Recordkeeping
WATC is committed to having a recordkeeping system that is reliable, systemic and well-managed within a framework for consistent and accountable implementation. As per Section 19 of the State Records Act 2000, WATC has an approved Recordkeeping Plan that is valid until December 2019.
The following information is provided in accordance with the
Information Management Systems
WATC recognises that information is a valuable corporate asset that is vital for ongoing operations as well as providing valuable evidence of business decisions, activities and transactions. As such, we are committed to establishing and maintaining information management practices that meet our business needs, compliance requirements and stakeholder expectations. The benefit of following best practice standards is having meaningful information that is well-described, stored in known locations and accessible when needed. Therefore, WATC has implemented fit-for-purpose information management practices and systems to ensure the creation, maintenance and protection of accurate, authentic and reliable information.
Ongoing monitoring, reviewing and evaluation ensures the efficiency and effectiveness of our information management. WATC does this through a variety of methods, including conducting internal surveys, actively reviewing industry standards and systems, and completing compliance audits. Additionally, work is currently underway on updating our Recordkeeping Plan, ready for implementation in December 2019. The plan outlines how records should be created, managed and maintained over time, and disposed of in accordance with relevant legislation to ensure all business information is captured into the appropriate business information systems.
At present, WATC runs a hybrid recordkeeping system managing both hardcopy and digital records. Our primary information management system is the electronic document and records management system (EDRMS). An upgrade to our EDRMS was completed in April 2019, which provided greater customisation, user preference options, and additional integration and functionality for creating, storing and searching our electronic records. Hardcopy (paper) records, whether received from an external source or created for internal business purposes, are captured and managed in EDRMS either through metadata profiles or with a digitised (scanned) copy of the record.
Responding to user feedback, Information Management is using the implementation of the new EDRMS to drive organisational efficiencies, while also reducing hardcopy records, through the creation of a new electronic only record type. Additionally, a new record type was introduced that allows business units to categorise their project records into the relevant project phase. This has led to increased user satisfaction, business unit efficiencies, convenience in record creation and speed of information retrieval. Further organisational efficiencies have been found through the implementation of user labels, record rendering, saved searches and document queues.
Induction and Training Programs
Inductions are important as they are concerned with ensuring a newly appointed person is acclimatised with WATC and our culture, while also providing them with the necessary information to commence the process of learning their new role, responsibilities and obligations. As part of our induction program, new employees are introduced to different business areas so they can gain an understanding of various activities within the organisation and how they contribute towards our vision. The Information Management team familiarises people with our recordkeeping policies, procedures and systems, which includes practical demonstrations and activities. Upon completion, new employees are competent in knowing what constitutes a record, how to create and retrieve a record, and what their roles and responsibilities are in order to be compliant with our recordkeeping plan and the
Annual information management training is provided to all of WATC’s people. The online module covers all aspects of recordkeeping awareness, reminds employees of their roles, responsibilities and obligations in regards to our Recordkeeping Plan and includes an assessment component. Information management training requirements are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure currency, effectiveness and adequacy of the material. Additionally, the Information Management team actively welcomes qualitative feedback from all training sessions. This feedback is reviewed and future training is amended accordingly. To complement our recordkeeping training program, information management policies, procedures and user guides are available to everyone via the Corporate Documents user label in the EDRMS.
Looking Ahead:
Implement the updated Recordkeeping Plan on 1 December 2019.
Update information management strategy to support continual improvement in information management practices.
Look to drive further organisational efficiencies through the use of content management workflows and additional record types.
Create a central knowledge hub for people to access all information management policies, procedures and guides as well as news on system updates and a hints and tips section.
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