Sample List of Questions for RRDS Interviews:

The following list includes questions that typically need to be answered when preparing a records retention and disposal schedule for paper and electronic records:

What is the business activity/process that resulted in the creation/receipt of the records?

How are the records closed (e.g., an event, a date, etc.)?

What information does the record series contain?
Note: Ensure to capture the types of documentation including descriptions and examples.

Once the business activity/process is complete (e.g., issue resolved, case closed, etc.), how often do you need to access the records? Is it more than once every 3 months? 6 months? Maybe never?

Who is involved in this business activity/process? Internal staff? Additional departments or other public bodies?

Are there external stakeholders actively involved in the business activity?

How often does the business activity/process occur? Daily/Weekly/Monthly?

Is the business activity/process related to a larger program?

Is this record series considered operational or administrative to the department or other public body? Administrative record series may be covered under the Corporate Records Information Management Standard (CRIMS) and do not require a separate RRDS?
Note: Departments and other public bodies must be granted authority to use CRIMS.

Are there any specialized media (e.g., video, audio, photos, negatives) contained in the record series?

Are the records maintained in paper and/or electronic and if so, which format? Which format is the official record?

Are there any legal and regulatory requirements (e.g., provincial/federal regulation, other legislation, information sharing agreements, memorandums of understanding, etc.) that would impact how long a record or group of records should be kept?

Can the records be made publically available?