Process Tips: File Management Part 1

By J. Summer Smart

Is your desktop cluttered? Do you currently have to search through folders and folders for specific documents? Make finding files easier with these tips for establishing the right process for long-term file management.

Tip #1: Make Time for It!

Taking time away from your daily tasks to organize your work files might not be high on your priority list, but it creates a more efficient work environment and saves you time in the long run. If your primary work function is heavy on word processing, research, database administration, or collaborative work where versioning is important, then file management processes are critical. This can be a daunting task. If you’ve inherited files, have bulk files that aren’t currently organized, or don’t have an established process yet, it’s easy to put this essential task off. Don’t put it off any longer! Take some time to get organized each day, so the project doesn’t get so big you can’t tackle it.

Tip #2: Establish Naming Conventions

Establishing a convention that works for your work group is critical to your long-term success. A convention is simply a set of rules, standards, or criteria that you can use to formalize your file management process. It’s important to examine what you will solve with the establishment of a convention. Do you need to find files easily? Do you need to keep track of versioning? Do you need to collaborate on files? Knowing what you want to accomplish will inform the guidelines you create. Consider establishing a file naming convention. This will allow you to easily search for and find files based on a naming process that is standardized. For instance, begin your file name with a customer ID to differentiate between internal and external customers. Then, simply use that ID to find files for that customer. It’s important to maintain uniformity with your processes. In addition, you will need to practice and test your convention while thinking about the various situations that you might use it in to make sure it will accommodate your needs and provide some flexibility. Adding the date to a file and/or version numbers is important when working with others to refine a document.

Make a dent in organizing your files with these two tips, and look for two more next month!