Records Management Program Analysis Document

This project template guides a team in explaining why a records initiative is needed and how it will improve the life cycle management of business content. It walks readers from an executive summary through objectives, opportunities, an AS-IS assessment, and a policy gap analysis. It instructs teams to inventory content sources, define ownership, and align an organizational structure with a file plan and taxonomy.

It also prompts clear regulatory requirements, workflow mapping, priorities, stakeholder engagement, technology choices, and resource planning. A concise project summary closes the proposal and reinforces key actions. The structure encourages a logical table of contents and the use of an appendix for supporting materials.

The document fits industries where compliance and operational control are important. For chemical distributors, warehouses, and propane storage facilities, the records program must support a risk management plan, prevention program, and emergency response program. It should capture offsite consequence analysis, five-year accident history, program levels, and communication with the public, while aligning with OSHA guidance on PSM for processes involving anhydrous ammonia or sulfur dioxide. Using NAICS codes in metadata helps categorize facilities and processes consistently across departments.

Human resources is another use case. The template's emphasis on data standards enables consistency with OPM guidance, enterprise human resources integration, personnel data file edits, the guide to human resources reporting, and fields like personnel office identifier. Documented workflows and retention schedules ensure audits and reporting are supported without disrupting daily operations.

Typical steps include: listing all content sources and policies, documenting record-centric workflows to reduce double entry, prioritizing quick wins for search and retrieval, confirming legal and regulatory requirements, and assigning accountable stakeholders. Technology discussions focus on secure, maintainable tools and automation that improve productivity. The appendix can store current policies, inventory results, and compliance mappings for rapid review.

Organizations can apply this approach to standardize contracts, client files, safety logs, training records, and incident documentation. Examples include consolidating paper and digital archives after a merger, preparing compliance evidence for a propane site's program levels review, or aligning HR files with OPM and EHRI reporting expectations.

Proposal Kit supports this work with document assembly that speeds structured proposals, automated line-item quoting for scoped projects, an AI Writer to build supporting sections, and an extensive template library. Its ease of use helps teams produce clear, consistent proposals that connect strategy, compliance, and execution.

Expanding on the earlier abstract, a successful records program hinges on governance, measurable outcomes, and change management. The template steers teams to assign ownership for content, define accountability and escalation, and map classifications to a file plan and retention rules. It encourages practical metrics: reduction in double entry, faster search and retrieval, policy gap closure rates, audit readiness scores, and cycle time from record creation to disposition. This measurement approach helps leaders justify funding and demonstrate compliance improvements over time.

For high-hazard operations, integrating safety documentation into the records program reduces risk. Teams can standardize appendices for offsite consequence analysis, five-year accident history, prevention program and emergency response program artifacts, and program levels determinations, while detailing communication with the public. Using NAICS codes in metadata improves roll-up reporting across chemical distributors, warehouses, propane storage facilities, and sites handling anhydrous ammonia or sulfur dioxide, aligning with OSHA guidance on PSM.

Human resources groups benefit by embedding data standards within document workflows. The template supports alignment with OPM practices, enterprise human resources integration, personnel data file edits, the guide to human resources reporting, and identifiers such as the personnel office identifier. An appendix can include data dictionaries and a crosswalk to systems and forms.

Proposal Kit helps teams operationalize this structure. Its document assembly and extensive template library make it easier to produce a coherent table of contents and populate an appendix. Automated line-item quoting can scope inventories, workflow automation tasks, and training.

The AI Writer can write supporting narratives, from regulatory requirement summaries to stakeholder plans, using consistent language. Use cases include a multi-site warehouse consolidating policies post-merger, a propane facility preparing compliance evidence for a program-level review, or an HR office reformatting records to meet EHRI reporting while strengthening internal controls.

Further expanding the abstract, plan for phased delivery with a pilot, a measured scale-up, and a sustainment phase. Establish a governance cadence with a steering committee, a RACI for decision rights, and clear escalation paths. Include ROT cleanup (redundant, obsolete, trivial) to reduce storage and risk before migrating content.

Define confidentiality classes and role-based access so sensitive records move through workflows with least-privilege controls and an auditable chain of custody. Add legal hold and e-discovery readiness to the scope so retention rules, disposition, and exceptions are clear and defensible. Identify vital records to support business continuity and disaster recovery, including backup verification and restoration tests.

Deepen operational coverage by documenting vendor and contractor records, change management artifacts, and training evidence. For high-hazard environments, link safety records to the prevention program, emergency response program, and risk management plan. Standardize version control for offsite consequence analysis, trend the five-year accident history, and capture program-level determinations and communication with the public.

Align safety files such as SDS, incident investigations, and drill after-action reports for chemical distributors, warehouses, and propane storage facilities, including processes involving anhydrous ammonia or sulfur dioxide in line with OSHA guidance on PSM. Use NAICS codes to roll up enterprise reporting across sites.

In HR, integrate joiner-mover-leaver access controls, privacy checkpoints, and quality gates tied to enterprise human resources integration, personnel data file edits, and fields like the personnel office identifier. Crosswalk records to the guide to human resources reporting and your internal data standards. Build a table of contents that maps to RFP requirements and reserve an appendix for inventories, retention schedules, and compliance matrices.

Proposal Kit can accelerate this work by assembling a consistent proposal structure, generating an itemized estimate for phases such as inventory, taxonomy, policy writing, and training, and using its AI Writer to build supporting documents like change plans, stakeholder communications, and appendices. This helps busy teams present a credible, phased roadmap with clear outcomes.

How to write my Records Management Program Analysis Document document

Use this template to discuss the reason you are proposing a project or idea. For example, the purpose behind the Program Analysis Document is to provide the analysis and assessment of Company Name's Records Management Program for the life cycle management of content and documenting the processes of the business activities.

Executive Summary

An executive summary should present the highlights of your proposal in concise language and should present information in the same order as it appears in your proposal. Some reviewers may not read beyond the executive summary, so ensure that the information you provide is easily understood, sounds attractive to the reviewer, and accurately represents your ideas. Save technical language and detailed information for other pages within your proposal.

The Objective

Include a purpose statement that covers the problem and the central idea. This shows the reviewer that you have thoughtfully considered the specific issues. Restate the needs as determined by reading the RFP or reviewing your previous interview notes. For example, you might write something like " In order to provide staff better access to information and improve knowledge share, the Records Management Program must be able to provide the compliance, effectiveness, efficiency and continuity of all of Company Name's records.

The Opportunity

Include the major points of analysis and identify the opportunity. Restate the goals you identified previously (via RFP, interview, etc. For example, you might write something like " The Records Management Program is an important component for Company Name to continue to be a leader in the Technology Consulting industry. The Records Management Program will be able to satisfy Company Name's needs to be competitive in the consulting market and build a foundation for the records management controls and processes to govern the vast amount of information created and received and used in the conduct of Company Name's activities.

Current Records Management Program

Describe the AS-IS status of the records program and as necessary, describe the business problems being addressed by this project. List all sources of known content locations. This information will be needed to perform a Records Inventory. Use the Records Management survey and interview worksheets to gather this information.

Content Sources

Content Source Description Location Owner. List all policies and procedures relating to records management.

Policy and Procedure List

The following is a list of Company Name's current policies dealing with information and records management related matters:

Title Latest Version Date Description Purpose of the Policy Source. Gaps in Records Management Policy and Procedure. Discuss the gaps in the as-is state that will need to be addressed to achieve future goals.

Organizational Structure

The following outlines Company Name's organizational structure, including the purpose and details of each unit. Company Name's organizational structure is intended to demonstrate ownership and logical locations of content, and authority to govern the records program. Describe the components of the organizational structure. Examples include functional areas, such as business units and departments.

For example, " The following outlines Company Name's organizational structure with the purpose and details of each unit. The purpose or function of each unit in the structure of Company Name will aid in the creation of the File Plan to categorize records, define ownership and locations of content, and aid in defining taxonomy. Sample Organizational Chart - replace with your own.

Name and Acronym of Business Unit Function of Business Unit Description Specific Details about Business Unit Content Regulatory Requirements. The following outlines the regulatory or legal compliance requirements for managing the documents and records created in the daily activities of running the business. Most organizations are required to comply with local, state, and federal laws regarding the disposition and management of content created during the course of business activates.

On this page, list rules or regulations that govern any part of the organization's lifecycle management of records. For example, recordkeeping practices under SOX, IRS, and HIPPA regulations are subject to audits and fines. The purpose of this section is to demonstrate that the organization adheres to regulations, has a plan for compliance, and to provide proof that the rules are understood.

Legal Requirements Applicable to This Project:

Briefly describe the requirement and state how it will be met.

Workflow Processes

In order to provide accurate operating budget estimates and to ensure records are identified and managed in the context of how Company Name conducts business, record-centric workflow process must be documented and identified. Company Name could benefit from process improvement and workflow automation as a part of the Records Management Program to reduce handling time, minimize double entry, and increase productivity with efficient search and management processes.

Based on the Records Management Program Analysis, the following priorities are necessary to design and implement a Records Management Program for the organization:

Use this template to discuss your priorities. Priorities are issues that are ranked by importance or urgency; thus, your number 1 priority is the issue you consider to be the most important and the one you should resolve first before tackling others on the list. Describe here why you are making a list of priorities.

You may want to explain who created this list and describe its importance to your project. Stakeholders are vital to the Records Management Program for it to be successful and it is critical that they understand its importance to the organization and to their particular scope of influence. Senior Management must be involved and they will be providing the resources required, including time to research, design and implement the plan, along with any money required to buy necessary technology and expertise.

Introduce the topic of stakeholders here and explain their importance to your proposal. In other words, do they need to be notified of every development, do they have a vote-how will they participate in your process? Also, explain how you developed the following list of stakeholders. Describe how this stakeholder is affected by your proposal, and give contact information if appropriate. For example: " Senior Management has the overall responsibility for the success of the organization and are the ones setting its strategic goals and objectives.

Describe how this stakeholder is affected by your proposal, and give contact information if appropriate. Company Name plans to use the following technology during the course of this project. Describe in general the technology you plan to employ. Discuss why you will use this technology.

This discussion might include facts about its efficiency, that it is state-of-the-art, easier to maintain, more secure, etc. You might want to cite industry articles or reference websites that offer more details. You might also want to include photos, lists of equipment, or charts below. Developing, implementing, and supporting an effective Records Management Program requires resources that completely understand the business and the types of documents created by the company.

The following internal resources will be needed for the Records Management Program:

Describe all of the resources at your disposal that will be used on the project. Resources can be funding, labor, or equipment-related, and can be either internal or external to your company. A summary of the proposal follows, including identified needs, recommendations and goals to be achieved. Insert statement of how you are the best choice for achieving the goals outlined.

The project summary outlines the project. It should be brief - no longer than two or three paragraphs. Use your needs, recommendations and goals to build this section. The Project Summary is a restatement of the Executive Summary and ties together once again the major points of the proposal and asks the prospect to take action.

You can also add the Recommendations template to expand on your recommendations and action items in more detail. You should use the following structure: tell them what you are going to tell them (the Executive Summary), tell them the details (the various templates available to include as you see fit), then tell them what you told them and ask the client to take action (the Project Summary). The summary is most useful if developed after the rest of the proposal.

It must encompass all the key summary points necessary to communicate the objectives of the project. In many cases, the Executive Summary template is used to introduce the proposal, then detailed sections of the proposal follow using the various templates included in Proposal Pack. The Project Summary may be included to summarize once again at the end.

The summaries will usually be the first part of the proposal package seen and often are the only part that is carefully reviewed before the decision is made to consider the project any further.