# Presentation: 281261

## Guidance for Flexible Scheduling 

**David B. Brown, Special Assistant**
**Office of the Archivist – Washington, DC**

- RACO 2005

## What is a traditional schedule? 

- Basic unit for organizing and controlling files is a series or electronic system
- Agency records series and systems
-    are shown as separate items
- Usually arranged primarily by organization or function

- RACO 2005

**Notes:**
This room is full of experienced records managers who are familiar with the traditional scheduling process, but lets review that process for a moment in order to provide context for our discussion of flexible scheduling.  
Bullet 2- which are individually scheduled for appropriate disposition 
Bullet 3-  And traditional schedules are ...

## NARA Guidance

- NARA Bulletin 2005-05 Guidance for Flexible Scheduling
- Issued as Memo to Agency Records Officers NWM 18.2005 on April 22, 2005

- RACO 2005

## What is flexible scheduling? 

- Provides for concrete disposition instructions that may be applied to groupings of information and/or categories of records
- The difference from the traditional scheduling approach is that the unit to be scheduled is not the individual records series or an electronic system

- RACO 2005

**Notes:**
Bullet 1-  Therefore we are moving away from the assertion that:
Basic unit for organizing and controlling files is a series or electronic system 
Agency records series and systems are shown as separate items, and most importantly,
The series or systems are individually scheduled for appropriate disposition 

Bullet 2-  , but all records in all media relating to a work process, group of related work processes, or a broad program area to which the same length of retention should be applied

## What is a “big bucket” or large aggregation schedule? 

- Type of flexible schedule
- Allows disposition instruction(s) to apply to multiple series or systems
- Supports the business needs of agencies
- Provides the documentation necessary to protect legal rights and ensure government accountability

- RACO 2005

**Notes:**
All right, so let us specifically talk about Big Bucket or large aggregation schedules. 

Bullet 2- Application of disposition instructions against a body of (If the) records (are) grouped at a level of aggregation greater than the traditional file series or electronic system that can be along a specific program area, functional line, or business process \

Bullets 3 and 4- . The goal of this type of flexible scheduling is to provide for the disposition of records at a level of aggregation that best supports the business needs of agencies, while ensuring the documentation necessary to protect legal rights and ensure government accountability. 

## How do you develop a “big bucket” or large aggregation flexible schedule?

- Determine if a “big bucket” or large aggregation flexible schedule meets agency business needs
- Review reliable existing schedules to determine if existing records series can be grouped into “big buckets” or large aggregations
- Contact your NARA appraisal archivist for consultation and guidance.

- RACO 2005

**Notes:**
Bullet 1- and ensures adequate and proper documentation, also is it implementable

Bullet 2- is this logical for you?

Bullet 3- Very important.  You do not need to do this on your own.

## How do you develop a “big bucket” or large aggregation flexible schedule?, Cont’d

- Conduct functional or business process analysis
- Identify records series that come from work process(es)
- Determine values for records series and/or larger groupings of records

- RACO 2005

**Notes:**
Bullet 1-  (1) Study the work processes and functions of the agency and program offices to ascertain logical groupings of records.
(2) Review relevant parts of agency manuals or record schedules for changes such as reorganizations, name changes, and elimination of programs and functions.
(3) If the business processes are being improved or dramatically reengineered, it would be advantageous to piggyback on that work since the business process analysis will be occurring anyway. This might also be an opportunity to inject records management requirements into the business process redesign.  

## How do you develop a “big bucket” or large aggregation flexible schedule?, Cont’d

- Group like record series/systems into larger aggregations or buckets
- Name these larger aggregations or buckets
- Determine the value of records within each aggregation, bucket, or series

- RACO 2005

## How do you develop a “big bucket” or large aggregation flexible schedule?, Cont’d

- Submit schedule to NARA along with any documentation accumulated during the schedule development process
- Crosswalks to previously approved schedules
- Materials that document the agency’s business process
- Information concerning the specific file units subsumed under each aggregation, bucket, or series

- RACO 2005

## What assistance is available from NARA? 

- NARA’s Life Cycle Management Division provides assistance and advice to agency records officers in the Washington, DC, area _[http://www.archives.gov/records_management/policy_and_guidance/appraisal_and_scheduling.html](http://www.archives.gov/records_management/policy_and_guidance/appraisal_and_scheduling.html)__ _
- The Records Management staff in NARA's regional offices provides assistance to records officers across the country http://www.archives.gov/facilities/index.html

- RACO 2005