Forms are a necessary part of doing business. It allows us to provide required information, request services and gather data for compiling reports.
Their importance should be reflected in the design, utility and management of the documents you use in your business.
In compliance with Section 10-604 through 10-608 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, and University of Maryland Board of Regents policies, Towson University has a Forms Management Program, requiring a central repository of all forms and the approval of all documents included in the form inventory.
The Materiel Management department, a unit of Administration and Finance, reporting directly to Facilities Management, manages the University's Forms Management Program. The director of Materiel Management is the University's Forms Officer.
The Forms Officer:
a.
Maintains the central forms repository (cataloging, assigning numbers),
b. Determines which documents comply with the form-defining criteria,
c. Assists departments in creating, improving, reducing and combining
like forms,
d. Conducts annual surveys to update the repository/ inventory,
e. Approves and authorizes the use of new forms, and
f. Prepares annual forms management activities reports for the USM.
In addition to controlling the proliferation and cost of forms at the institution, another objective of the program is to ensure that forms within each department:
a.
Are needed for a specific purpose,
b. Ask for information necessary or relevant to a lawful purpose,
c. Do not impose undue burden on persons using them,
d. Do not unnecessarily duplicate other forms, and
e. Are brief, plainly written and well designed.
Departments are encouraged to combine like forms, automate forms, and design forms that are one-part and can be faxed or emailed to reduce production costs whenever possible.
The forms officer shall conduct an annual Forms Survey, polling departments on the status or change in status of existing forms. Departments are required to update the form inventory/ repository, providing information on the creation of new forms or discontinuance of old, title changes, revision dates, method of reproduction and quantity used.
The forms officer updates the records appropriately, based on departments' responses. Follow-up reports will be sent to departments when new forms are added, existing forms discontinued or titles changed.
The forms officer reports annually to the USM, at the start of the new fiscal year, on the changes in the composition of the University's form inventory.
The University System of Maryland defines a form as, "A document that contains a fixed arrangement of captioned spaces designed for entering and extracting prescribed information." It is a document with a standard format for the systematic and repetitive collection, maintenance and/or transmission of information.
For purposes of the forms management program, the following shall NOT be considered forms:
A. Worksheets, such as logs, charts, schedules, checklists and other documents used EXCLUSIVELY by the department of origin which, when completed, are not retained for audit purposes,
B. Forms created by other entities, e.g. federal, system, state, county, municipal, corporate, other universities and institutions,
C. One-time forms, for a specific project, e.g. a survey document,
D. Form letters, memoranda,
E. Letterhead, envelopes, labels, tags, tab cards,
F. Licenses, certificates, diplomas,
G. Brochures, maps, manuals, booklets, pamphlets, posters,
H. ID cards and passes, permits,
I. Tests, examinations, quizzes,
J. Menus, announcements,
K. Contracts, agreements.
Tthe number assigned to a form by the forms officer and the latest revision date, i.e. month/year, must be printed at the bottom of the form.
The form (cataloging) number which is provided on the annual forms survey sheet, is formatted as
follows: MMT.001.D
MMT = abbreviation for the department,
001 = the sequential number of the forms within the departments forms inventory
D = the category for type of form (P for Public Use, D for Intra-Institution or Inter-Departmental and I for Inter-System or Inter-Agency).
