Well ya'all know how much it pains me to disagree with Bill...


>>I have searched the archives and could not come up with an answer<<

Sorry, I don't believe the answers you are seeking are available.

Terry Abraham did a bench marking study on processing time at the
University of Idaho. He was head of Special Collections. You might try
their web site or contact Special Collections at the University. 
(caveat: I didn't say I agreed with his results, just that the study was
done and published.)

.  

The time required for a retention schedule is even more difficult.
Where you do business, type of business, how heavily regulated and how
many lines of business are included all play a role.  Is the individual
experienced and are they working with counsel and other key players that
understand records retention?  How much experience does the individual
have in legal research?  How much do they know about the records of the
organization?  All of these play a big role in what it takes to put
together a good retention schedule.

Retention schedules are never "done". The size and complexity of your
organization will dictate the tie required to complete a first version.
I recommend you set a point in the future and complete what you can.
Medical records are well documented elements of the process. Steal
someone else's retention schedule and make it work there. 

With regards to your final question, I am unaware of any legal
requirement to dispose of records after the retention timeframe has
expired.  

Look at your industry regulatory requirements. In higher ed for example
student loan records must be disposed of three after the loan is paid in
full. 

Retaining some records longer than identified by the schedule while
tossing others can lead to big problems.  Especially when trying to
explain to a judge why some records are available and others are not.  

Ok, so I agree with that part


For my money, having no schedule is less of a risk than have one that is
used haphazardly.

Really? Professionals mitigate the amount of errors present in a new
implementation. While we try to ensure that no major errors occur some
of us remain fallible. I recommend you build the process, do it right,
then build a mechanism for resolving issues with it. 

Chris Flynn

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