Updated 06:39 PM,Sep 29,2022
Concept of Administrative Document
Administrative documents are defined as follows:[1][2]
- An administrative document consists of various records created by an administrative body through its staff and used as a communication tool with other administrative units, enabling the execution of diverse administrative tasks toward achieving intended objectives.
- It is an official record issued in the name of an individual or in the name of a public entity when it pertains to an institution.
- It refers to formal, systematic records or documents issued by authorized administrative bodies legally or organizationally empowered for this purpose.
- It comprises officially and systematically produced records or collections of papers containing specific data and information, originating from central, local, or public institutions, serving as instruments to express the administrative stance or confirm particular events.
- These include documents outlining the duties and operations of governmental institutions, ministries, and departments.
Types of Administrative Documents by Form
Types of administrative documents based on form include:[3]
Manuscripts
Derived from the verb 'to write,' manuscripts refer to written or drawn texts, specifically hand-written books. They differ from letters or other documents written in different scripts, especially those composed before the era of printing.
Physical Archives
These contain all texts and topics recorded for various purposes, not intended for publication. They include various types of official printed materials such as treaties, laws, decrees, and agreements. The importance of private documents is no less than that of official ones.
Electronic Archives
Electronic archives consist of digital codes stored on websites or applications and form the foundation of electronic information. Accessing and utilizing them requires technological tools. Unlike paper documents, electronic documents hold information ready for immediate use without special preparation.
Key advantages of electronic documents include speed, ease of use, high potential for copying, editing, and sharing, and reduced space requirements due to their large storage capacity. However, drawbacks include authenticity concerns and occasional slowness in access, especially when no robust system exists for retrieval.
Examples of electronic documents include hard drives, email, and word processing files—documents containing information about specific activities or ideas.
Types of Administrative Documents by Activity
Categories of administrative documents based on activity include:[4][3]
Policy Documents
These are records linked to institutions, including plans, methods, and systems adopted by organizations to fulfill their responsibilities and functions. They fall into three main categories:
- Organizational Documents: These include budgets, budget statements, financial records, organizational and functional charts.
- Governing Documents: These encompass manuals, directives, orders, interpretations issued by higher authorities, files related to senior officials’ correspondence, regulations, circulars, instructions, memoranda, or regular publications defining work procedures, employee studies, or reports concerning workload and performance.
- Reporting Documents: These include annual reports, periodic progress updates, summary reports, special reports or achievements, minutes of hearings, meeting and conference records, and agency history.
Operational Documents
These are records necessary for implementing systems, procedures, and administrative processes. Their operational value lies in their utility in managing organized business activities. Examples include authorizations, procedural records, or records providing guidance.
Functions of Administrative Documents
Administrative documents serve multiple important functions, including the following:[1]
- Establishing the legal status of an individual within an administration: Decisions such as appointment, confirmation, transfer to reserve, or acceptance of resignation are administrative acts that define an individual’s legal position—whether they have been appointed to a rank in the administrative hierarchy, confirmed in a specific role, assigned to another department, formally severed ties with the administration, or experienced a temporary suspension of employment.
- Serving as a legal instrument for communication with others: The term 'others' refers to individuals inside or outside the administration. For example, a summons allows the administration to call upon an external individual to fulfill institutional needs or submit required documentation.
- Facilitating the transfer or referral of documents and records: This is an administrative document that enables internal or external administrative bodies to receive files or records from a designated source. The document specifies the sending entity, type of documents, purpose, and receiving party.
- Communication: For instance, the administration issues informational documents to staff to inform them of decisions, or an employee submits a report to their supervisor to notify them of a specific event, or the administration sends a letter to a person regarding a particular subject.
- Guidance: For example, issuing a directive to guide employees and regulate behavior—such as a document setting rules for work hours or regulating employee movement between locations.
References
- ^ A B "Concept of Administrative Records", University of Batna 2, Algeria, February 6, 2022. Adapted.
- ↑ Ismaïl Ssoussaa El-Badri, Role of Administration in Document Preservation, p. 8. Adapted.
- ^ A B Al-Id Al-Dhaman, Importance of Administrative Archives and Legal Protection Framework in Algerian Legislation, pp. 21–22. Adapted.
- ↑ "types-of-records", nside.southernct, February 6, 2022. Edited.
