A problem with the word function is the lack of a definition. The international Records Management Standard (15489) suggests classification schemes should be made up as follows:

'Classification schemes may be derived from analysis of business processes to ensure that the records and their metadata descriptions accurately represent the business processes that created them.

The structure of a classification system is usually hierarchic and reflects the analytical process as follows:

a) The first level usually reflects the business function.

b) The second level is based on the activities constituting the function

c) The third and subsequent levels are further refinements of the activities...'

(pt2, p9)

But the standard does not explain what a function is.

A simple definition I like is one given by an early writer on business analysis by function and activity, James Martin. He defined a function as a task that the organisation must accomplish. This sets a limit on the number of functions there should be in a classification scheme for a particular business. If a term doesn't stand for a task of the business then it doesn't have a place in the list of functions. The term may stand for the subject of a particular document held by the business but that doesn't qualify it to be a function.

Chris Campbell
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