Describe the records your organization keeps. Makeform creates a structured form for record series, owners, physical and digital locations, retention triggers, access classifications, and review decisions.
Route inventory submissions to Google Sheets, Slack, and Zapier.
Sample prompts for the builder
Choose a starting point, tailor the prompt, or send it to the builder. Each structure is an editable example.
Audience
Department coordinators documenting active record series
Format
Guided questionnaire with one submission per record series
Prompt size
264 chars
Example form structure
Guided questionnaire with one submission per record series
Department, record series, and owner
What business activity creates these records?
Physical and digital storage locations
Retention trigger and schedule reference
Who verified this inventory entry?
Suggested routing tags
Inventory complete
Needs clarification
Retention review
Separate the retention trigger from the retention period. A rule such as seven years after contract closure is much clearer when closure date and period are captured independently.
Step 1
Identify
name the record series and business purpose
Step 2
Locate
map repositories, cabinets, copies, and owners
Step 3
Classify
capture access, trigger, schedule, and status
Step 4
Review
resolve gaps and assign the next review date
A usable inventory
A folder name rarely explains purpose, ownership, or the retention trigger. A guided form asks the same operational questions every time.
Use repeatable submissions for related records instead of mixing files, boxes, and systems in one response.
Capture repository paths, cabinet references, and box ranges while distinguishing authoritative and duplicate copies.
Route unclear ownership, schedule gaps, access concerns, and migration needs to a named reviewer.
Inventory scopes
Start with a department, repository, location, or closing project. Keep core fields stable and show relevant follow-ups.
Document processes, owners, working copies, and the record series each activity creates.
Map systems, folder paths, formats, access groups, and custodians.
Record cabinets, box ranges, dates, volume, labels, and restrictions.
Confirm repository, owner, migration, duplicates, schedule, and retention trigger.
Inventory workflow
Define the inventory unit, collect structured details, and route exceptions. Your organization still decides its policies and retention requirements.
Tell Makeform whether you are surveying departments, systems, paper storage, projects, or a combination, and define what counts as one inventory entry.
Add your approved department names, repositories, access labels, schedule identifiers, statuses, and review reasons so answers remain consistent.
Ask cabinet and box questions for paper, folder and access-group questions for digital records, and migration questions when a repository is being retired.
Notify the records coordinator when an owner is unknown, a schedule is missing, duplicate locations conflict, or the respondent requests classification help.
Collection methods
The right collection method depends on scope. A structured online inventory is especially useful when many owners need to describe records in the same vocabulary.
Field guide
Six field groups make entries reviewable. Use your organization's terminology, schedule references, classifications, and decision process.
Identity and purpose
Connect a plain-language series name to the activity that produces it; avoid vague labels such as miscellaneous files.
Location and custody
Separate the official repository from convenience copies and give reviewers a usable physical or digital location.
Dates and volume
Dates and volume help plan storage, migration, and review. Always identify whether units mean files, boxes, feet, or bytes.
Format and structure
Capture paper, documents, email, images, databases, exports, media, and specialized application data as applicable.
Retention and access
Keep the schedule identifier, retention period, and trigger separate, then record your organization's access classification.
Review and action
Assign gaps such as unknown ownership, missing references, duplicate cleanup, migration, access review, or disposition assessment.
Related tools
Use related Makeform tools for assets, products, file intake, information requests, and record transfers while keeping each workflow focused.
Catalog equipment and other managed assets with identifiers, locations, ownership, and status.
Open toolCount products, document variances, and route stock discrepancies for operational follow-up.
Open toolRecord items moving between locations, responsible parties, dates, and receiving confirmation.
Open toolCollect supporting files and metadata through a focused upload workflow.
Open toolStandardize requests for missing details and route them to the appropriate owner.
Open toolCreate a dedicated request intake for academic record copies and delivery preferences.
Open toolFAQ
Practical answers for records coordinators, compliance teams, information owners, and department representatives.
It is a structured questionnaire for documenting record categories, purpose, ownership, locations, dates, formats, retention, and access. It collects consistent facts for review rather than deciding policy.
Usually use one submission per related record series. A location survey can instead use one entry per cabinet, box range, repository, or workspace. State the chosen unit in the instructions.
Include series name, purpose, owner, locations, formats, dates, volume, status, schedule reference, retention trigger, access classification, duplicates, reviewer, and next action. Add conditional fields for paper, systems, migrations, or closeout.
Separate the schedule reference, category, retention period, and triggering event. Authorized records staff should review unclear or unassigned entries using your organization's policies.
Yes. Use conditional paths. Ask paper respondents for room, cabinet, box range, and volume; ask electronic respondents for system, path, file types, size, custodian, and access groups.
Include a stable series identifier, verification date, reviewer, and change reason. Export submissions to your master inventory and define who approves ownership, classification, or disposition updates.
No. It organizes facts but does not determine requirements, certify an inventory, or replace qualified review. Configure it around your organization's policies and obligations.
Yes. Makeform is unlimited free for generating, editing, publishing, and collecting responses. A paid tier removes the Makeform badge.
Replace scattered inventory notes with structured entries.
