Organization of files training

The office manager will start by spending one Friday afternoon on this, followed by an hour or so each week. Talk to the leadership team at your organization so you understand their priorities. If you have time, get input from everyone.

Here are a few questions to start with:. Organize digital files by name, date, project, or department. The best way to organize files on a computer will vary based on your organization and its needs. Decide whether it makes sense to organize files by name, date, project, or department. After that, shared drive folder structure best practice is to start with your broadest categories for your main folders, and then get more specific with subfolders.

Pros: Names are less ambiguous than other categories, such as industry or product type. Cons: It can be confusing if the client or company changes their name. It can be difficult to remember when you worked on a certain project at a glance. Best for: Organizations with large amounts of files tied to time periods, like a financial services business. Best for: Organizations with lots of cross-departmental collaboration—for example, a project manager, writer, and graphic designer work together on every project.

Cons: It can be hard to find related projects unless you include that in the file naming structure. Pros: Each team knows where to find their files, so searching is faster. Cons: When departments do collaborate, it can be confusing deciding where to save files. Ideally, your file names should be detailed enough that you know exactly what they are at a glance. Start with the broadest category at the beginning of the file name, like the year or department, and then get more specific.

Whatever you decide, just be consistent. If it's not, keep your folders uncluttered by clearing out the old files. Do not delete business related files unless you are absolutely certain that you will never need the file again.

Instead, in your main collection of folders under your root folder, create a folder called "Old" or "Inactive" and move old files into it when you come across them. Whether you're copying your files onto another drive or onto tape, it's important to set up and follow a regular back up regimen. Managing electronic documents should be part of an overall document management strategy for your business. A proper document management plan should include all aspects of handling documents, including storage, retrieval, backups, and security.

The search function is a wonderful thing but it will never match the ease of being able to go directly to a folder or file. If you follow these file management tips consistently, even if you don't know where something is, you know where it should be - a huge advantage when it comes to finding what you're looking for. Seagate Technology. Linux Journal.

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Sometimes you can get by with one archive folder. This allows you to move old files out of your primary work folder and into the archive folder.

Julie applies her administrative expertise and passion for lifelong learning to serving as an enthusiastic mentor, speaker, and author who educates admins around the world on how to be more effective every day. I completed the CEAP certification training this year. That is a beautiful thing!!! Thanks Joan! Thank you Julie! I can always trust you to provide useful information on how to help me do my job better! Your email address will not be published.

Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Guest Blogger December 18, 2 Comments. Setup Your Digital Filing Cabinet 1. Maintain Your Digital Filing Cabinet With your digital filing cabinet setup and your files sorted into their rightful places, here are a few additional tips to help you maintain this organized environment moving forward. Like this article? Share it! Share on linkedin. Share on facebook. Share on twitter. Share on pinterest. Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published.

Inspiring Administrative Excellence Since Company Information. Pacific Time. Site Navigation. That one, in particular, is not always considered when a company is young, as a plan is in place to ensure that such calls would go to the proper departments can help avoid accidental misinformation that could harm a company. Communication Training Plan Sample mindsharp.

First you have the brainstorming and notes phase. This is when you determine initial ideas and revise them as needed. This provides a baseline for you to build upon. Third, create bullet points of these training goals which will be used for the next phase, which is the flushing out of these points to determine the pros and cons.