File management systems and logic - where to start?
May 20, 2024 2:09 PM Subscribe
I'm working with an internal team that does a lot of creative work for the rest of the organization - and our filing system is a bit of a mess. How would you approach a comprehensive plan to improve their system? I'm looking for tips big and small, general and specific.
I'm working with a team inside an organization that is responsible for most of the creative / editorial products that are done in-house - think publications, imagery, anything with significant design and editing.
That said, there is no particular logic (beyond individually-made choices over the years) for how files are saved. What I generally find frustrating is that a section of the file management system is often organized by project or type of project - but all sorts of files end up in the folder and/or subfolders. So say the team is building a lovely report about sheep-shearing. The end product looks great - but if we go to the folder to find "Sheep-Shearing 101", we'll not only find multiple drafts of that report, including the final, but we'll also find notes from the conceptualizing of the project, maybe a budget thrown in there, assets associated with the project (logos or photos) used.
The goal is to avoid the loss of valuable information in the mess of a filing system.
So... I'm charged with figuring this out, but do you know of any good places to start? Any logical systems or thinkers on this that are out there for the perusing? Any professional experiences you've had where your file management system felt effective? If there are useful apps/products out there, let me know, but it seems unlikely I'll be able to spend much money on buying something new, we'll have to work with what we have.
Thanks for thoughts in advance!
I'm working with a team inside an organization that is responsible for most of the creative / editorial products that are done in-house - think publications, imagery, anything with significant design and editing.
That said, there is no particular logic (beyond individually-made choices over the years) for how files are saved. What I generally find frustrating is that a section of the file management system is often organized by project or type of project - but all sorts of files end up in the folder and/or subfolders. So say the team is building a lovely report about sheep-shearing. The end product looks great - but if we go to the folder to find "Sheep-Shearing 101", we'll not only find multiple drafts of that report, including the final, but we'll also find notes from the conceptualizing of the project, maybe a budget thrown in there, assets associated with the project (logos or photos) used.
The goal is to avoid the loss of valuable information in the mess of a filing system.
So... I'm charged with figuring this out, but do you know of any good places to start? Any logical systems or thinkers on this that are out there for the perusing? Any professional experiences you've had where your file management system felt effective? If there are useful apps/products out there, let me know, but it seems unlikely I'll be able to spend much money on buying something new, we'll have to work with what we have.
Thanks for thoughts in advance!
Best answer: Maybe the Johnny Decimal system would work? It takes a while to set up and reorganize existing files, but more than pays off in time saved after that.
The full workbook with all the detail, examples, worksheets, and video links is currently $19.
posted by picopebbles at 2:57 PM on May 20
The full workbook with all the detail, examples, worksheets, and video links is currently $19.
posted by picopebbles at 2:57 PM on May 20
Best answer: Is there a structure to the process? If so, can you make a template with numbered folders for each step or general bucket of info, for example:
Top-level folder has project name and number eg “12 Sheep-Shearing 101” if the project was the 12th one of the year, or use the date of kickoff or an internally assigned project number—the goal would be easy ID and sorting (if they come back with revisions that become new iterations of the Sheep-Shearing 101 project, you need to know which was the earlier one)
Under this top-level folder:
01 Project Brief
02 Budget
03 Technical Specs
04 Assets
05 Correspondence
[name all saved messages with date and description; use YYYY-MM-DD format for easy sorting by date]
06 Rough Drafts
[dated subfolders within this for each round of draft, feedback and revisions]
07 Final Deliverables
[dated subfolders for each delivery]
08 Postmortem Notes
posted by music for skeletons at 3:10 PM on May 20 [1 favorite]
Top-level folder has project name and number eg “12 Sheep-Shearing 101” if the project was the 12th one of the year, or use the date of kickoff or an internally assigned project number—the goal would be easy ID and sorting (if they come back with revisions that become new iterations of the Sheep-Shearing 101 project, you need to know which was the earlier one)
Under this top-level folder:
01 Project Brief
02 Budget
03 Technical Specs
04 Assets
05 Correspondence
[name all saved messages with date and description; use YYYY-MM-DD format for easy sorting by date]
06 Rough Drafts
[dated subfolders within this for each round of draft, feedback and revisions]
07 Final Deliverables
[dated subfolders for each delivery]
08 Postmortem Notes
posted by music for skeletons at 3:10 PM on May 20 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Also a read me.txt file in every top folder that summarises the naming convention. I am a big fan of YYYYMMDD-name-v1.0 because you can sort alphabetically and people will do versions no matter what.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 4:32 PM on May 20 [1 favorite]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 4:32 PM on May 20 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I would think carefully about how much control you have, how your different team members might also use the system, how much other members of your organization use it, who has the ability to modify and edit, vs who has read only access, and what the overall goal is. There is huge potential for projects like this to be a time suck and not make anything easier.
Also, don't forget file naming as part of your system. I am not a fan of relying on many folders and subfolders to provide context for a file named "Sheep draft" or something like that in a world where people use search to find files.
I would think about what the purpose of the system is. And whether your team uses any other means of collaboration that function as the "source of truth" for the status of the project. I'm currently getting started in an org where the document management system is too far gone for the folders to quickly find something (other than something I've created) or to make sure I'm not missing something. Rather than trying to fix the system, our team uses Asana and links project documents from there so it doesn't matter where they are. I rely on searches to find things prepared by others, or asking them. Usually there's only bandwidth for one "source of truth", and if the team is currently comfortable using something else, your file management system update is susceptible to be a waste of time when people don't have an incentive to comply.
Before settling on anything, I'd have some consultations with your team to find out what aspects of the system right now have meaning and how they use the system to get their work done. Watching over someone's shoulder is an really valuable way to understand how they find things and to make sure you don't disrupt something.
Lastly I'd resist the temptation to sink a lot of time into designing a complicated Perfect System, then trying to get people to comply with it. It's possible for these to make things worse. I'd think about incremental changes that could move the team towards more organization. File-naming conventions can be a good one. Another might be to institute a couple simple subfolders like "Drafts", "Notes", "Assets" (for images etc), and so long as people can find the core project documents, not worry about making sure there's a perfect place for everything.
Good luck!
posted by lookoutbelow at 4:34 PM on May 20 [2 favorites]
Also, don't forget file naming as part of your system. I am not a fan of relying on many folders and subfolders to provide context for a file named "Sheep draft" or something like that in a world where people use search to find files.
I would think about what the purpose of the system is. And whether your team uses any other means of collaboration that function as the "source of truth" for the status of the project. I'm currently getting started in an org where the document management system is too far gone for the folders to quickly find something (other than something I've created) or to make sure I'm not missing something. Rather than trying to fix the system, our team uses Asana and links project documents from there so it doesn't matter where they are. I rely on searches to find things prepared by others, or asking them. Usually there's only bandwidth for one "source of truth", and if the team is currently comfortable using something else, your file management system update is susceptible to be a waste of time when people don't have an incentive to comply.
Before settling on anything, I'd have some consultations with your team to find out what aspects of the system right now have meaning and how they use the system to get their work done. Watching over someone's shoulder is an really valuable way to understand how they find things and to make sure you don't disrupt something.
Lastly I'd resist the temptation to sink a lot of time into designing a complicated Perfect System, then trying to get people to comply with it. It's possible for these to make things worse. I'd think about incremental changes that could move the team towards more organization. File-naming conventions can be a good one. Another might be to institute a couple simple subfolders like "Drafts", "Notes", "Assets" (for images etc), and so long as people can find the core project documents, not worry about making sure there's a perfect place for everything.
Good luck!
posted by lookoutbelow at 4:34 PM on May 20 [2 favorites]
I agree with Lookoutbelow- it is hard to get folks to comply with any sort of organizational system. I always refer folks who want to organize their files to this page that explains naming conventions and gives examples, which is now 14 years old.
posted by momochan at 5:23 PM on May 20
posted by momochan at 5:23 PM on May 20
Best answer: This is called Records Management or Records and Information Management. Searching those terms will bring up a ton of articles and videos.
Why is it frustrating to have drafts and pictures in a project folder? What should be in the folder aside from the final report? These questions are not for you to defend your choices to us, but to ask yourself in order to write clear guidelines. Guidelines about how long to keep supporting documents like budgets should be public and people assigned to clean up files like this on a regular basis.
posted by soelo at 8:54 PM on May 20
Why is it frustrating to have drafts and pictures in a project folder? What should be in the folder aside from the final report? These questions are not for you to defend your choices to us, but to ask yourself in order to write clear guidelines. Guidelines about how long to keep supporting documents like budgets should be public and people assigned to clean up files like this on a regular basis.
posted by soelo at 8:54 PM on May 20
I would do a few things:
1. Decide on a folder structure
2. Assign one team member to be 'file manager' and make sure _only_ 'File Manager' and their backup(s) are able to put files in those folders
3. Create a folder named 'Incoming' or similar name and allow all team members to put files there
4. All team members save all files to 'Incoming'
5. 'File manager' is responsible for distributing the files to their correct locations and if necessary, renaming
6. 'File manager' is responsible for making sure backups of those folders occurs, has worked, and ideally does occasional testing to make sure files can be recovered from backups
7. Other team members can A) use a search function to find files they need or B) ask 'File Manager' but that should be discouraged to keep it from becoming a major part of their day
This eliminates the problem of team members picking their own spots and ignoring naming conventions while organizing the files and hopefully eliminating lost items. You _will_ have to watch for team members keeping and using their own copies of files and not updating the team folders.
posted by TimHare at 9:33 PM on May 21
1. Decide on a folder structure
2. Assign one team member to be 'file manager' and make sure _only_ 'File Manager' and their backup(s) are able to put files in those folders
3. Create a folder named 'Incoming' or similar name and allow all team members to put files there
4. All team members save all files to 'Incoming'
5. 'File manager' is responsible for distributing the files to their correct locations and if necessary, renaming
6. 'File manager' is responsible for making sure backups of those folders occurs, has worked, and ideally does occasional testing to make sure files can be recovered from backups
7. Other team members can A) use a search function to find files they need or B) ask 'File Manager' but that should be discouraged to keep it from becoming a major part of their day
This eliminates the problem of team members picking their own spots and ignoring naming conventions while organizing the files and hopefully eliminating lost items. You _will_ have to watch for team members keeping and using their own copies of files and not updating the team folders.
posted by TimHare at 9:33 PM on May 21
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If the design project is being created in InDesign, that program allows one to "package" a file. This gathers all images, fonts, and a pdf into a neat folder. You might want to ensure that all project folders have a "_PackagedFile_xyz date" folder.
I often want to see the final pdf, so I always have a folder called "To Print" or "To Web" where I place files that went to the printer, or are uploaded to the web.
Personally, for each project, I usually have folders for: text, images, proofs, originals, To print, To Web, and documentation. I usually create my indesign file with _pr1" at the end of the filename (proof 1; pr2, etc). If these get to be too many, then I move the earlier ones into the "proofs" folder, too.
All main project folders are appended with the date first: "2024_05_MetafilterAnalysis" so they sort in order. Date for me is when it's first started, but you could do by date uploaded if that makes more sense.
Happy to give more tips; this is a snippet of my workflow.
posted by hydra77 at 2:41 PM on May 20 [1 favorite]