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Why you don't have to digitise everything

Why you don't have to digitise everything

Do Not Digitise EverythingDo Not Digitise Everything

This blog post was written in conjunction with Iron Mountain who are on ESPO's Document Management Solutions framework (390) on Lots 1, 2, 3 and 4.

As digital working becomes the norm, many organisations are looking at how they phase out their hard-copy records altogether. This may be a proactive destruction programme, or it may involve scanning records, or both. Iron Mountain has recently delivered two such programmes for customers in both the NHS and Local Government with different challenges.


The problem is - scanning everything is expensive. Some organisations which have already triaged their records or successfully found funding may be in a position to scan all their remaining records and destroy the originals. But most won’t. So how do you go about making a plan when funding isn’t infinite?


1) Consolidate your archival records

It is much easier to create a full roadmap when you know that you have considered every batch of records which is likely to turn up. You can do this via a ‘records amnesty’ and either move all existing hard-copy records to your central internal facility, or, if you have an external contract, move them offsite. Either way, you will then know exactly how much you have. You can set an internal deadline for declaring any records or having them not included in the digitisation programme.

Document Management Solutions Framework (390)Document Management Solutions Framework (390)

2) Create a timescale for managing records which appear after the amnesty

Perhaps you can review any documentation which has accumulated again after a 6-month and then a 12-month period to understand why this material is still being created. Nonetheless, it gives you a way of progressing with your digitisation programme whilst not getting distracted by the fact that ‘turning the tap off’ on a permanent basis can be more easily said than done.


3) Categorise your records into groups

Consultancy Services Framework (664)Consultancy Services Framework (664)

This may seem easy (most records will be associated with a department), but there will usually be batches of more and less critical or current records. Ask departments to rank their material according to ‘regularly used’, ‘sometimes used’ and ‘rarely used’ and prioritise the ‘regularly used’. All this will be easier if you have a system on which all hard-copy records are logged with retention dates captured - third-party providers can make this task very straightforward. You can then assess which departments have the greatest volume of regularly-used records and prioritise them.


4) Assess your information

Many organisations still don’t know what they have or regularly apply their retention schedule. Looking to digitise can be a prime opportunity to review whether you really need to be keeping what you currently have before you start digitising.


5) Handle unfamiliar records with care

If there are any batches of records where teams are unaware of the contents, you can either ‘lift lids’ and record contents internally or use external support to create content inventories for you. This will also give you an understanding of where there are sensitive materials that should be handled with particular care in case you don’t already have this information.

Strategic HR Services Framework (3S)Strategic HR Services Framework (3S)

6) Store your records

Decide where your records are going to be stored once scanned - can all line-of-business systems have records usefully uploaded onto them? How will you manage the retention going forward? Or would they be better sitting in a new central repository with built-in retention management which line-of-business systems can integrate with to view records?


7) Create a multi-year digital transition plan

Secure Shredding and Disposal Services (981) FrameworkSecure Shredding and Disposal Services (981) Framework

Onto the interesting part: obtain quotes for scanning and then disposing of the priority sections of your hard copies and use these to create a multi-year digital transition plan, with the infrequently-accessed records at the bottom of the list, with an option to not digitise at all. Don’t forget to include disposal costs as this is what enables you to categorically move away from maintaining the hard copy. You should also make sure that any scanning process is meeting GDPR and privacy requirements, as well as long-term preservation and legal admissibility requirements.


8) Maintain an active destruction policy

Once you have made your plan and chosen your provider, you will then have a full overview of all your records, where they are held, when they need to be destroyed and when they are scheduled to be digitised. If you maintain an active destruction policy throughout your plan, you will find there is likely to be less to digitise than you had originally budgeted for, which is also helpful and allows for flexibility.


In summary, you'll need to create a strategy to:

Consolidate - account for all records and create an inventory

Reduce - destroy what you don't need

Categorise - prioritise critical, high demand, regulated records

Don't scan - records that are due for disposition within a short period of time

Manage future planning - Governance for digital records


Taking a planned, multi-year view will not only allow you to see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, but it will also enable you to manage stakeholders, make the best use of your budget and take the opportunity to get your records fully under the control of a proactive retention policy. But, there is no need to assume that ‘going digital’ means ‘scanning everything’. A planned, gradual approach will yield far better, further-reaching and much more economical results.

Our Document Management Solutions framework (390) allows your public sector organisation to procure solutions including scanning, storage and disposal of documents, the supply of software and consultancy services. Suppliers on this framework, including Iron Mountain, have been vetted by ESPO and can support you to find the right solution for your organisation.

If you would like further information, please contact our team via ICT@espo.org or 0116 294 4008.


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