There are many ways to implement a document archiving strategy and making the right choice for a business is very dependent on the type of business, the type of documentation that is retained and why. Once you understand what your business objectives are with regard to documentation and have selected a short-list of possible solutions you will then need to convince senior management of the need for a document archiving system and get their buy-in so that they support the project.
Those involved in making the final decision to go ahead with a new process and system may come from different fields in the organisation so it is important that your persuasion techniques cover the aspects of the business that are important to each department or division so that the whole organisation is equally persuaded of the benefits of the new system and feel that the costs are justified.
You may need to discuss aspects of the strategy in different terminology to that which you are used to, and the terms you use may be different depending who you are talking to so you need to know who are the key decision-makers, especially when preparing material for a meeting or presentation.
For example, marketing executives are mainly concerned with customer satisfaction and sales so if a new system could improve customer satisfaction and if you can clearly demonstrate how then you have a good chance of getting the marketing department behind your initiative.
Similarly, if there are existing or upcoming regulations concerning certain types of documents the legal department will be concerned about compliance with the relevant laws and with being able to show compliance through efficient retrival of any necessary documents.
Other areas of the business such as Finance and IT will also clearly have an interest in the implementation of a document archiving and management system so don’t forget to stress the cost benefits and improved efficiencies.