Te whakawhiti matihiko - He matawai
Digital transfer overview
Read an overview of the digital transfer process.
Managing the digital transfer process
Digital transfer stages
We manage transfers of digital information and records (digital records) on a case-by-case basis and in stages — some of which are broken down into steps. These stages are:
transfer initiation
transfer planning
transfer preparation
transfer
post-transfer.
We’ve created guidance material linked to each stage to help you navigate the digital transfer process.
Useful links
We update our guidance regularly
We take a modular and iterative approach to guidance development as our tools and methods continue to evolve. When your public sector organisation is involved in a digital transfer, we encourage you to provide feedback to help shape the guidance and share your experiences with others in the sector.
Working with us on a digital transfer
You need adequate resourcing
The Executive Sponsor from your organisation should ensure adequate resources are made available for the digital transfer project. A member of your staff should be appointed to lead the work required and it’s likely that a small team with relevant skills will be needed. These skills include:
information and records management knowledge
technical knowledge, and
possibly coding ability.
We’ll meet with you regularly
The team should be prepared for regular discussions, correspondence and meetings with us — particularly at the beginning of the process to discuss any issues and questions. These meetings are crucial for a successful transfer.
The digital transfer process is a partnership
The whole transfer process is a partnership, from which both parties can benefit. The partnership approach also helps us and your organisation to manage transfers successfully within our respective resource constraints.
Understanding digital transfers
Digital and physical transfers have similar steps, but different orders
Many steps are similar for physical and digital transfers. For example, both use disposal authorities and access authorities. But the order of the steps for digital transfers does not always match that of physical transfers. One key difference is that much of the work which happens in the ‘transfer preparation’ stage for physical transfers, instead takes place in the ‘transfer initiation’ stage for digital transfers. Detailed analysis work must be done beforehand to assess the feasibility of the digital transfer and then to plan it.
Digital transfers often involve repeating steps
A distinctive characteristic of digital transfers is the repetitive nature of some of the steps. There are likely to be many recurrences of analysis being done and issues with digital records, metadata or tools needing to be addressed throughout the process. Initial test extracts or trial transfers are also necessary, similar to the sample checks that are done with physical information and records. This means flexibility is essential when planning timeframes for a digital transfer.
The digital transfer process stages and steps are combined and described in more detail in our step-by-step guide. The steps are also available as separate factsheets.