File Digitization & Records Management
Scanning is the easy part. The system is the work.
The Problem
Most public housing authorities (PHAs) still run on paper, or on a half-finished digital conversion that left files split between cabinets and shared drives with no consistent structure. Neither version is audit-ready. Neither version helps staff find what they need when they need it.
Digitization projects fail for a predictable reason: they treat the problem as a scanning problem. It is not. Scanning is easy. Building a usable records system is harder. The work starts before the scanner and continues after it.
Is This You?
You may need file digitization support if:
- Your agency is preparing for an audit and file disorganization is a liability
- Staff spend meaningful time searching for documents that should be easy to find
- A previous digitization effort stalled or produced files no one uses
- You are transitioning to a new software system and need clean records to migrate
- Your retention policy exists on paper but nobody applies it consistently
What We Do
We start with the files as they are. Sort, purge, and organize before anything gets scanned. Retention policies get applied, not just referenced. If the agency does not yet have clear retention and records rules, that is a policy problem before it is a digitization problem.
We design the conversion process. What gets scanned. What gets indexed. What gets renamed. What quality checks apply. What staff or vendors need to follow so the digital version is usable when the project ends. The agency/temp-team/contractor may do the scanning. We make sure the work produces an organized records system instead of digital clutter.
We also review samples before the work begins, spot problems that will carry forward if ignored, and quality-check the output as the project moves. Then we build the workflow for what comes next: who files new documents, where they go, what naming conventions to follow, and how to keep the system from drifting back to chaos within six months.
What You Get
- File structure and conversion rules: a practical plan for organizing, naming, indexing, and converting records
- Implementation guidance and quality control: support for staff, temps, or vendors carrying out the scanning work
- A maintenance workflow: procedures your staff can follow to keep files current and consistent
We can also provide:
- System selection guidance. If you do not yet have a document management system, we can help evaluate options that fit your operations and budget.
- Audit preparation. Targeted file cleanup and organization ahead of a specific review.
- Policy support. If retention or records-management rules are unclear, we can help identify the policy work that needs to happen first.
Why ProjectLogic
We know what PHA participant files contain, what auditors look for, and what staff actually need to find at the desk. That domain knowledge is the difference between a digitization project that works and one that produces a very expensive digital mess.