Hi Anna,
Congratulations on taking on this project! Here are my thoughts on your questions. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to discuss further.
1. I think file naming conventions are helpful in identifying what you have and how long you've had it without ever opening the document itself. I've brought this article to management and have received buy in to use it agency wide.
https://www2.staffingindustry.com/Editorial/Archived-Blog-Posts/Adam-Pode-s-Blog/Probably-the-best-file-naming-convention-ever2. I've been in Records Management for about 5 years. I started with taking an inventory of what the agency had and where it was stored. I live in Washington State and work for a Local Government Agency so our records retention schedules are determined by the state archives and some federal governing agencies.
https://www.sos.wa.gov//archives/Effective records management helps everyone achieve better productivity and reduces the risk for the agency if they can't find what they need in a timely manner.
An example of effective records management I like to use is the grocery store. Even if you've never been in the specific store before, you can follow the signs above the aisles and on the walls to find the produce department or a jar of pickles. Grocery lists usually consist of milk, butter, cheese, bread. We aren't specific in brand names or sizes right?
Think about the grocery store when you name your folder/file structure.
Here's an example. You know when you go to the dairy department, you will find the following.
Dairy Departmentmilk
butter
cheese
eggs
sour cream
coffee creamer
- you wouldn't find fresh fruit or vegetables, or canned goods here. Think about that when you're organizing your files/folders.
Name your folder structure similarly, as an example Projects. If you know you have a project for a specific company, are files/folders related to that project saved in that folder? Or are they spread out and difficult to find?
ProjectsABC Company
- pictures
- estimates
- drawings
- packing lists
- invoices
- As Builts
Hopefully these examples help. If you need additional assistance, please reach out.
Have a great day!
Jaime
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Jaime Cotter . Records Management Coordinator
P. 360.501.9558
E.jcotter@...www.cowlitzpud.org------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2020 21:55
From: Anna Cangialosi
Subject: Newbie and Naming Convention Help
Hi-I've been a member of AIIM for a couple of years. This is my first post. I work in communications at a construction company that does not have an overall knowledge/document management strategy. There is absolutely a need and I have proposed developing a knowledge management initiative, but have not yet received buy-in. My manager, who is in charge of Branding and Communications, sees the value and is allowing me to work in a "knowledge management" role for our team in hopes of selling what we do to the larger organization. I realize this is not the most efficient way to approach this as a company, but it does give me the opportunity to learn and put some knowledge/document management practices into place, at least for the Branding and Communications team.
It's overwhelming to know where to start. I've been looking up resources on the AIIM site and lurking in the AIIM forums to see if I can absorb as much as possible. I've taken the Taxonomy and Metadata course, but feel that I jumped in over my head.
At this point, I've decided to start with an audit, clean up, and organization of our team's files which are stored on Box.com, and to create file naming conventions.
Question 1: Is there a recommended resource for naming conventions for shared files on a cloud storage platform?
Question 2: Is there a recommendation on where to start when you realize your organization needs this, but you've never worked in a knowledge/information management role?
Thank you,
Anna
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Anna Cangialosi
Communications Manager
Barton Malow Holdings
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