The model is designed to be relatively quick and easy to use for any organization charged with preserving digital information for the long term. Some institutions have applied this model in less than 1 hour. For others it may take longer, particularly if wider consultation with a range of colleagues is required or if multiple streams of digital content are being assessed.

Note that though establishing where your organization is using DPC RAM may be a relatively quick process,  it may take longer to consider where you would like to be and to plan actions for moving forward.

DPC RAM can be used by any organization with a need to preserve digital information for the long term. It should be possible to apply it regardless of the sector in which you work or the type of information that is being preserved. The maturity levels are based on existing good practice and try to be agnostic to particular preservation strategies or approaches.

DPC RAM for DPC Members

Whilst the model is freely available for anyone to use, DPC Members will have the additional benefit of the ability to benchmark and compare their results with that of other members. The model when applied across the DPC membership will also help facilitate DPC Member Support activities and work planning, enabling the capture of basic information on member needs and highlighting areas where additional support is needed.

• Share your assessment with colleagues and senior managers within your organization. A copy of the assessment can be used as a conversation starter to talk about where you are now and what areas would benefit from improvement.
• Use the results of your assessment as evidence within a business case for digital preservation as it will help to effectively illustrate gaps and priority areas for improvement. The radar chart that is generated when you use the Excel spreadsheet template for RAM provides a helpful visual aid to illustrate any gaps you have highlighted. The Business Case Toolkit may also help with this. 
• Establish a roadmap or plan of action for the year ahead. If there is a mismatch in your current level and target level for any of the sections of DPC RAM, consider what incremental steps you can start to take in order to improve. How to level up with DPC RAM provides some useful resources related to each section of DPC RAM.
• Set priorities, establishing which sections of the model you want to work on first and where you would like to see improvement over the next year.
• Include some of the actions coming out of this assessment in your organization's forward planning or staff development processes.
• Revise your preservation policy or strategy to ensure it accurately reflects your aspirations.
• If you are a DPC Member: Speak to the DPC if you would like to benchmark your own digital preservation capability against that of other member organizations. We will be able to provide you with anonymized comparative information about the membership as a whole that may be of use to you for internal advocacy.