As part of DLA’s plan to conquer the many records made throughout the agency, the Records and Information Management Program is conducting its first enterprise-wide records inventory beginning June 11. The inventory process is crucial to the future of records management in the agency.
The records inventory team will spend a week at DLA headquarters followed by a week at each of the Major Subordinate Commands. They will train the on-site component records officers who will complete the inventory at their individual sites.
The goal is to identify the information and records that document the agency’s mission and functions as well as how long they must be maintained to support legal, financial, and business practices. They are also looking for records with legal, fiscal, administrative or historical value to ensure the information is protected and accessible for as long as need be.
With the information gathered, the inventory team will determine records’ series and retention timelines through a records appraisal. They’ll then draft new records schedules in coordination with the functional line of business offices and stakeholders. Once the schedules are set, they will be sent to the National Archives and Records Administration for approval in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Through the inventory and appraisal process, the team and component records officers are also finding ways to improve RIM practices. They will take note of deficiencies and provide recommendations and assistance for the future to improve recordkeeping practices.
“The process of conducting an inventory, evaluating the data collected, preparing records schedules and assessments is time-consuming, but it will provide the RIM team with a better idea of how to assist function line of business offices to more efficiently manage their records and information assets,” said Agency Records Officer Cecilia Wiker.
Records management is critical to the agency’s audit readiness initiative. The records inventory is a baseline for providing an up-to-date records schedule that allows DLA employees to better know what records they need to keep and how long to keep them.