From our experience of setting up the BCS to manage the Library Network shared space, we have come up with the following steps that led us through the process. We hope that they will be useful to you too. Please use the Comments below to add your own suggestions.
The first time you go round this cycle you may benefit from treating this like a project with timescales to abide by.
Implementation steps:
1. Take stock of what you have
- We would recommend you do a survey of staff to make sure you know where all your silos (shared spaces) are.
- Is there a difference of what content goes where?
- Who has access to what, and do the need to retain access? Any security issues? Have people left that could be deleted from the list of people with access?
- How many records do you have, looking at the Level 1 subject headings - which of these are in use?
- You don't need specifics of the records at this stage, just a high level understanding of what is currently where.
2. Decide where your 'one' place is
- If you have more than one place you store your business records we would recommend you reduce these to one. This will reduce duplication and maintain version control, it will also ensure that when you registering your assets becomes a much easier process.
- Your 'one' place may be any of the following, and your choice will largely depend on your audience. It is likely that you will choose an O365 SharePoint site.
Suggestions for shared spaces:
Platform | Audience | Notes |
The Knowledge Network Communities of Practice | For collaboration across boards and sectors | Apply to the TKN, communities can be open, or closed (athens authenticated) |
NHSGGC Website | Public, or a workforce that ranges across the board and may spend time outside the network but require access to info | You will need to do the online training, and note that this is on the internet so no sensitive content shoudl be placed here. A great example is the Nursing portal |
SharePoint on Office 365 |
An intranet just for your team | An administrator is required (though this means that the addition and removal of users is under your control). Training on the BCS is recommended. This is the preferred shared space to create document libraries and additional functionality can connect to diaries and outlook. Team spaces can be moved from old Sharepoint to Office 365 easily but we suggest they are tidy before they are moved. |
App | e.g. staff use of actionable knowledge at the point of care | Apps can be used for multiple purposes and audiences, but should only be considered for development after all options listed above have been exhausted. |
3. Create a new SharePoint site on O365
- Once your team has migrated to O365, set up a new SharePoint site for your team, using the BCS to organise your files. If required, contact the IT help desk to set up the shared SharePoint site for you (the procedure for this has still to be decided).
- Training on the BCS can be provided by the Library Network, though note the role of implementation will be yours.
- You will also have to update your Information Asset Register.
4. Create Business Classification Scheme
- It is unlikely you will need to implement the full scheme, only the parts required by the documents you hold.
- This is why step 1 is important.
- Take note of retention periods required for each L3 area on the scheme, this is important for step 5.
5. Move content
- Move only what is within retention, it is a good idea to take note of what has been deleted (in general, you don't have to specify every document). There is a template Document Disposal Log you can use.
- Depending on what your current shared space(s) is this can be done in blocks.
- Staff within the team should also consider what is being held within their personal folders which should be shared.
- It may help to identify core staff members to become expert BCS filers, and for all other staff to move content into a 'Holding File' which can then be moved by the 'experts' later.
- Don't worry if you don't get it right first time, when transitioning over to the new scheme it will take time for it to embed, so be prepared to change your mind. Depending on your tool this can be easily resolved by moving the documents in blocks.
6. Apply conventions
- Apply naming conventions.
- At L4 level (not on BCS) you may want to discuss with your team additional folders.
- If you don't think content you hold is addressed by the current BCS then you can request a change, though note no action should be taken until your change has been accepted.
7. Create local guidance if required
- It is important that you ensure every member of the team is aware of what is going on, why they should use the BCS and how the BCS applies to them and their documents.
- Making sure that naming and filing rules are consistently applied is important, so taking the BCS guidance provided here and tailoring it for your area is a good idea, although not a requirement.
- You might want to create a quick crib sheet for your team with the most frequently used file types (e.g. leave cards, local policies and minutes of your meetings) on it and where they should be stored within the BCS file management structure.
8. Update your Information Asset Register
- You can wait until your yearly update to do this, or right away.
- Your final step will be to close old shared areas/spaces that are no longer required - contact your IT Relationship Manager to arrange this. If you are not sure who that is, please see look at this link on StaffNet (only accessible to NHSGGC staff on the Network):
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