DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS: Produce Findable, Usable Information
Effective Information Management
Transform information chaos into organized, accessible, compliant knowledge assets.
Your organization creates information constantly — documents, emails, data, reports, procedures, records, photos, videos and spreadsheets. This information is essential for decision support and represents your organizational memory, operational knowledge, and evidence of performance and compliance.
But information is only valuable if you can find it, trust it, use it, and manage its lifecycle appropriately.
Top information management struggles:
Discoverability Crisis: Staff can’t find information when needed — lost in shared drives, buried in email, scattered across systems.
Quality Uncertainty: Information exists but its accuracy, currency, and authority are unclear: Is this the current version? Who approved it?
Compliance Risk: Records retention requirements unmet, privacy obligations unclear, audit evidence incomplete.
Knowledge Loss: Staff retire or leave, taking critical knowledge with them — no capture, no transfer, no continuity.
System Chaos: Multiple information systems with unclear scope, duplication, and integration gaps.
Information management addresses these challenges through systematic approaches to governing, organizing, and managing information throughout its lifecycle.
Why Information Management Matters
Poor information management creates tangible costs and risks:
Productivity Loss: Staff waste hours searching for information, recreating lost documents, or working with outdated data.
Decision Quality: Decisions made with incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated information lead to poor outcomes.
Compliance Risk: Inability to produce required records, demonstrate compliance, or respond to access requests creates legal and regulatory risk.
Knowledge Loss: Organizational knowledge walks out the door when staff leave, creating dependency on individuals and disrupting continuity.
Duplication: Multiple versions of truth, redundant data collection, duplicate document storage waste resources and create confusion.
Security Breaches: Uncontrolled information creates privacy and security risks … sensitive data unprotected, access unmanaged, breaches undetected or unrecognized.
Effective information management delivers measurable value:
Discoverability: Right information “findable” and accessible to the right people at the right time
Trust: Information quality, authority, and validity known and reliable
Compliance: Records retained appropriately, privacy protected, audit evidence available
Knowledge Preservation: Critical knowledge captured, organized, and transferred
Efficiency: Less time searching, less duplication, less rework
Risk Management: Information security, privacy protection, records compliance
ORCHARD SERVICES: Seven Branches of Documents and Records Management
Information Management Assessment and Strategy
An independent evaluation of your information-management maturity and a strategic roadmap for improvement.
Timeline: 3-4 weeks
Best for: Organizations starting information-management improvement, unclear where problems are, or needing strategic direction
Process
- Current state assessment (systems, processes, governance, pain points)
- Stakeholder interviews and user experience analysis
- Information landscape mapping (what information exists, where, how managed)
- Gap analysis against good practices and organizational needs
- Prioritized improvement opportunities
- Strategic roadmap and implementation plan
Deliverables
- Information management maturity assessment
- Pain-point analysis and impact quantification
- Information landscape map
- Gap analysis and recommendations
- Multi-year strategic roadmap
- Quick-win identification
Data Governance Framework Development
Establish governance structure, policies, and processes for managing organizational data.
Timeline: 8-12 weeks
Best for: Organizations with data quality problems, AI initiatives requiring good data, or regulatory data requirements.
Components
- Data governance structure (roles, responsibilities, decision-making authority)
- Data policies (quality, privacy, security, retention, access)
- Data-stewardship model (data owners, data stewards, accountability)
- Data-quality framework (measurement, improvement, monitoring)
- Data lifecycle management (creation, use, archival, disposal)
- Data cataloging and metadata standards
- Master data management (single source of truth for critical data)
Deliverables
- Data-governance charter and structure
- Data policies and standards
- Data-stewardship framework with roles and responsibilities
- Data-quality metrics and monitoring approach
- Data-catalog framework
Records Management Program Development
Establish compliant, efficient records management program.
Timeline: 6-10 weeks.
Best for: Organizations with compliance requirements, litigation risk, or records chaos.
Components
- Records retention schedule (what to keep, how long, when to destroy)
- Records classification and filing system
- Vital records program (business continuity)
- Archival and disposal processes
- Records-management policies and procedures
- Staff training and communication
- Compliance monitoring and auditing
Deliverables
- Records-retention schedule aligned with legal and operational requirements
- Records classification scheme
- Vital records identification and protection
- Archival and disposal procedures
- Records-management policy
- Training materials and communication plan
Knowledge Management Strategy and Implementation
Capture, organize, and transfer organizational knowledge.
Timeline: Varies by scope (4-12 weeks).
Best for: Organizations facing retirements, high turnover, or knowledge silos.
Approaches
- Knowledge capture from departing staff
- Lessons-learned programs
- Communities of practice
- Knowledgebases and wikis
- Standard operating procedures
- Expertise location (who knows what)
- Knowledge transfer for succession planning
Deliverables
- Knowledge management strategy
- Knowledge-capture processes and templates
- Knowledge repository design (wiki, knowledgebase, intranet)
- Succession knowledge transfer protocols
- Community of practice frameworks
Document Control and Management System Design
Establish controlled environments for procedures, work instructions, and controlled documents.
Timeline: 6-8 weeks.
Best for: Regulated organizations, ISO certification preparation, or organizations facing document chaos.
Components
- Document-control policies and procedures
- Document templates and naming standards
- Version control and approval workflows
- Change management for document updates
- Distribution and access control
- Training and awareness materials
- Document management system configuration (if applicable)
Deliverables
- Document-control manual
- Document templates and standards
- Approval and change workflows
- Document management system design
- Training materials and user guidance
Establish governance for SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Microsoft 365 information management.
Timeline: 6-10 weeks.
Best for: Organizations using Microsoft 365 and facing governance gaps, sprawl, or poor discoverability.
Components
- Information architecture (sites, libraries, folder structure)
- Governance policies (site creation, lifecycle, permissions)
- Metadata and tagging strategy
- Search optimization
- Records management in Microsoft 365
- Retention policies and labels
- Training and adoption support
Deliverables
- Microsoft 365 governance framework
- SharePoint information architecture
- Site templates and standards
- Retention and compliance configuration
- User training and adoption materials
Information Architecture and Taxonomy Development
Design logical structures for organizing and finding information.
Timeline: 4-6 weeks
Best for: Organizations with poor discoverability, launching new information systems, or restructuring existing repositories.
Deliverables
- Information architecture (how information is organized)
- Taxonomy and metadata schema (how information is tagged and classified)
- Naming conventions and standards
- Navigation and discoverability design
- Search strategy and optimization
Better Information Management Grows Stronger Organizations
Findability Improvements:
40-60% reduction in time spent searching for information
Increased confidence in finding current, accurate information
Better user satisfaction regarding information systems
Compliance and Risk Reduction:
Records-retention requirements met
Litigation-hold capability established
Privacy and security risk reduced
Audit findings about information management reduced or eliminated
Knowledge Preservation:
Critical knowledge captured before retirements
Reduced dependency on key individuals
Faster onboarding for new staff
Lessons learned captured and applied
Efficiency Gains:
Reduced duplicate data collection and entry
Less time recreating lost information
Streamlined document approval and distribution
Lower storage costs through archival and disposal
Decision Quality:
Trusted data for decision-making
Current and accurate procedures
Better information access for staff
Improved organizational memory
RELATED SERVICES
Information Management (comprehensive): There’s more to information management than managing documents and records.
Explore Information Management →
Documentation Quality Assurance: Getting your documents and records organized is only half the battle. Orchard can help ensure your documents are of the highest quality to ensure compliance, safety and usability.
Explore Documentation Quality Assurance →
Governance Compliance: Well managed documents and records support project compliance, whether driven by regulation, standards, or project or corporate governance requirements.
Explore Governance Compliance →
Administration Support: Get administrative support services for your project, so you can focus on the core work.
Explore Administration Support →