What do the steps to develop a records management program include?

• A. Prepare budget and hire staff only.
• B. Choose a software vendor and implement immediately.
• C. Audit existing records and destroy all duplicates.
• D. Determine what the court wants to accomplish. Set goals and objectives. Establish record retention periods.

Answer: (D)

Developing a records management program starts with planning around what you want to achieve. The essential first steps are to understand what the court wants to accomplish with its records, set clear goals and objectives for the program, and establish how long different types of records should be kept. This creates a defensible framework that guides policy, procedures, and future decisions about retention, access, and disposal.

Why this is the best answer: without defining goals and retention periods, you don’t have a clear blueprint for what must be kept, for how long, or why, which makes it impossible to ensure compliance, efficiency, or proper risk management. Establishing retention schedules and objectives anchors all subsequent actions and ensures consistency across departments.

Other options skip the planning foundation. Budgeting and staffing, or choosing a software vendor and implementing, happen after you’ve defined scope and retention rules. Auditing existing records and destroying duplicates is a cleanup activity, not a full program-development step.