Since how you manage your files is intrinsically linked to your productivity, we’d like to share a few tips on keeping your files organized.
Develop naming conventions for files and folders
With multiple users creating folders and uploading files, things can get a little chaotic. Stay on top of account organization by outlining naming conventions users should follow when storing and sorting files. Not only will this keep things organized, but standardized naming conventions makes your files a lot easier to search.
Get started by breaking this process down into two parts: initial folder setup and file naming.
Create a folder hierarchy
Imagine you were adding folders to a filing cabinet. You wouldn’t just start tossing files in carelessly. You’d never be able to find things when you need them. Similarly, you wouldn’t want everyone locking files in their own personal filing cabinet so other team members can’t access them when needed. These same principles apply to your cloud-storage folder structure.
While there’s no perfect folder structure that fits every business, there are a few best practices you can use to ensure your system reflects how your business and employees work. First, you want to encourage your staff to use your system by outlining structure guidelines clearly and making them easy to follow. Your hierarchy needs to give every file a logical home so nothing gets lost and things are easy to find.
We suggest starting off with 5 - 10 primary folders that are categorized in a way that makes sense to your business. These categories could include:
1. Department
2. Product
3. Project
4. Date
Under these folders, you’ll need to create subfolders. If you decided to organize your folder by date, for example, your folder structure might look something like this:
Document naming
Now that you’ve established your folder hierarchy, you need to title the documents being added to those folders. There’s a lot of advice on the internet about how your should name your documents, especially when you have multiple users editing and reuploading multiple versions of the same file.
yymmdd_Project-Name_Last-Name.filetype
In practice, this might look like:
20190830_Q4Budget-Overview_Jackson.xlsx
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re outlining your naming conventions. If you’re using abbreviations, make sure they are meaningful and easy to understand. Find the balance between length and clarity. Too few components in your naming convention can create ambiguity. Document your convention clearly so everyone knows what it is and how to follow it. Naming conventions easily fall apart if not followed consistently.
Create permissions
Limiting the number of people with the ability to add files can keep your space simple and organized. Customize access settings for each of your users. Simply navigate to the “Users” tab, and select the user who’s permissions you’d like to update.
Following these steps will set you on the path to an organized cloud storage space. It doesn’t take much to get started. Check out the webinar below for tips on how to tidy your CRM next!
