Keeping records created in whole of government collaborative tools

Using collaborative tools for government business will create official records. These records need to be managed and kept as they provide evidence of the decisions and outcomes of the collaboration, and demonstrate the work which has been undertaken and that participants acted accountably.

Responsibilities of the lead agency

When establishing a collaborative project across government or within a cluster, it’s important that a lead agency is identified. The lead agency is in effect the secretariat of the group and responsible for:

• convening the group
• inviting additional members to the group
• ensuring all members of the group are aware of the protocols with working in the collaborative project space (e.g. what types of business discussions/activities are permitted in the collaborative space, confidentiality of information including cabinet-in-confidence requirements, access to information, security of information etc.)
• ensuring that the primary records created by the project are managed and kept for the minimum retention periods required.

Capturing records of the collaboration will not be onerous and in many cases will happen seamlessly ‘behind the scenes’.

The lead agency will also be responsible for disposing of the records in accordance with the State Records Act 1998.

Retention and disposal requirements

State Records NSW issues retention and disposal authorities which mandate minimum retention periods for records. It is important to remember that not all records created in collaborative projects will be required to be kept for lengthy periods. 

Some records will have very short retention periods. If the collaborative tool can manage the records for the required time, then there is no need to consider moving the records out of the tool.

Some of the records (e.g. those documenting decisions made at senior levels, and project outputs) may need to be kept for longer periods. These records may need to be exported out of the collaborative tool and captured elsewhere to ensure their survival. Lead agencies should consult with their organisation’s records management team for advice on where these records should be kept.

If records are identified as State archives, they will need to be migrated to the Museums of History NSW for permanent retention.

Following is some general advice around what should be captured and how long it needs to be kept. Please note that retention periods given below are drawn from the General retention and disposal authority – administrative records (GA28) and cover records common to many agencies.

If your organisation is using collaborative tools for internal (within cluster) projects, records of project outputs will likely be covered by your organisation’s functional retention and disposal authority. Please contact your organisation’s records management team for advice on how long these records should be kept.

Retention requirements are very dependent on the context of the records. If you are unsure about using any of the retention periods listed below, please contact us at govrec@staterecords.nsw.gov.au.

Published October 2017