RIMS RADMan PLAN
A RADMan plan is a document meant to help you properly organize, store, and dispose of the files your office generates, regardless of turnover.
The RADMan plan (or Records and Administrative Data Management plan) can be complex or simple, but at the most basic it should answer these questions:
- What are the kinds of records and administrative data your unit generates or receives and how would you describe the primary functions they support?
- What are the general categories into which the different kinds of records and administrative data belong, where are they kept, and who can access them?
- How long should your unit retain this material and what should you do when it is no longer needed?
- Who is the primary contact person, Records Liaison, for your unit
To start, create a table in a spreadsheet that you will use for recording information about the types of files your unit generates/receives. The table should include both a general title (File Type) for the files and a description (File Description) of what it contains. You can download the template here.
The initial survey will look like this.
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File Type |
File Description |
|---|---|
|
Financial transactions |
Receipts, travel reimbursements. |
|
Student Advisement Files |
Student schedules, programs of study, completed classes, and advising notes. |
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Completing this table allows you to notice where records you generate overlap. There are often a number of people who have kept records in your office, and may have kept the same records labeled different ways.
Make sure you inventory not only your physical files, but your digital ones regardless of what storage system is used. (Digital storage systems can include, but may not be limited to: Banner, Chrome River, OneDrive, Box, SharePoint, Local Hard drives, Server storage, or shared drives.)
After completing your list, organize the table. Items that are similar can be combined.
The completed list can then be copied into the full RADMan Plan template tab. Now start noting additional information on where the files are stored and who has access. Once filled out, that should look something like this:
|
File Type |
File Description |
Storage Location |
Who has Access |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Financial Transactions |
Receipts, travel reimbursements |
Stored in top file cabinet drawer in Administrative assistant’s office organized by fiscal year. Also entered into Chrome River. |
Accessed by Administrative assistant |
|
Student Advisement Files |
Student Schedules, programs of study, completed classes, and advising notes |
Stored in middle file drawer in the main office file cabinet between the dean’s office and the hallway entrance |
Accessed by the advisors for the department as well as the dean and administrative assistant |
Your next step is to look at the RIMS website for retention schedules https://GO.uillinois.edu/retention. Note the categories for each item in your table, then find the retention for each item.
That should like this:
Once you have finished your set of tables for the RADMan plan you should identify who administers these files and who is responsible for updating the plan as necessary, (your Records Liaison). RIMS will reach out to your Records Liaison to schedule RIMS training and will consider them the point person for records in your office.
The Records Liaison may be anyone with a knowledge of the files your office generates/receives. If there is already someone who handles the requests for disposal or represents your office with questions for RIMS they are a good candidate for Records Liaison.
While files should only be available to those with a need to access them, it is important that more than one person have access to each file in case one of those with access is not available when access is needed. Designating one primary owner and one secondary, or backup is satisfactory in many cases.
|
File Category |
File Type |
Contents |
Storage Location |
Who has Access |
Retention information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Administrative |
General administrative Files and correspondence |
Files addressing day-to-day processes, decisions not otherwise recorded, Letters to and from the Department head |
Stored in General File and “Correspondence” folders located either in the Department Head’s file cabinet or the main file cabinet in the Administrative Assistant’s office. |
Accessed by the dean or Administrative Assistant |
Retain for 10 years past date of creation then transfer to the University Archives |
|
Administrative |
Committee on Academic Integrity |
Meeting notes, minutes, agendas, committee member lists |
Stored in shared Box folder for the committee |
Accessed by committee members |
Retain 5 years past date of creation and transfer to archives |
|
Administrative |
Department Policies |
Policy files on various office or departmental topics |
Stored in shared Box folder linked to department |
Everyone in the department |
Retain 3 years after being superseded in the office then transfer to the University Archives |
|
Business and Financial |
Financial Transactions |
Receipts, travel reimbursements |
Stored in top file cabinet drawer in Administrative assistant’s office organized by fiscal year and entered into Chrome River |
Accessed by Administrative assistant |
Retain Physical copies for 1 year after entering into Chrome River. For Files not entered into Chrome River: Retain for 5 years after date of transaction, then seek state permission to dispose |
|
Business and Financial |
Budget |
The annual budget summary, expenditure reports, allocation files, and acquisition files |
Stored in Dean’s file cabinet by fiscal year |
Accessed by Dean |
Retain for 5 years after generation then seek state permission to dispose |
|
Business and Financial |
Contracts |
Department contracts with other entities for storage, rent, research, or other items. |
Stored in lower drawer of main file cabinet in Administrative Assistant’s office |
Accessed by Dean and Administrative Assistant |
Retain for 10 years past the end of the contract then seek state approval to dispose. |
|
HR |
Employment Files |
Files generated in search and hiring process, benefit information, annual reviews, etc. |
Stored in HR System and Banner |
HR Personnel |
Retain for 3 years past employee’s separation from the university then seek state permission to dispose. In the case of tenure track employees and senior university officials retain 3 years from separation and transfer to the University Archives. |
|
HR |
Employment Applicant Files |
Files generated in search process including letters of recommendation, vitae, and resumes |
Stored in shared Box folder generated for the position being hired for |
Search team |
For all successful applicants transfer to employment files. For all unsuccessful applicants, retain 3 years past end of search then seek state permission to dispose. |
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Tips and Tricks for Records storage during this process.
Remember creating the RADMan Plan should be a collaborative process among the people in your department who handle files. Get input from other people for the records you don’t personally handle.
Remember that most departments have records in 4 of the general categories RIMS has retention schedules for: Administrative Files, Business and Financial Files, HR Files, and Student Files.
Not all files your department has are records. You can find more information on non-records here. A simple rule of thumb is only one version is a record, the others are considered duplicates.
If you are unsure of any files you have looked at during this process, please contact RIMS for help identifying the retention category and information.