Implementing DIRKS Methodology For Effective Record Keeping In Attorney General Department

Activities Involved in Implementing DIRKS Methodology

Question:

Discuss about the Record Keeping Framework for DIRKS Methodology.

The DIRKS methodology can be defined as the structured procedure of designing and implementing the record keeping system (Stuart, 2017). The methodology offers a comprehensive approach to the system design, which will help an individual to create a system having adequate record keeping functions that are specific, and meets the need of the particular business model. The methodology of DIRKS is defined under the Australian standard AS ISO 15489-2002, Records Management.

In context of the attorney general departments, numerous new functions have been added ever since the application of the DIRKS Methodology and are presently undergoing assessment. The Attorney’s General Department makes the use of RDA and AFDA for sentencing (Findlay, 2017). However, there are certain key provisions of the standards, which is relevant in process of record keeping, and legislative that are applicable in the present situation of Attorney’s General Department.

The below stated procedure outlines the activities that are involved in the implementation of the DIRKS methodology.

Preliminary investigations: Attorney’s General Department should collect information so that it can identify the legal and structural characteristics of the department. The preliminary investigations would help Attorney’s General Department in obtaining an understanding of the factors that would influence the need of the department in creating and maintaining records (Oliver & Foscarini, 2014). Thus, preliminary investigations would enable Attorney’s General Department in creating an awareness of the department business activities, technological infrastructure and risk involved in the record keeping procedure.

Analysis of the business activity: Under the analysis of the business activity, the Attorney’s General Department must recognize and document the department’s business functions. Analysing the business activities would help in determining the activities and transactions as how, when and where these are executed.

Evaluation of the current system: The Attorney’s General Department should evaluate the system presently that is used to execute the functions of the departments in their organization (Yeo, 2016). The assessment of the present system would help the Attorney’s General Department in recognizing the system that are not meeting the record keeping system requirements of the department.

Recognition of strategies for recordkeeping: The Attorney’s General Department must determine the strategies that would enable its system in meeting the requirements of record keeping. By identifying the strategies for recordkeeping, the Attorney’s General Department would be better able to select strategies that fit with the department culture and environment.

Key Provisions of DIRKS Standards for Record Keeping and Legislative Contexts

Designing of record keeping system: The vision of the department of shifting towards the digital environment would not completely help in removing the current paper files because of security considerations (Graham, 2014). Given the increase in the business functions of the department designing a recordkeeping system that incorporate the business strategy of moving digital would help in better record keeping of the department.

Implementation of the record keeping system: The Attorney’s General Department must additionally make sure that all the elements of the new redesign system functions are in accordance of the department’s requirement (Piggott, 2015). This can be attained by converting legacy data, rolling out technology and managing change.

Gathering post implementation review: Following the implementation of the new record system obtaining information on the effectiveness of the recordkeeping system is necessary. This can be done by collecting reviews from survey or interview the staff regarding the new system. Therefore, the feedback obtained from such post implementation review would help in rectifying any problems identified.

The key provisions of DIRKS standards relevant to record keeping and legislative and regulatory contexts is outlined under the ISO 15489.1, Information and Documentation Record Management. The provision of the ISO 15489.1 that are applicable for Attorney’s General Department should be in conformity with the Australia Standard, AS 4390-1996 Records Management (Alberts et al., 2014). The procedure of DIRKS is not considered as the mandatory requirement in respect of the State Records Act 1998. Instead, in the present context of the Attorney’s General Department it can be used as the tool of assisting in improving the record keeping in organization. This can be considered as the outcome, which can contribute significantly to the efficiency and accountability of the business of Attorney’s General Department. Therefore, implementing the aspects of the DIRKS Methodology can assist the Attorney’s General Department in achieving compliance with the several state records mandatory requirements.

The department has implemented control by placing focus on the EDMS in the form of record keeping policy. The department implements control by ensuring that the corporate records must be captured in this system. Following the ANAO audit the policies of the department has been modified to better understand and accommodate the information technology of the business (Mokhtar & Yusof, 2016). The continuum theories of record keeping system of the Attorney’s General Department is maintained under the separate system following the assessment of the record keeping requirements and identification of the relevant risk. As evident from the case study, that branch of information service has developed the knowledge and information framework that places the system of record keeping as the important element of management. The Attorney’s General Department has structured the branch in a manner that co-locates the adjoining areas of management regarding the information created in the department in order the support the collaborations of clients collectively.

Record Keeping Policies for Attorney General Department

In an attempt to outlines the policies, strategies and record keeping functions for Attorney’s General Department, which will enable the department of capable of executing a wide range of standards concerning the record keeping functions. Classifications forms an important element in the record keeping strategies that outlines that arrangement of records in the categories depending upon the activities of the business the department document as the means of facilitating record control, retrieval, disposal and access helps in promoting standard record keeping (Packalén & Henttonen, 2016). This can be applied by the Attorney’s General Department in achieving compliance with all the necessary requirements, which is applicable to the business documented within them.

In an effort towards record keeping policies, tracking helps in adequate monitoring of the record that is used to make sure that no in appropriate use takes place and the Attorney’s General Department is able to maintain an audited record for business use. This would help in promoting authenticity as stored record will not be tampered with, altered or deleted improperly. In addition to this, access and security monitoring would help in assigning rights or restrictions that would safeguard the record against the unauthorized or inappropriate use or the access of information. 

Additionally, as a strategy to implement the record keeping strategy indexing would help in creating a access point in order to facilitate record retrieval. Consequently, this would help in allowing records to be shared as the information resources across the workspace, business units or departments (Madden, 2016). The structure that has been applied by the department has been is based on the ad hoc scanning along with the flow of work across the department to assess the ability to automatically scan on the large scale so that a best practice can be developed. As an overall effort, this may lessen the administration of file and create efficiencies in cost of storage. Additionally this would help in promoting access to the staff to record from numerous locations along with the control, tracking and auditing of the assets.

As understood from the learnings of the Attorney’s General Department record keeping framework implementation is evidently lay down that a move towards the digital environment would result in major cultural shift in the department and they require significant amount of measure to be in place to administer the change (Stephenson, 2014). Therefore, as evident from the learning, as assertion can be bought forward that an upgrade in the scanning would assist the department in capitalising on the electronic flow of work and electronic document management to administer the business procedure online.

As discerned from the learning DIRKS can be termed as the challenging procedure however, it results in incredibly rewarding both in terms of organisationally and personally. For the wide range of organization depending upon the nature of the DIRKS project, person that are working through the DIRKS will be able to gain an excellent understanding of the organizational business, both in terms of the requirements and the method involved in conducting it (Abuzawayda et al., 2013). The individuals working through the DIRKS will be able to gain experience in consultation of stakeholders. Additionally, they will be able to generate a concrete experience of the change management. Perhaps people working through the DIRKS in the range of organization will possess a better understanding of the records management requirements and methods involved in the implementation of the methodology to meet the requirements of the organization.

Reference List:

Abuzawayda, Y. I., Yusof, Z. M., & AZIZ, M. A. (2013). ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN LIBYA: ADOPTION OF DIRKS MODEL. Journal of Theoretical & Applied Information Technology, 53(3).

Alberts, I., Schellinck, J., Eby, C., & Marleau, Y. (2013, October). Bringing together Functional Classification and Business Process Analysis: Growing Trends in Records Management. In Proceedings of the Annual Conference of CAIS/Actes du congrès annuel de l'ACSI.

Findlay, C. (2017). Updated for the Digital Age ISO 15489. Information Management, 51(3), 26.

Graham, S. (2014). Management of information organizations.

Madden, C. L. (2016). Exploring user experience in records management (Doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology).

Mokhtar, U. A., & Yusof, Z. M. (2016). Records management practice: The issues and models for classification. International Journal of Information Management, 36(6), 1265-1273.

Oliver, G., & Foscarini, F. (2014). Records management and information culture: Tackling the people problem. Facet Publishing.

Packalén, S., & Henttonen, P. (2016). Recordkeeping professionals’ understanding of and justification for functional classification: Finnish public sector organizational context. Archival Science, 16(4), 403-419.

Piggott, M. (2015). Records Management and Information Culture: Tackling the People Problem.

Stephenson, M. (2014). Records management and information culture: tackling the people problem.

Stuart, K. J. (2017). Methods, methodology and madness: digital records management in the Australian government. Records Management Journal, 27(2).

Yeo, G. (2016). Information needs analysis: principles and practice in information organizations, by Daniel G Dorner, GE Gorman and Philip J Calvert.