Definition of a Record:

Records

Q.  What is a record?

A.  The NASA definition of records:  All documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received by an agency of the United States Government under Federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by that agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the Government or because of the informational value of the data in them.

The ISO 9000 definition of records:  Documents stating results achieved or providing evidence of activities performed.

Q.  I sometimes hear the term, “quality records.”  What are these?

A.  Definition of quality records:  A term sometimes used in the past for a subset of records to refer to specific documents cited in a procedure or work instruction which are maintained to demonstrate both MSFC conformance to specified requirements and the effective operation of the MSFC system. 

Since quality records are just a subset of all records, we are moving away from using this term so that appropriate emphasis is placed on all records. 

Q.  What are the requirements for records?

A.  Requirements for records:  Records shall remain legible, readily identifiable and retrievable.  Controls for identification, storage, protection, retrieval, retention time and disposition of records are contained in MPR 1440.2, “MSFC Records Management Program,” and NPR 1441.1, “NASA Records Retention Schedule.”

Q.  What records do you generate?  Where are the records kept?  If you are the records custodian, what are the requirements for record retention and disposition?

A.  Supervisors/Team leads should discuss this with employees on a routine basis.  Your procedures and work instructions (MPRs, MWIs, and OIs) establish the way you do your work, and the quality records named in those instructions are the best evidence that you do your job in accordance with your instructions.

Each organization has a Records Liaison Officer and Records Custodians who should be aware of the records that the organization is responsible for and the Records Plans.

See MPR 1440.2, “MSFC Records Management Program,” for more information.