VPRS 15074 Business Classification Scheme [RECORDS NOT TRANSFERRED]

Full description

This series consists of the Business Classification Scheme used by the Department of Justice (VA 3085) to classify and arrange the records maintained by their Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). The EDMS was implemented in 2004, and was used by the Department of Justice to track and manage all records (both electronic (including email) and hardcopy) received or created by the Department. Records were transferred to Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) as VEOs (VERS Encapsulated Objects) in accordance with the Victorian Electronic Records Strategy (VERS) Standard.

The Business Classification Scheme was developed for use as a guide to filing conventions in conjunction with the EDMS followed the Australian Standard for Records Management (AS ISO 15489) and was based on Keyword AAA, the classification scheme devised by State Records, New South Wales. Terminology was adjusted to align with Department of Justice functions and terminology.

Keyterms, used by the top level of the classification scheme, reflected the core functions of the Department of Justice as well as common administrative functions.

Descriptors, which were incorporated into the second level of the classification scheme, represented the major activities within each function.

Free text was used at the bottom level of the classification scheme in order to allocate a more specific definition of the content of the file or folder.

The EDMS used was a configuration of TRIM software produced by Tower Software with a three tier container hierarchy.

The top level configuration container was Files, which were represented in TRIM by four record types: Corporate File, Offender File, Corporate Vicses File and HR Personnel File.

The secondary level configuration consisted of three 'container' record types, being Ministerial Correspondence, Executive Correspondence and Corporate Document Group. Both Ministerial and Executive Correspondence act as both folders and documents. Inwards correspondence were scanned and registered using the appropriate record type with any responses to the correspondence being captured within the relevant inward item. Corporate Document Group was used as a means to group documents together, much like a paper clip. Secondary level record types could be contained in any of the File record types.

The bottom level configuration was the Corporate Document record type. These could be Microsoft Office or Email documents, or any other electronic or hardcopy format. Bottom level record types could be contained in either secondary or top level record types.

Records were arranged by File and Record Type and assigned a unique identifier based on an alphabetical record type code, the year, and then a sequential number. Arrangement was in accordance with the classification specifications detailed in the Business Services, Electronic Document Management Classification Scheme document.

The Department of Justice developed their classification structure so that it would conform to the requirements of VERS as specified by PROV Standard PROS 99/007 Management of Electronic Records. The format of the records, structure of the metadata collated about each record, and other aspects of the records follow guidelines set out by the Standard.

In keeping with the Victorian and Federal Governments' focus on e-governance, more public records traditionally retained in paper format are being created and managed within an electronic environment. VERS was created to address issues concerning best management of electronic records, such as the long term preservation of electronic records in a readable and accessible format, association of the context of an electronic record with the document(s), and the preservation of the evidential quality of electronic records. Centralisation of recordkeeping systems through using methodologies such as DIRKS (Designing and Implementing Record Keeping Systems), which was developed by State Records of New South Wales and endorsed by the Australian Standard on Records Management (AS ISO 15489), provided the best means of approaching management of electronic records in a manner which conformed with ideals of e-governance. Recordkeeping decisions, such as the identification of public records worthy for permanent retention, can be made at the point of records creation, which enables more appropriate metadata to be collated regarding the documents concerned.