The RM Team's goal in creating this document is to make appraisal work more efficient, consistent, and better documented. The purpose is to provide archivists with an outline of procedures and a cache of resources to use when gathering information necessary to make appraisal decisions before, during and after appraisal visits or records surveys. It is a tool for conducting on-site appraisals and for creating records disposition schedules.

When making appraisal decisions, archivists should always consider both the big picture and the finer details. The functional definitions, records creators, and record types listed in the Appraisal Criteria, along with research into an office's history and mission serve as the big picture. Specific questions concerning an office's activities, record keeping practices, workflow, and the records found in an office serve as the details. Together, the resources identified in this document help archivists determine what record types are created and maintained by an office, which record types best document the functions of that office, and what role those record types and the records creator play in documenting Smithsonian history.

This document describes the processes involved in every appraisal decision: 1) Research and Preparation, 2) Records Examination, and 3) Evaluation, Decision and Documentation.