#Business folder structure diagram archive
Use Final, Draft and Archive foldersĮven if you know the right folder to look in, finding the correct version of a file can be hard. If you only have a handful of files, you probably don’t need one. If you find yourself dumping 50+ files in a single folder, you might want to add a subfolder.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard, but most people tend to suffer from too few subfolders, not too many. Then within the project, you may have further subfolders for correspondence and contracts.
For example, within a client folder, you might have separate subfolder for each project. Subfolders help create logical groups within your larger categories. Once you organize your files into categories, you’ll want to add additional layers that help you narrow down even more. Many business activities (think reports or events) are reoccurring, so organizing by year or month makes it easy to identify the most current files and find past versions.įor example, you might structure a financial folder like this:Ĭonsider organizing files by year or by month. However, this probably isn’t the best top-level category, because it can lead to “tribal knowledge.” Imagine if five people are working on a project together, and you have to dig through all five of their individual folders to find details on the project. Users – if you need to keep some information private, you may want to create separate folders for each user.Products – if your business focuses on products instead of individual clients, you may want to organize your folders by product.Clients – create separate folders named for each client with subfolders for all project details.Departments – organize your folders by department or business function, such as Marketing, Finance, HR, IT, etc.Here are a few different categories to consider: The trick is figuring out exactly what categories to use that make sense for your business’s size, industry or how it’s organized. Foods are organized into sections like produce, dairy, packaged foods, etc. One of the most effective ways to organize your files is by category. Plus, you’re costing the business more to store and backup your personal files.
You probably don’t need everyone in the company seeing photos from your family vacation. So if you save that critical proposal on your hard drive and your computer crashes, you’ll be out of luck. Second, your IT people back up servers and network drives they DON’T typically back up everyone’s personal computer. Shared cloud storage can be a good option too. You need to make sure you’re saving files on a server, network drive or other shared location. First, other people in your company won’t be able to access those documents. It’s tempting to just save everything to “My Documents,” but that creates two big problems. Store documents in a shared location, NOT on your personal computer Here are a few tips and best practices to help you do this: 1. Your ultimate goal is to create a logical hierarchy that gives every file a home, making things easy to find and impossible to lose. Other people may not search for a file the way you do, and you don’t want to frustrate everyone else in your company. Keep in mind that a good file structure should work for everyone in your organization, not just you. If it’s too complicated, it will become a chore to organize, and no one will want to do it. The most effective folders structures are easy to use, so everyone can intuitively find the files they’re looking for. Each business is different, so your file structure should reflect how your specific business and employees work. There is no magical formula for the perfect folder structure.
What’s the best way to organize my files? Not only does this reduce frustration, but it also boosts your productivity and efficiency. Like the sections and aisles in a grocery store, an effective file and folder structure helps you keep your documents organized, so you’re not constantly wasting time searching for something when you need it. Defining a strong folder and file naming system creates good habits, reduces the time and effort required to manage your electronic records, and supports business continuity and compliance for the office.A disorganized system makes finding anything a challenge. Ideally, you will be able to identify and manage the contents of your folders without having to open and review the content of each individual file, document, or email.