How do you set cutoff and disposition triggers for email records under the Capstone approach?

The Capstone approach is a role-based way to manage email records. Instead of asking every employee to classify each message, it captures email by the account holder’s position. Accounts belonging to senior or significant officials are treated as permanent; most other accounts are temporary and kept for a set period. Setting cutoff and disposition triggers under Capstone means deciding when the clock starts and what event ends an account’s retention.

Define the Records Series First

Begin by mapping accounts to the right category in your schedule. Permanent (Capstone) accounts follow one rule; non-Capstone accounts follow another. Each category needs an approved retention period and disposition instruction documented in your records schedule before you can automate anything.

Choosing the Cutoff Trigger

A cutoff “closes” a block of records so the retention period can begin counting. Because Capstone is account-based rather than message-based, the practical triggers usually are:

• Time-based cutoff — close email at the end of each calendar or fiscal year, then start the retention clock for that year’s block.
• Event-based cutoff — close an account when its holder separates, transfers, or leaves the covered role. This matters most for non-Capstone accounts, where retention often runs from separation.

Pick the trigger that matches how your schedule is written, and apply it consistently so disposition dates are calculable.

Setting the Disposition Trigger

Disposition is what happens when retention expires.

• Permanent / Capstone accounts — never destroyed; transfer to the archives in the format and on the timetable your schedule and the National Archives require.
• Temporary accounts — eligible for destruction once the retention period measured from the cutoff has fully elapsed and no hold applies.

Always check for litigation, audit, FOIA, or Privacy Act holds before destroying anything. A hold suspends the disposition trigger until the matter clears.

Document and Automate

Record your cutoff and disposition rules in policy, then configure your email or archiving system to apply them automatically by account category. Periodically review role assignments, departures, and the schedule itself so triggers stay accurate.

For more on managing these records, see the email and messaging topic hub.

Capstone reduces burden by shifting classification from message to role, but it only works when cutoffs and disposition events are clearly defined, scheduled, and enforced.