What is the Capstone approach to managing federal email?

Capstone is the National Archives (NARA) approach to managing federal email. Instead of asking employees to sort and file each message individually, Capstone schedules email by the role of the account holder. This makes large-scale email management practical and defensible without relying on manual, message-by-message decisions.

Why a different approach was needed

Email volume in federal agencies is enormous, and traditional “print and file” or “save each record yourself” methods never worked at scale. The results were inconsistent, records were lost, and the burden on individual staff was unrealistic. Agencies needed a method that captured email reliably as a byproduct of normal business, rather than as an extra chore.

How Capstone works

Capstone shifts the unit of management from the individual message to the email account:

• Senior officials’ accounts — the accounts of agency leadership and other key decision-makers — are generally captured and treated as permanent records, eventually transferred to the National Archives.
• Other accounts receive time-based retention: the email is kept for a set period appropriate to the role, then disposed of under an approved schedule.

Because retention is tied to the position rather than to reading every message, agencies can apply consistent rules across very large volumes of mail.

What it does and doesn’t change

Capstone simplifies how email is scheduled, but it does not change the underlying principles of records management:

• Email that documents agency business is still a federal record and must be managed under an approved schedule.
• Records subject to a litigation hold, FOIA request, or other legal obligation must be preserved regardless of routine retention timelines.
• Adopting Capstone requires NARA approval and accurate identification of which accounts are “Capstone” (senior) accounts.

Why it matters

The Capstone model lets agencies meet their obligations to capture and preserve email of enduring value while disposing of routine messages defensibly. It reduces storage costs and legal exposure compared to keeping everything indefinitely, and it avoids the gaps that come from deleting freely. For deeper background on these obligations, see the federal records topic hub.