Email management policy

Issued by	Records Manager and Archivist
Date	January 2004
Authority	SMC 16 February 2004
Document(s) superseded	None
Responsibility for policy and related procedures	QAA's Executive Committee is responsible for authorising email management policy and procedure, and ensuring compliance. The Company Secretary is responsible for ensuring that legal requirements relating to record keeping are met. The Archivist is responsible for developing and implementing email management policy and procedure, and monitoring its use. Also for creating and maintaining the records retention schedule. Information Systems are responsible for email technical support. The Archivist reports to the Head of Office Services, who is also responsible for Data Protection compliance. Heads of Directorate, Heads of Function and team leaders are responsible for monitoring working practice and ensuring compliance with email management policy and procedure. All staff are responsible for creating, maintaining and closing files in line with the records retention schedule
Related legal requirements and codes of practice	Data Protection Act 1998 International Standard on Records Management (ISO 15489) Lord Chancellor's Code of Practice on the Management of Records Records Management Standards and Guidance (PRO, from 1998)
Related QAA policies and procedures	Backup tape procedure Data Protection Policy Electronic Communications Policy Records Management Policy Records Management Guidelines Records Retention Schedule
Policy review	Review at least once every three years in line with recommendations in the Lord Chancellor's Code of Practice on Records Management.

Email Management Policy statement

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has a duty under current legislation, internal policies and recognised good practice, to manage the records it produces during the conduct of its business. The Records Management Policy is designed to ensure the management of QAA records irrespective of the media on which they are held. The management of email records and their attachments will comply with this policy.

Purpose

To manage e-mail and e-mail records in a manner that complies with all relevant legislation. To ensure that email records retain their integrity over time and guard against their inappropriate access, loss or destruction.

Scope

This policy relates to the management, retention and disposal of email records and their attachments. All communications created or received as a part of QAA activity are company records and the property of QAA.

The Electronic Communications Policy contains guidance on the use of QAA email facilities and etiquette.

Email management requirements

When using QAA computing and communication facilities, staff must follow normal records management and archiving practices:

Email records must be managed as an integral part of the company recordkeeping system. Staff have the same responsibility for managing email records as they have when managing records of any other media.
Effective records management relies on the use and implementation of the QAA Records Retention Schedule (RRS). The RRS gives the length of time QAA records must be retained; this is determined by legislation, good practice and the record's fiscal and operational value. It is the responsibility of individual members of staff to ensure that all company records are saved according to the QAA Records Retention Schedule.
Decisions on which records to retain will depend on the informational content of the email. Some email are vital records, others are ephemeral and of no lasting importance. Staff should appraise email records in the same way that they assess the value of other electronic or paper documents.
Record email must be identified, captured and filed according to the procedures required by QAA

The Archivist is responsible for providing guidance on records management, including the selection and retention of record email, by maintaining the QAA Records Retention Schedule.

Information Systems provide a secure system for the storage and preservation of email; ensuring that email can be retrieved as necessary, in a form that is true to the original record; that is in not altered and its integrity as a record is maintained; and ensuring that confidential records are not accessed inappropriately.

Information Systems will ensure that record email is preserved as long as necessary, potentially including migration to other systems, and seek to ensure the timely and complete destruction of email records in accordance with the QAA Records Retention Schedule.

QAA will provide training, guidance, and support to use both the e-mail management system and the retention schedules.