The requirement for developing functional records classification

•We investigate current problems at the identified case study by means of interviews.•We analyze 20 official documents worldwide based on content analysis technique.•Findings will show the current state of classification system in Malaysia.•Findings conclude the strength and limitations of current official documents for managing records management, specifically for classification part.•Findings from both data will contribute to the requirements of function-based classification. Records and information management (RIM) is managed based on the lifecycle concept which significantly marks three phases consist of the creation, maintenance and disposal. Classification is one of the elements in the creation phase alongside with capture. However, not much research were conducted on function-based classification making records left unclassified. Function-based classification is an approach to classify records based on respect des fonds and provenance. This study investigates the requirements for developing functional records classification in Malaysia. The study used qualitative approach to investigate the classification problems encountered by the identified case study using interview and content analysis techniques to collect data. The technique was used to seek the requirement for developing the function-based classification system. This paper reports the findings from the analyzed data.