The Army's file plan is better known as what?

The answer

The Army's file plan is better known as the Office Records List (ORL).

In Army records management, a "file plan" is the document that identifies what records an office creates and keeps, and how they are organized, maintained, and eventually disposed of. Within the Army Records Information Management System (ARIMS), that file plan is generated and called the Office Records List (ORL). So when a training item asks what the Army's file plan is better known as, the answer is the ORL.

What an ORL / file plan actually is

The content most answer dumps skip is what the ORL does. An Office Records List:

• Lists every record series an office maintains — each type of record is tied to a Record Number (RN) from the ARIMS records schedule.
• Assigns a disposition — it shows how long each record is kept and whether it is a temporary record (destroyed after a retention period) or permanent (eventually transferred to the National Archives).
• Organizes records consistently — so anyone can find a document and know its lifecycle, even if the original custodian leaves.

In ARIMS, offices build their ORL by selecting the applicable Record Numbers, and the system produces the file plan automatically. This is why the ORL is the modern Army file plan rather than a separate paper form.

The bigger picture: how ARIMS works

ARIMS is the Army's web-based system for managing records throughout their lifecycle. Its purpose is to ensure records are captured, retained for the legally required period, and disposed of properly. Two ideas anchor it:

• Record Numbers (RNs) classify each record series and carry a built-in retention and disposition instruction.
• The ORL (file plan) is the office's roster of the RNs it actually uses, forming the roadmap for storing and retrieving those records.

ARIMS separates records into transfer/long-term categories (T records, often sent to the Army Electronic Archive) and short-term keep-at-office records, helping offices avoid both premature destruction and endless hoarding of paperwork.

Why a file plan matters

A good file plan is not bureaucratic busywork. It:

• Ensures legal and regulatory compliance — records that must be kept for audits, investigations, FOIA requests, or historical value are retained for the correct time.
• Enables continuity — when personnel rotate, the ORL lets the next person locate and understand the office's records instantly.
• Prevents unauthorized destruction — disposition instructions stop someone from deleting records that still have retention obligations.
• Improves efficiency — records that have met their retention period are removed on schedule, reducing clutter and storage cost.

In short: the Army's file plan is the Office Records List (ORL), built inside ARIMS, and it is the backbone of disciplined, compliant records management.