Awareness building
Right at the start of your EDRM project or your overall records management programme you need to raise awareness of the programme and stress the benefits of all the preparative work.
You should make use of the new technology yourselves so an electronic project newsletter and project web pages on the intranet should both be planned for.
You need sufficient resources to update both on at least a monthly basis. Other communication routes include notice boards, staff publications and staff induction material to get the benefits of records management across.
When setting up the project and the project structures you need to be sure to involve senior management and some lively and opinion shaping staff in faculties and key administrative departments. Once they are on board you can use them to help you draw up a list of EDRM contact points in each faculty/department/business unit. Those staff will help you compile the records audit and should start to use your material to increase awareness in their areas. They should all be local champions for EDRM.
The project team and/or consultants should also set up early workshops designed to explain the objectives of the project to staff and outline the project plan and when staff will be impacted by the planned changes.
In all projects it is vital to pre-empt the rumour mill and be first to get out a positive message about your new project.
