When it comes to finding a platform that ensures records are managed properly, it can be difficult without a standard to go by. Fortunately, The United States Department of Defense (DoD) provides such a standard. In addition, the DoD offers a wide variety of documents and tools to evaluate the effectiveness of a records management solution or strategy.

Primarily used by the DoD itself to ensure it is managing records in accordance with specific laws, these standards and tools provide a robust framework for organizations to manage records thoughtfully and effectively. By using this framework, organizations can take a step beyond the universal electronic records management (ERM) requirements outlined by The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), that are used to support federal agencies in maintaining compliance with the Federal Records Act.

While an organization may not be required by law to follow DoD records management standards, effective records management can encourage more informed business decisions, a boon for any organization.

DoD 8180.01, or “Information Technology Planning for Electronic Records Management” is a tool for the Department of Defense to evaluate an electronic records management platform’s potential to comply with policies set out in DoD Instruction 5015.02, “DoD Records Management Program”.

Some of the key components of DoD 8180.01 include:

What is DoD 5015.02?

DoD Instruction 5015.02, or “DoD Records Management Program” is a document that outlines the policy and responsibilities of the DoD as they relate to records management across media. This is not to be confused with DoD 5015.02-STD, which was a tool used to evaluate whether a particular piece of electronic records management software could be used by an organization to maintain compliance with the policies and responsibilities outlined in DoD Instruction 5014.02.

DoD 8180.01 effectively replaces 5015.2-STD as a tool to evaluate electronic records management software, but does not replace DoD Instruction 5015.02 itself, with that document offering compliance guidelines for managing records in a wider range of media.

What is the DoD Records Strategy?

Published openly for the first time in 2023, the DoD Records Strategy defines goals and offers administrative guidance for the DoD as they relate to records management. This document provides a framework for managing records largely organized into three distinct objectives:

In addition to the above, the records strategy emphasizes more universal accountability for managing records outside of the records manager role. It also suggests having dedicated records specialists embedded in units across the organization, to work in tandem with subject matter experts that ideally would also gain some records management knowledge and capability.

DTM-22-001, or “DoD Standards for Records Management Capabilities in Programs Including Information Technology” works essentially as an addendum to the DoD Instruction 5015.02, to eventually be incorporated into the instruction at a later time.

These standards, focused on software, ultimately serve to enshrine in policy the ideas brought about by the newer strategy-based, non-policy documents such as DoD 8180.01 and the DoD Records Strategy.

The new policies require that:

With all the different tools and documents that the DoD has to offer records managers, let’s quickly go over the purpose of each once more:

Using these tools together can yield a robust and effective records management framework. As discussed earlier, many organizations are not required to manage records as strictly as the DoD.

However, with the emergence of new technologies and the reality that many organizations use a variety of applications and information for everyday business, even the DoD acknowledges that records management should be thought of as a functional discipline rather than the following of rules for the sake of them.

More than anything, developing a robust and effective records management strategy can save your organization time in classifying and storing information, encourage more informed decision making and allow staff across the enterprise to dedicate more resources to their core responsibilities.

Learn how one county in New York reduced the time to furnish records in response to FOIA requests by more than half.

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If you’re looking to expand your digital transformation beyond electronic records management, an enterprise content management system (ECM) may be the right fit for your organization. Learn more about the ECM market and top vendors by checking out the G2 Grid® for Enterprise Content Management (ECM):

Already considering Laserfiche as your records management solution? Take a look at the Laserfiche Solution Marketplace, a hub for pre-built workflows and templates that customers can use to jumpstart processes necessary to meet all kinds of challenges, including regulatory needs, such as building permit applications and inspections. Whether you’re just getting started with records management or looking for new insights, be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Records Management to see how you can improve your information governance strategy.