Starting Small, Scaling Smart: A Phased Approach to Compliance Orchestration
For organizations that are ready to begin operationalizing governance through AI-enabled compliance orchestration, the next challenge is rarely about vision. It is about execution. These are the right questions. Orchestration is not a one-time deployment. It is a programmatic shift. And like any lasting operational change, it is best approached in phases. Below is a practical framework we often use with clients. It supports early momentum while setting the foundation for long-term sustainability. Phase 1: Define the Problem and Establish Ownership Before introducing tools or automation, begin by identifying a high-impact compliance use case. This might be retention schedule enforcement, defensible deletion, or classification of unstructured data within a specific department or repository. Key goals in this phase include: This phase often reveals fragmentation or ambiguity in roles and responsibilities. Addressing those issues early supports smoother implementation later. Phase 2: Pilot a Targeted Workflow Once the scope is defined, the next step is to conduct a pilot within a contained environment. Examples might include: The purpose of the pilot is not just to validate the technology. It is also to test the operating model, including how decisions are made, escalated, and monitored. Pilots are also an opportunity to build internal support through small but measurable wins. Phase 3: Expand with Guardrails After a successful pilot, the next step is to expand the orchestration framework to additional use cases or systems, while maintaining control. This phase typically includes: This is where orchestration begins to function as an operational model. The focus shifts from individual initiatives to consistent, repeatable processes. Phase 4: Sustain and Mature The final phase involves building long-term resilience. Orchestration becomes an embedded capability that supports both compliance and adaptability. Ongoing priorities at this stage include: At this stage, compliance moves from being reactive to proactive. It becomes a function that supports risk reduction, transparency, and business continuity. Final Thoughts: Start Where You Are You do not need perfect data or a flawless policy framework to begin. What matters most is identifying a focused opportunity, committing to a phased process, and learning as you go. At LexShift, we help organizations of all sizes take practical steps toward orchestration. Our approach combines legal and operational insight with a focus on what works today and what scales for tomorrow. Coming next: How to measure the impact of compliance orchestration and which metrics matter most. To learn more, visit lexshift.com/lexshift_staging/. The information you obtain at this site, or this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal or consulting advice. You should consult with a professional regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us through the website, email, phone, or through LinkedIn.
Readiness for AI-Enabled Compliance: What Needs to Be True Before You Start
As more organizations explore AI-enabled compliance orchestration, one of the most important questions is not “What does the technology do?” It is “Are we ready to use it effectively?” In our work with clients, we have seen that successful orchestration efforts do not begin with automation. They begin with clarity: clear ownership, clear policies, and a shared understanding of what compliance means in practice. Before orchestration can scale, a few foundational conditions should be in place. 1. You Know What You Need to Govern Technology can classify, map, and monitor data. But it cannot decide what should be governed or retained. That requires legal, regulatory, and business context. Organizations need a well-articulated policy framework before orchestration efforts can take hold. This does not mean everything must be perfect or fully documented. But it does mean having a solid understanding of: 2. There Is Clear Accountability AI can help automate tasks, but it cannot assign responsibility. Orchestration works best when roles are clearly defined. Organizations need to know who owns the policies, who ensures they are implemented, and who can resolve conflicts or approve exceptions. When responsibility is distributed without coordination, even the best tools can create more confusion than clarity. 3. The Goal Is a Program, Not Just a Project One of the biggest mindset shifts is viewing compliance as an ongoing program rather than a one-time initiative. This includes: Orchestration supports this by turning governance into a living, adaptive process. But it only works if the organization is ready to treat compliance as a continuous function, not a checklist. 4. You Are Prepared to Iterate There is no universal orchestration model. What works in one organization may not scale in another. Governance maturity, regulatory scope, and technical infrastructure all influence outcomes. AI-enabled orchestration is not a plug-and-play solution. It works best when treated as a framework that improves over time, supported by feedback loops, cross-functional collaboration, and a willingness to adapt. Looking Ahead The value of compliance orchestration lies in alignment. When policy, process, people, and technology work together, organizations are better equipped to manage risk, respond to change, and scale governance responsibly. At LexShift, we continue to help clients assess readiness, define practical strategies, and implement sustainable solutions based on where they are today. In our next post, we will explore what a phased approach to orchestration looks like and how organizations can start small while building for scale. To learn more, visit lexshift.com/lexshift_staging/ The information you obtain at this site, or this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal or consulting advice. You should consult with a professional regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us through the website, email, phone, or through LinkedIn.
AI-Enabled Compliance Orchestration: Moving from Policy to Practice
In conversations with clients and industry peers, one consistent theme continues to emerge: Organizations know what compliance requires—retention, defensible deletion, regulatory alignment—but still struggle with how to put those requirements into practice at scale. That gap between intent and execution is not due to a lack of effort. It reflects the growing complexity of regulatory demands, data environments, and organizational structures. As compliance expectations evolve, manual and reactive approaches are proving unsustainable. AI-enabled compliance orchestration is gaining traction as a meaningful response. It does not replace governance expertise. Instead, it helps extend and apply that expertise in ways that are scalable, measurable, and resilient to change. From Policy to Execution Many organizations already have the building blocks in place, such as retention schedules, privacy frameworks, and governance policies. However, applying those controls consistently across repositories, platforms, and departments remains a significant hurdle. Compliance orchestration offers a way to address this disconnect. It focuses on translating governance frameworks into operational workflows by linking policy with systems and supporting more consistent, auditable execution. At LexShift, we see this challenge frequently through our advisory and implementation work. Whether in the private or public sector, organizations are looking for practical ways to make governance work across complex data ecosystems. Orchestration offers one viable path forward. Governance That Learns and Adapts The orchestration model becomes especially effective when paired with AI. With the right oversight and inputs, AI can support: These capabilities do not solve the problem on their own, but they can significantly reduce the burden on IG teams and help shift compliance from reactive to proactive. From One-Time Efforts to Sustainable Programs Much of what has traditionally been considered “compliance work” has taken the form of point-in-time projects: audits, cleanup efforts, or isolated policy updates. While these efforts are often necessary, they rarely create lasting control or visibility. The shift we are seeing, and helping organizations make, is toward repeatable and sustainable programs that embed governance into day-to-day operations. This includes not just tools and workflows, but also clear ownership, current retention policies, and metrics that reflect the organization’s actual compliance posture. Looking Ahead In today’s environment, compliance is no longer a static checklist. It is a dynamic capability. Organizations need to demonstrate that policies are not only documented but actively followed, consistently applied, and supported with evidence. AI-enabled orchestration can help make this possible, especially when combined with strong governance models and subject-matter oversight. That balance—between automation and defensibility, and between policy and practice—continues to shape our work. For more on how we are approaching this challenge with our clients, visit lexshift.com/lexshift_staging/ The information you obtain at this site, or this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal or consulting advice. You should consult with a professional regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us through the website, email, phone, or through LinkedIn.
One Week Later: Here’s What Still Resonates from ARMA InfoCon 2025
ARMA InfoCon 2025 marked a major milestone: 70 years of advancing the practice and profession of information governance. LexShift was honored to participate in this year’s conference with a full slate of workshops, panels, and roundtable conversations alongside industry peers and clients who continue to shape the future of IG. Throughout the week, several themes consistently emerged. While the challenges facing IG professionals remain, the way organizations are approaching them is clearly evolving. Below are five key takeaways from our sessions, client conversations, and our annual Client & Friends Breakfast Roundtable, which brought together professionals from both public and private sectors for a candid exchange of ideas. 1. Organizations Still Struggle to Define IG Across industries, many organizations continue to grapple with a fundamental question: what does information governance really mean? Too often, IG is viewed as a renamed version of records management. But there is an important distinction. Records management focuses on execution—maintaining compliance, applying retention, and managing the lifecycle of records. Information governance is strategic. It defines who is accountable, what policies apply, and how decisions align with business risk, regulatory frameworks, and enterprise value. At LexShift, we help organizations clarify this distinction and build governance models that align stakeholders around a shared understanding of purpose and accountability. 2. Executive Buy-In Remains a Challenge IG professionals continue to report difficulty securing meaningful and sustained executive support. While many business leaders support IG in principle, the value proposition is often unclear or misaligned with enterprise priorities. The takeaway is not that executives need to be educated, but that IG needs to be reframed in business terms. Governance enables operational efficiency, supports regulatory readiness, and reduces long-term legal and financial risk. LexShift’s advisory work focuses on helping IG teams position their work in ways that resonate with the C-suite and connect directly to organizational outcomes. 3. Retention Schedules Are Still a Sticking Point Retention schedules continue to present challenges. Many are outdated, siloed, or difficult to maintain. This was a recurring topic at both our conference sessions and our client breakfast discussion. Participants noted that while policy ownership is often well-defined, responsibility for updates and enforcement is less clear. Public sector teams cited staffing constraints as a major hurdle. In contrast, some private sector organizations reported success by empowering departments to take ownership of compliance, with the IG team serving as a policy steward rather than an enforcer. LexShift’s Orchestrate solution supports this model. It streamlines the development and maintenance of legally sound, business-aligned retention schedules that can be maintained in a collaborative, scalable way. 4. Operationalizing Retention Remains a Major Hurdle Even with up-to-date policies and retention schedules, applying them across diverse and fragmented data environments remains a significant challenge. Our roundtable participants shared varying experiences with electronic recordkeeping enforcement. Public sector teams reported gaps tied to staffing, while some private organizations have adopted a decentralized approach. One regional bank, for example, empowers departments to implement policy locally. The IG function simply provides the authoritative source and guidance. LexShift’s Illuminate helps address these issues by enabling organizations to identify, classify, and manage data in alignment with governance frameworks, improving both visibility and compliance across repositories. 5. The Role of IG Professionals Is Shifting One of the most thought-provoking conversations from our Client & Friends Breakfast focused on how the role of the IG professional is evolving. There was consensus that IG teams are responsible for managing records, regardless of format. But when it comes to digital records, public and private sector approaches vary significantly. In the public sector, lack of resources often limits enforcement capacity. In the private sector, some professionals see themselves as policy publishers, not policy enforcers. This shift reflects a broader trend. IG professionals are increasingly being asked to lead through influence, not control. As governance grows more distributed and embedded within business functions, success depends on clarity, accountability, and practical support—not central enforcement alone. Looking Ahead ARMA’s 70th anniversary is a reminder that while the terminology and tools have changed, the core goals of IG remain constant: clarity, defensibility, and accountability. What has changed is the environment. The complexity of modern data ecosystems requires a different approach—one that connects governance frameworks with operational realities and delivers real-world execution. At LexShift, we are committed to supporting that shift through practical consulting, flexible solutions like Orchestrate and Illuminate, and an ongoing dialogue with the IG community. To learn more about how we work or to connect with our team, visit lexshift.com/lexshift_staging/. The information you obtain at this site, or this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal or consulting advice. You should consult with a professional regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us through the website, email, phone, or through LinkedIn.