Documentation and Records Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Records Managers, Information Governance Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-KRM-038

Before you join: Participants should have experience creating, filing, approving, retrieving or supervising business documents and records.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Poor documentation and record keeping creates operational delay, weak audit evidence, uncontrolled access to sensitive information and unnecessary legal exposure. Teams often store the same material across email, shared drives, collaboration platforms and paper files without clear ownership, classification or retention rules. This course addresses the practical decisions required to create reliable records, keep them accessible to authorised users and dispose of them defensibly.

Participants learn to distinguish documents from formal records, design functional classification schemes, apply metadata and naming conventions, and control versions from draft through approval. The course covers records lifecycle management, access controls, retention schedules, legal holds, secure disposal, digital repositories and records governance. Participants also examine requirements for privacy records, investigation files, contracts, personnel files, financial evidence and freedom of information searches.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with sector-based cases from public services, banking, NGOs, projects and corporate operations. Participants assess sample file plans, retention schedules, access matrices and audit findings; make records-control decisions; and prepare an implementation plan for their own area. They leave with a reusable records management toolkit including a classification model, metadata framework, retention schedule template, access-control checklist and 90-day action plan.

The course suits managers and professionals responsible for business documentation, information governance, administrative controls or compliance evidence. It is particularly relevant where records are distributed across paper files, email, shared drives, SharePoint, cloud storage or line-of-business systems.

What you will be able to do

  • Design a functional classification scheme and file plan for business records
  • Apply ISO 15489 lifecycle controls to creation, capture, storage and disposition
  • Define metadata, naming and version-control rules for reliable retrieval
  • Build retention schedules using legal, fiscal, operational and historical value
  • Establish role-based access controls and confidentiality classifications for records
  • Assess records management risks using control tests, audit evidence and corrective actions
  • Specify core EDRMS and digital repository requirements for controlled recordkeeping
  • Produce a 90-day records management implementation plan with ownership and milestones

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make defensible decisions on what must be captured as an official record
  • Create file plans that reduce search time and duplicate storage
  • Recognise retention, disposal and legal-hold risks before they become audit findings
  • Set practical metadata, naming and version-control rules for teams
  • Lead a records improvement initiative with defined controls and milestones

For your organisation

  • Faster retrieval of approved documents, decisions and supporting evidence
  • Reduced exposure from unauthorised access, uncontrolled copies and premature disposal
  • More consistent retention decisions across paper, email and digital repositories
  • Stronger audit trails for regulatory reviews, investigations and disputes
  • Clearer accountability between business owners, records staff, IT and compliance teams

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can identify official records and apply lifecycle responsibilities from creation to disposition.

  • Records, documents and information assets distinguished using ISO 15489 concepts
  • Recordkeeping roles mapped through business ownership, custody and accountability
  • Lifecycle controls linked from creation through disposition or transfer
  • Authoritative copies identified amid drafts, duplicates and convenience information
  • Personal, shared and corporate repositories assessed against evidential requirements
  • Consequences of poor recordkeeping examined through audit, dispute and service cases

Participants can build classification structures and metadata rules that support reliable retrieval.

  • Functional classification schemes built from business functions, activities and transactions
  • File plans structured with hierarchical classes, codes and naming rules
  • Taxonomies compared with folksonomies for controlled retrieval and user adoption
  • Metadata elements defined using ISO 23081 recordkeeping metadata principles
  • Controlled vocabularies established for subjects, persons, locations and document types
  • Naming conventions applied to dates, versions, confidentiality and case identifiers
  • Classification decisions tested against realistic search and retrieval scenarios

Participants can establish controls for creating, capturing and maintaining authoritative records.

  • Document templates configured with ownership, version, approval and metadata fields
  • Capture points specified for email, scanned material and workflow outputs
  • Version control rules distinguish working drafts, approved copies and superseded records
  • Digitisation workflows address indexing, quality checks and original-document handling
  • Email filing criteria separate transitory messages from business records
  • Collaboration-platform content captured from Teams, SharePoint and project workspaces
  • Quality assurance checks verify completeness, legibility, metadata and access status

Participants can apply proportionate access and security controls to physical and digital records.

  • Access classifications assigned using business sensitivity, personal data and legal restrictions
  • Role-based access controls mapped to duties, segregation and least privilege
  • Permission reviews identify orphaned accounts, excessive access and conflicted roles
  • Confidentiality markings applied consistently to files, folders and exported reports
  • Audit trails examined for access, amendment, download and deletion events
  • Secure sharing procedures cover recipients, expiry dates, encryption and acknowledgements
  • Physical records protected through sign-out logs, storage controls and tracking

Participants can develop retention rules and manage disposal decisions with auditable evidence.

  • Retention schedules derived from legal, fiscal, operational and historical value
  • Disposition authorities document triggers, retention periods, approvals and exceptions
  • Event-based retention triggers calculated for contracts, personnel and case records
  • Legal holds suspend disposal during litigation, investigations and audit requests
  • Destruction certificates evidence authorised disposal, method, date and responsible officers
  • Transfer criteria identify records suitable for archives or long-term preservation
  • Retention conflicts resolved between privacy minimisation and evidential obligations

Participants can define governance arrangements that assign records management duties and oversight.

  • Records management policy drafted with scope, principles, roles and compliance duties
  • RACI matrices allocate accountability for creation, classification, review and disposal
  • ISO 15489 controls translated into operational procedures and measurable requirements
  • Information governance forums coordinate legal, IT, privacy and business owners
  • Exception registers record approved departures, risk acceptance and review dates
  • Training obligations differentiated for creators, managers, system administrators and records staff
  • Policy controls aligned with procurement requirements and third-party service agreements

Participants can specify and assess digital system controls needed for reliable recordkeeping.

  • EDRMS requirements specified for capture, metadata, retention, search and audit
  • SharePoint document libraries configured with content types, columns and views
  • System migrations planned with inventory, mapping, validation and chain-of-custody controls
  • Cloud storage risks assessed for residency, access, backup and supplier exit
  • Automated classification rules reviewed for accuracy, exceptions and human oversight
  • Digital preservation requirements address formats, fixity, storage and readability
  • Business continuity arrangements protect critical records during system outages

Participants can test records controls, report findings and track corrective action.

  • Records risk assessments score likelihood, impact, control maturity and ownership
  • Control tests sample file completeness, classification, access and disposal evidence
  • Audit findings documented with criteria, evidence, root cause and corrective actions
  • Key performance indicators track retrieval time, overdue disposal and training completion
  • Dashboard measures distinguish compliance activity from control effectiveness
  • Corrective action plans assign owners, deadlines, dependencies and verification
  • Management reviews evaluate trends, residual risks and resource decisions

Participants can manage records requiring heightened privacy, disclosure and evidential controls.

  • Privacy records managed through data minimisation, purpose limitation and retention controls
  • Freedom of information searches documented with scope, custodians and search terms
  • Investigation files preserved with chronology, provenance, access restrictions and disclosure logs
  • Contract records linked to obligations, amendments, milestones and expiry alerts
  • Personnel files controlled for confidentiality, retention and authorised access
  • Financial records retained with approval evidence, reconciliations and supporting documentation
  • Incident records captured to support reporting, lessons learned and claims

Participants can prepare a practical records management improvement plan for their work area.

  • Current-state assessments identify priority record series, gaps, risks and quick wins
  • Implementation roadmaps sequence policy, taxonomy, migration, training and assurance actions
  • Stakeholder maps identify sponsors, process owners, custodians and affected users
  • Change impact assessments address behaviours, workload, system changes and resistance
  • Communications plans define messages, audiences, channels, timing and feedback routes
  • Pilot measures establish acceptance criteria, defects, adoption and control performance
  • Personal action plans commit first 90-day records management improvements

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Functional classification scheme template
  2. Records metadata and naming convention model
  3. Retention schedule and disposition authority template
  4. Role-based access control checklist
  5. Records management audit and corrective-action register
  6. 90-day records management implementation plan

Who should attend

  • Records Managers — responsible for policies, retention controls and programme assurance
  • Information Governance Managers — coordinating privacy, legal, technology and business requirements
  • Administrative Managers — controlling shared files, correspondence and operational documentation
  • Compliance and Risk Officers — testing evidence, retention and access controls
  • Project Managers — maintaining approvals, decisions, contracts and project records
  • IT and SharePoint Administrators — configuring repositories to support recordkeeping requirements

Skills and tools covered

Records lifecycle managementClassification scheme designRetention schedulingMetadata controlAccess governanceRecords compliance auditing

Tools and standards

ISO 15489, ISO 23081, ISO 16175, RACI matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce standards, control methods and decision criteria, followed by facilitated case work. Participants examine realistic filing structures, metadata sets, access requests, retention decisions, legal holds and audit evidence. Group exercises test choices against banking, public-sector, NGO and corporate scenarios. A records-control simulation links classification, access, retention and disposal decisions. Instructor feedback focuses on defensibility, usability and implementation constraints. Participants finish by preparing a prioritised action plan for their own records environment.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience creating, filing, approving, retrieving or supervising business documents and records. Familiarity with shared drives, email, document management systems, SharePoint or similar repositories is useful. Participants should understand their organisation’s basic confidentiality and information-security expectations. No prior records management qualification, legal training, audit certification or technical systems-administration experience is required. The course explains relevant standards and methods before applying them. Participants will gain most value by bringing examples of record types, filing problems or retention questions from their own work area.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have experience working with business documents, shared files, correspondence or operational records. No records management qualification, legal training or systems-administration background is required.

Bring examples of the record types, filing structures or retention problems encountered in your work, where organisational policy permits. A laptop is useful for reviewing course materials and preparing an action plan, but it is not essential.

The course is suited to records and information staff, administrative managers, compliance officers, project managers and repository administrators. It also benefits line managers accountable for evidence, approvals, confidential files or team filing practices.

Information security focuses on protecting information from unauthorised access and loss, while data protection focuses on personal data obligations. This course focuses on keeping reliable business records throughout their lifecycle, while showing where security, privacy and records controls intersect.

Participants can use the templates to assess current filing, metadata, access and retention controls in their own area. The final implementation plan identifies priority records, accountable owners, early actions and measures for follow-up.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours, excluding breaks. The five days progress from lifecycle foundations and classification through access, retention, governance, digital systems, audit and implementation planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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