess these systems that have been developed through discussion posts.

Scenario

You are the new records manager at H & M Pulp Paper company, and you’ve been tasked with examining systems to capture and register certain records. Some of the records that you’ve been confronted with today include:

  • Correspondence between the main office of HMPP and the division that manages the various forest lands owned by the organization. Much of this correspondence is paper records, but within the last year, these records have been sent electronically. Typically this set of records illustrates growth and management activities, tree disease, and harvest plans for various properties. Often these reports are transmitted together, except for the electronic versions which are transmitted regularly, but with each report coming separately.

  • Records documenting advertising campaigns for various products. This includes drafts of print advertisement, logos, and branding kits. You are also confronted with the completed document for campaigns. These documents seemed to be held by both marketing and communications departments. Marketing holds the final versions of print advertisements and communications holds the final versions of web-based advertisement. Typically, marketing department begins the process of creating these records, but communication often proofs and consults on these projects.

  • Documents dealing with major wholesalers of your products. HMPP keeps order, delivery, and sales records in a centralized electronic system that tracks analyze all of this information. Account managers and their subordinates also keep electronic folders of information about the various client accounts that they manage. These files can be updated by a group but contain exported emails, contract drafts, promotional materials for specific accounts.

Questions

  • What records would capture and how would you capture them?
  • For any records, you chose not to capture, what was your reason?
  • For one set up records, define some metadata heading and fill out, or makeup, the meta data for that record/record group.

Bibliography

  • Shepard and Yeo, Chapter 4

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