Hunter Storm Records Management System (HSRMS) Record Lifecycle and Operational State Model

HSRMS Record Lifecycle and Operational State Model

The Hunter Storm Records Management System (HSRMS) manages records across their operational lifecycle—from initial creation and registration through classification, verification, publication, revision, supersession, retention, and final disposition.

The lifecycle model provides the framework for understanding the current state of a record, the transitions that move it between states, and the historical information that must remain preserved as the record changes over time.

1. Purpose

The purpose of the HSRMS Record Lifecycle and Operational State Model is to define how HSRMS represents the changing state of a record without confusing operational state with other forms of metadata.

A record may be:

created;
registered;
under review;
verified;
published;
revised;
superseded;
retained;
transferred;
or disposed of.

These activities do not necessarily change the identity of the underlying record.

The lifecycle model therefore distinguishes what the record is from what state the record is currently in and from what has happened to it over time.

The model supports consistent records management, preservation of history, controlled transitions, and reliable interpretation of HSRMS records.

2. HSRMS Record Lifecycle

The HSRMS lifecycle is a managed sequence rather than a simple linear workflow.

A conceptual lifecycle may be represented as:

Creation → Registration → Classification → Verification → Publication / Representation → Revision or Supersession → Retention → Disposition

Not every record will pass through every stage in the same manner.

Some records may never be publicly published. Some may be revised without being superseded. Some may remain permanently retained. Others may be transferred to an archival or preservation environment.

The lifecycle therefore describes the possible managed states and transitions of a record, not a requirement that every record follow one identical path.

3. Record Status

Record Status identifies the current operational state of the HSRMS record within its managed lifecycle.

Record Status is distinct from:

Version;
Information Classification;
Verification;
Retention;
Disposition;
Supersession;
Publication status.

The Record Status value is assigned from the controlled HSRMS record-status vocabulary and represents the record’s current state at the time of management or publication.

Record Status answers:

What state is this record in now?

It does not answer:

What version is it?

Has it been verified?

How is its information classified?

Where has it been published?

What will eventually happen to it?

Those questions are represented by other HSRMS metadata.

4. Operational States

HSRMS operational states provide controlled descriptions of where a record currently stands within its lifecycle.

The authoritative state vocabulary is maintained through the HSRMS Controlled Vocabularies and Authorities framework.

Operational states may distinguish conditions such as:

newly registered records;
records undergoing review or development;
active records;
published records;
superseded records;
retained records;
records undergoing authorized disposition.

The exact permitted values and their definitions are governed by the controlled Record Status vocabulary.

The Data Dictionary defines the Record Status field.
The Controlled Vocabularies and Authorities define the permitted Record Status values.

The lifecycle model defines how those states function within the broader lifecycle architecture.

5. State Transitions

A record may move from one operational state to another when a defined lifecycle event occurs.

Examples include:

Registration → Active

when a record has been established within HSRMS and is available for operational management.

Active → Published

when the record has been formally represented through an applicable publication channel.

Published → Revised

when the record is materially updated while retaining its underlying record identity according to HSRMS versioning policy.

Active / Published → Superseded

when a subsequent record or version formally replaces the current record according to established supersession rules.

Retained → Disposition

when the applicable retention period has concluded and an authorized disposition action is taken.

State transitions should be governed rather than inferred solely from dates or the presence of other metadata.

Where a transition is significant to the record’s history, the change should be preserved through HSRMS audit or change-history mechanisms.

6. Version and Supersession

Version identifies a particular revision or iteration of an artifact.

Supersession identifies a formal relationship in which one record, artifact, or version replaces another according to applicable HSRMS rules.

These concepts are related but are not interchangeable. A record may have multiple versions without being superseded.

Likewise, a record may be superseded by another record without implying that the original record ceases to exist as a historical record.

HSRMS therefore preserves the distinction between:

the identity of the record;
its version;
its predecessor or successor;
and its current operational state.

Where numbering history is relevant, Previous Artifact Number preserves the prior human-facing record identifier.

7. Retention

Retention defines the period or requirement governing how long a record is maintained. Retention is a records-management control. It does not mean that a record is currently active, publicly available, or historically important.

A record may be retained while:

active;
published;
superseded;
restricted;
or otherwise inactive.

Retention requirements are governed by the applicable HSRMS retention vocabulary and records-management policy.

Where a record is subject to a defined retention requirement, the requirement must be represented consistently in the HSRMS record.

8. Disposition

Disposition defines the authorized outcome for a record when the applicable retention requirement is completed or another authorized disposition event occurs.

Disposition may include:

continued preservation;
archival transfer;
authorized destruction;
permanent retention;
or another defined records-management action.

Disposition is distinct from deletion. A record’s disposition must follow the applicable HSRMS policy and authority rather than being inferred merely because a record is old, superseded, unpublished, or no longer operational.

Where disposition occurs, the fact and applicable history should remain auditable according to HSRMS change-history and records-management requirements.

9. Publication and Representation

Publication is one possible lifecycle activity, not the definition of the record itself.

A single HSRMS artifact may have multiple representations or publication locations, including:

HunterStorm.com;
WordPress;
books or other media;
external repositories;
AI-assisted publication or representation;
other authorized publication environments.

Accordingly, publication dates are represented separately from Date Created.

For example:

Date Created identifies when the artifact was created.
Date Published on WordPress identifies when that representation was published through WordPress.
Date Published in External Repository identifies publication or deposit in an external repository.

These dates may differ substantially.

A publication or representation may therefore change the public availability of an artifact without changing the artifact’s underlying identity.

10. Lifecycle Governance

HSRMS lifecycle governance is based on several principles.

Current state must be explicit

The current operational state of a record should be represented by Record Status rather than inferred from unrelated fields.

Historical state should not disappear

Where a lifecycle transition matters, the prior state and transition history should remain recoverable through the applicable audit or change-history mechanism.

State is not classification

Record Status describes the operational lifecycle state. Classification describes what the artifact is, concerns, or represents.

State is not information classification

Record Status describes lifecycle operation. Information Classification governs the classification of information associated with the record.

State is not verification

A record can be verified without being published, or published without every aspect of the record having the same verification state.

State is not disposition

A record may be retained, superseded, restricted, or inactive without having reached final disposition.

Lifecycle changes should be controlled

Changes to lifecycle definitions, state meanings, transition rules, retention requirements, or disposition rules should be documented as governed HSRMS changes rather than silently altering the interpretation of existing records.

11. Related HSRMS Architecture

The lifecycle model operates as part of the broader HSRMS architecture.

HSRMS Data Dictionary defines the semantic meaning of the fields used to represent lifecycle information.
HSRMS Controlled Vocabularies and Authorities defines the approved Record Status values, retention values, disposition values, and other controlled terminology.
HSRMS Classification System (HSCS) provides the classification architecture used to describe records and artifacts.
Hunter Storm Evidence Repository (HSER) provides the evidentiary architecture for documenting occurrences and maintaining relationships among occurrences, evidence, provenance, and associated records.
HSRMS Artifact Registry provides the underlying record structure to which lifecycle metadata is attached.

Together, these components allow HSRMS to distinguish:

what a record is → how it is classified → where it came from → what it relates to → what state it is in → what has happened to it → and what happens to it next.

The lifecycle model therefore preserves not only the existence of a record, but the history and operational context necessary to understand that record over time.