John Annunziello wrote:
> Do the drafts become a record because they are pointers to the 
decision  making process in the final copy.

John, this was a common practice when I first entered the profession in
the pre-PC period, when drafts were developed in a more formal, yet more
limited, fashion using secretarial pools, print shops, etc... With the
rise of office computers, networks, and collaborative tools, the
development of drafts has become so fluid and rapid that this concept
(thankfully) has become more of an issue in particular contexts, less a
general practice. For example, it may apply to the drafts developed by a
presidential commission on an important subject, but I've seen a more
formal acceptance of the idea that drafts are in essence temporary
records to be superseded by finals.

Interestingly enough, email and other textual communications tools
appear to be serving the role of documenting the decision making
process, instead of drafts and "working documents".
 
Dwight Wallis, CRM
Records Administrator
Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution and Stores
(FREDS)
1620 S.E. 190th Avenue
Portland, OR 97233
Phone: (503)988-3741
Fax: (503)988-3754
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