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Electronic Filing Procedures

Frequently Asked Questions

On this page:

Some frequently asked questions about electronic filing procedures.

• Why do we have a shared electronic filing scheme?
• Why are the electronic folders on the shared Policy and Planning (PP) drive?
• Why is it important to use the file naming conventions when saving my record?
• How can I help prevent my document from being accidentally deleted or changed?
• When might I need to file records on the paper file as well as electronically?
• Should I file web pages in the electronic filing scheme?

In this section:

• Electronic filing procedures

Question:

Why do we have a shared electronic filing scheme?

Answer:

A shared electronic filing scheme is designed to assist Policy and Planning (PP) staff in storing the information they produce in a secure, accessible and structured manner.  The electronic folders will mirror the paper folders held in the Central Records Registry.  This will help promote consistency, transparency and accessibility of documents across the department.

Question:

Why are the electronic folders for the Policy and Planning (PP) filing scheme on the shared PP drive?

Answer:

The folder have been created on the Policy and Planning (PP) shared drive because this drive provides more security and back-up support than the Web drive.

Question:

Why is it important to use the file naming conventions when saving my record?

Answer:

Naming records consistently, logically and in a predictable way will distinguish similar records from one another at a glance, and by doing so will enable users to browse file names more effectively and efficiently. Naming records according to agreed conventions should also make file naming easier for colleagues because they will not have to ‘re-think’ the process each time.

For more information on naming your folders please see the file naming conventions.

• File naming conventions

Question:

How can I help prevent my document from being accidentally deleted or changed?

Answer:

When saving a final version of a document in the electronic folders you should save it as a 'read-only' copy.  This will mean that it cannot be overwritten. If you have been using the track changes tool when editing your document you should also remove these changes using the remove hidden data tool, this will result in the document being saved as 'read-only' automatically.  For information on this process please see removing tracked changes.

• Removing tracked changes

Question:

When might I need to file records on the paper folder as well as electronically?

Answer:

Documents should be filed on the paper folder as well as electronically where it will be important to maintain an accurate record of the activity at a particular time.  For example in situations where a legal challenge is possible, it is important to have a paper copy of the record.  As electronic records are easily amended and vulnerable to loss or damage and it would be difficult to maintain version control or an audit trail in such cases.

While a paper copy of such documents must always be filed, there is a benefit to filing them in the electronic folders as it will make them easier to access and more searchable when required.

Question:

Should I file Web pages in the electronic filing scheme?

Answer:

Web pages themselves will not be filed in the electronic filing scheme, but any documents that appear on a Web page should be filed.  For example the assessment regulations that currently appear on the Web for each year should be filed in the appropriate place in the filing scheme.

If your section uses the Web for work in progress documents, then you should ensure that the document is filed when it has been removed from the Web.

Page last updated: Thursday July 05 2012