If you no longer knew the name of the document, what would you need to know about it? You may see from the content what the document is about but, without metadata, you may not know when the document was received, who authorised it, which version is current or where any associated attachments can be found. Metadata captures this information so you can trace, file and retrieve a paper or electronic record without relying entirely on the face value of the content.
Metadata that will help you identify your documents should include: a meaningful document title; document type; date; creator or sender; recipient; reference number. All too often a title, type, date and reference number will be sufficient to tell you apart two records. Make sure you define what the date means. Is it the date created? Received? Issued? Approved? Registered? Your document register becomes hard to interpret if there is no consistency about which of these definitions applies, even if all fields are completed.
A document’s status and version are important for knowing its place in the lifecycle of the document. A draft, approved copy, duplicate, superseded version, and official record should not all be described identically. If versioning is applicable, state the version number. Otherwise avoid using free-form language that switches back and forth between done, complete, latest and final. Instead, assign a status from a controlled list. If a document has been sent to you, consider recording its registration date and routing status. These may be more helpful than a version number.
For a digital record, location metadata can indicate a folder, location within a system, or record series. For a physical record, it can indicate a cabinet, shelf, box, or folder reference. In some instances you may need to record the access restrictions that apply to a document. It is better not to enter private or sensitive data into an open metadata field unless there is a specific reason to do so. Keep metadata focused on tracking and managing your records. Don’t include unnecessary details.
It is easy to think you need to capture every possible piece of metadata, but adding more fields rarely improves the quality of your file plan. You may need to record the supplier, invoice date, reference number, status, and location of storage for a simple register of invoices. You may want to note the date of a meeting, the subject matter, whether it was approved, the version number, and the location of the corresponding agenda for your meeting minutes. It depends on the nature of your documents and what information you will need when you want to act on them. Unpopulated fields that no one knows how to complete are an indicator that your metadata has become more complex than your records demand.
Create a simple metadata table for a set of 5 different documents and fill in only the information you need to identify, track and retrieve each one. Then take the names off your documents and ask yourself if the metadata in your table would still be enough to distinguish between them. If two rows look the same, add just the additional piece of information that would distinguish them: a reference number, who the document came from, the document status, the version number. This will help you identify gaps in your metadata more effectively than trying to design a huge table ahead of time.
Before you file a document, consider whether its metadata tells you what it is, what stage it has reached, and where you can find it. If you cannot answer one of these questions, a well-organised folder still contains a gap in your knowledge. Capture the missing metadata while the document is in front of you, rather than attempting to recreate it weeks later, which is both harder and less accurate.
