Content Manager retention and disposal workflow

Organisations have different reasons for how they destroy records or relocate them for archiving. See also Retention Schedules and disposal of records for an overview of the Content Manager archiving and disposal functional elements.

You can use the workflow below as a general guide and indication of what you can do using Content Manager:

1. Create Retention Schedules to meet your needs. See Creating Retention Schedules.
2. Apply Retention Schedules to records - you can apply a Retention Schedule to every record that needs to be destroyed or archived eventually.
   • You can apply Retention Schedules to Content Manager Record Types by using the Record Type properties Defaults page, which will will apply them to all records that are created using that Record Type. See Record Type Defaults page.
   • Any user with the correct permissions can apply a Retention Schedule to a record. See Applying Retention Schedules to records.
3. Record schedules conflicting with container schedules - when you put a record with a schedule in a container and the schedule conflicts from that of the container, you will then need to check the container before its transfer to ensure that its applied schedule is correct.

   The function displays the more severe schedule of the contained records and enables you to apply a contained record's schedule to the container.

   • To review a container's Retention Schedule, see Reviewing a record's schedules
4. Create boxes - if you are archiving files, you can make the job easier by creating boxes and putting the files to be archived into these boxes.
   That way, you can manage fewer boxes rather than a large number of individual files.
   Therefore, you need a Record Type for archive boxes.
   • To create a new Record Type, see Record Types
   • To create a box, see Creating and deleting items
   • To change the disposition of a box, for example, to Archived or Destroyed using the tag facility, see Using Retention Schedules with records
   • To change the disposition of a box, for example, to Archived or Destroyed using a barcode scanner, see Barcode scanners
5. Find out which records should be archived - you can find out which records are due for archiving based upon the Retention Schedule assigned to each record.

   To find the records due for archiving, see Retention and Disposal search methods.
   The Content Manager feature Advanced Disposal Processing enables you to locate those records automatically. It also includes functions to:

   • Archivist consignment review
   • Tools for resolution of retention schedule conflicts and discrepancies
   • Sample review of consignment content
   • Approval of record disposal by authorising officers
6. Put files into boxes - you can now put the individual records that are due for archiving in boxes.

   You can do that for each file by tagging or by using a barcode scanner.

   • To move files into a box/container using the tag facility, see Setting or changing containers
   • To move files into a box/container using a barcode scanner, see Barcode scanners
7. Print a consignment list - a list of records archived - you can print a consignment list for all the archived files by printing a list of the files that appear on your screen as a result of a search. Content Manager will include the boxes they are in.

   To print a consignment list, see Reports shipped with Content Manager - Consignment list.

   Be sure to select Consignment Content when printing.

   The Content Manager feature Advanced Disposal Processing enables you to use the following functions to help with this step:

   • Preparing consignment list
   • Notify receiving agencies
   • Await and manage receipts
8. Moving consignments of boxes of archived files - you can then move the boxes to an archives repository, thereby moving all the archived files they contain.
   • Using the tag facility - see Tag functions
   • Using a barcode scanner - see Barcode scanners
   • Updating the Content Manager record field Disposition to its appropriate value, like Destroyed, or Archived (Custody Transferred), for example

   The Content Manager feature Advanced Disposal Processing enables you to manage the status of the entire consignment.

9. Archived and destroyed records remain within the Content Manager dataset. What is different is their Location and disposition.
   • To search for archived or destroyed files, see Retention and Disposal search methods
   • To find the records that have a specific schedule:
     1. On the Manage ribbon, click Schedules
     2. Select a schedule or tag multiple schedules
     3. Right-click and on the Show menu, click Show Records.
        Content Manager displays the records in a separate window.

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