Update from the GRS Team
The GRS Team recently completed the first draft of their proposal for revising and updating the GRS and is seeking input from Federal records managers. The team will be holding online focus group sessions in August (for further information see RM Communication, AC 22.2012: General Records Schedule (GRS) Focus Groups). We’re also providing a copy of the draft proposal here (link is a .pdf file), in case you cannot attend the online sessions. Comments may be submitted via this blog or to the team directly at GRS_Team@nara.gov.
The proposal for the new GRS is to restructure it along more functional lines with the intent to bucket records series as much as possible. The Team used the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) as a starting point to identify major functions and sub-functions common throughout the Federal government. Another significant change is that we plan to look at functions not currently included in the GRS and to incorporate more permanent records.
When reviewing this proposal please pay attention to Appendix A where each of the functions/sub-functions is described. We have also mapped existing GRS items to each function and add potential new series where they fit in the new structure. We are most interested in your thoughts concerning how we have organized and defined the functions/sub-functions:
- Are there functions/sub-functions that should be arranged differently?
- Should any of the sub-functions be broken up or combined differently?
- Are we missing any functions/sub-functions that you think should be included?
- Are there functions/sub-functions that shouldn’t be included that are?
- Are there any records not already identified that should be added to any sub-function?
- Are there sub-functions that should be under a different function than they are?
The proposal also includes a timeline for when each function will be revised. The idea is that at least two functions will be revised and issued each fiscal year. The GRS Team has a five-year plan to complete this project. We prioritized the plan based on results from the GRS Survey conducted last May. Please feel free to comment on the timeline as well, keeping in mind that we have tried to balance the work evenly while ensuring that the most problematic functions are addressed early on:
- Are there functions that you would like to see addressed sooner than they are in the proposed plan, for example, should Human Resources Management come before Administrative Management?
- We also would like input on the ordering of the functions in FY 2016 and 2017 as these are much more flexible.
We look forward to your comments!