Design and development of an electronic filing system for the management of administrative records at National Women's Council

Abstract

Electronic filing system is a system of organizing files that utilizes hard drive space or network space. The system may either be computer software, an Internet-based program, or a simple file and folder system on the desktop of a computer. The study aimed at Designing and development of an electronic filing system for the management of administrative records at National Women‟s Council (NWC). National Women‟s Council just like most other institutions of the world still uses manual filing system. Manual filing is based on associations with paper-based records management. The manual filing system is associated with challenges such as difficulty in retrieval, wastage of time and consumption of office space since it deals with paper based records. The study was done under the following objectives; To identify the administrative records at National Women‟s Council; To find out the existing filing system; To establish challenges associated with the filing system used; To design an electronic filing system The study used a qualitative research approach. The study employed two data collection techniques of interview and observation. The researchers collected data about developing an Electronic Filing System for Management of Administrative Records at National Women‟s Council from 9 respondents including Records officers, records users and IT staff. The data was analyzed using a qualitative approach and presented using tables, graphs and essay for easy interpretation The study established that National Women‟s Council generates a number of records which range from administrative records, fiscal, Policy and financial records. The study further established the filing equipment used in filing of Administrative records and they include shelves, cabinets and file folders. The study found out that National Women‟s Council faces a number of challenges such as difficulty in retrieval, less economy of space, low training on records management and less funding. The research concluded by developing an Electronic Filing System for Management of Administrative Records at National Women‟s Council and recommending it for use. The research team stated the design standards and the main functionalities of the system. The research recommended timely update of the hardware and soft, as well as training of the existing staff on the management of records electronically.