Generally Accepted Principles and Standards

Accepted standards are necessary and have been relied upon for public accounting across the United States. That standard is called the ‘GAAP – Generally Accepted Accounting Principles’.

For Records Management a similar resource may be found. The standard is known as Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles®.

The Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles® were created by the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA). As subject matter experts, ARMA is the most widely recognized professional organization and provider of continuing education for records and information management professionals. ARMA International is well positioned to create and update these standards and principles. Conferences, webinars, and publications arranged by ARMA are recognized as valuable resources to professionals around the world.

The Key Principles Behind ARMA’s Widely Used Framework

First released in 2009, the standards were updated in 2017. These eight key ideas comprising The Principles have become key measures for organizations to audit and improve records management practices. We cover these eight key principles below. This brief detail can provide a jumping-off point for your immediate use.

The Principle of Accountability

A person of significant authority such as a high-level executive should oversee records & information management practices to ensure proper practices are implemented and followed.

The Principle of Transparency

An organization’s information governance program should be well documented, verifiable, and open to all appropriate personnel.

The Principle of Integrity

An information governance program should be designed to guarantee a reasonable level of authenticity and reliability.

The Principle of Protection

Private, confidential, and essential to business records should all receive an appropriate level of protection within the system.

The Principle of Compliance

All records management policies and procedures should be constructed to meet applicable laws and legal regulations.

The Principle of Availability

Information within an organization should be stored in a manner that allows for timely, efficient, and accurate access.

The Principle of Retention

Organizations should store assets for an appropriate amount of time based on both legal requirements and business needs.

The Principle of Disposition

Information assets should be disposed in a secure and appropriate manner once legal and internal policies allow for their disposal.

FreeDoc uses these principles to help organizations build robust information management ecosystems in support of achieving primary goals for information management. For more information on the Principles® and how these may be applied to your organization please schedule a free consultation with our records management experts.

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