Inventory the whole document family
A campaign document can create several derivatives: proofs, thumbnails, spreadsheets, review notes, downloads, messages, backups and cached copies in commissioned services. Removing the source from a project view does not establish that these other objects disappeared. Create a record family with stable references and the purposes each object serves. Include temporary working copies and exports held by collaborators where they are known. ICO storage-limitation guidance requires personal-data retention to be justified by purpose; it does not supply one universal period for every campaign record. Review commercial and contractual obligations with the responsible organisation as additional considerations.
Set decision rules with owners
For each record class identify its purpose, responsible owner, required retention basis, review event and supported disposal route. Use an actual organisational decision rather than copying a period from an unrelated example. Distinguish a scheduled review from automatic deletion and state who can approve an exception, such as a properly assessed hold on accepted work or a dispute record. Keep the start point explicit: campaign closure, contract completion and last edit can mean different dates. A record that remains necessary should retain a limited authorised route, rather than being kept indefinitely under a vague “might be useful” label.
Follow derivatives and backups
Trace each disposal decision to relevant previews, exports and distribution copies. Ask commissioned providers what deletion means in their active storage, backups and logs, when it takes effect and how it can be evidenced. ICO guidance treats offline retention and backups as part of the retention question, so do not equate moving a file to an archive with ending processing. Record any constrained backup expiry or other supported process honestly and obtain the responsible reviewer’s decision. Avoid promising immediate complete erasure when the tested operation covers only the active project listing.
Understand the device controls
In the guest workspace, device saving is optional and records remain visible to people using that browser profile. Turning device saving off or forgetting the saved workspace removes that saved workspace data through the application’s control, while the current session remains available until it is left or replaced. Previously downloaded JSON, CSV or source files are separate copies under the device owner’s management. The controls do not delete other collaborators’ files or enforce an organisation retention policy. Before a permitted disposal exercise, preserve only the records you are authorised and required to retain; an unnecessary export is another copy to manage.
Worked example — fictional
Fictional team Fern Markets closes campaign F9. Its source proof, two previews and installation worksheet no longer serve the same purpose as the accepted financial record. Records owner Osman reviews each class against the organisation’s actual rules and prepares distinct retain, review and dispose decisions. He identifies an exported site list on a shared device and a backup process managed by the commissioned provider. The exercise records active-copy disposal as a separate check from backup expiry and retained contractual evidence. The observed result is a traceable lifecycle plan with unresolved provider questions, not a claim that the public workspace erased every record or established legal compliance.
Export and verify a retention action plan
Use the brief builder to write the record-family scope, actual owner decisions, supported disposal route and outstanding provider evidence, then export a scoped planning draft. Keep private inventories in the organisation’s authorised records rather than a shared demonstration device. For each completed action record the object scope, date, operator and verification evidence. Revisit exceptions at their stated review point and check whether a restored backup could reintroduce disposed active records. A concise record of the decision can preserve accountability without keeping the entire original document indefinitely.
Take this to the next job
- Inventory sources, derivatives and known exported copies.
- Assign actual purpose-based review rules and owners.
- Check supported active-storage and backup behaviour.
- Treat downloaded files separately from browser drafts.
- Record bounded disposal evidence and exception reviews.
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