Document management services simplify the art of electronic file management, but if your company is looking for a Do-it-Yourself method, at least for now, these are a few key conventions that should be a part of your document management plan:
- Categorize: Start with broad categories, and then break into smaller groups. This is the key to organizing everything from your business files to the hours in your day. Star by thinking big-picture (active or inactive), then moving into smaller categories (client, project, date, etc.).
- Naming: Create an office-wide system for naming and “signing” changes to files. When someone makes a change to an existing file, it may be helpful to have him or her sign it with initials. If multiple employees share initials, adopt another convention including the symbols allowed in file names.
- In-Progress: Be as organized with working files as you are with completed files. Nothing is worse than wasting 15 minutes trying to find where you stored that document you were working on yesterday. If your part of a project isn’t ready for the next step, keep an organized “in-progress” file, but make sure it’s in a public folder where others can access it in case you aren’t in the office.
- Archive: Have a separate place—perhaps several—where you keep inactive files. There’s no sense in having to sift through old client files to find current projects. But you certainly want to make sure you keep all previous work in case a problem ever arises. For the files that you will only access under strange or extenuating circumstances, move them to an external hard drive.
- Back Up: Every day or every hour, backing up is the backbone of any file organization system. Make sure you have a sufficient method for data recovery.
These are only basic tips to get you started. Every business is different and will have to sort out the finer details of a filing system that works to meet individual needs. Another option is document management services that incorporate tried and true electronic filing conventions and techniques.
