Are there too many documents? But which ones are important? Project teams are drowning in information. There's no shortage of tools: emails, Slack channels, JIRA, Microsoft Teams, and Trello boards. But who can keep track of them all? A few simple rules can get a project team on track. I'll present the simplest project filing system here.
What is the purpose of filing in projects?
We often find file structures at our clients' offices that are sorted by document type, partner, and subject, such as correspondence, invoices, architect, and bathroom (see fig. 1).
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| Figure 1: A typical project filing structure |
However, I have a problem with this structure. It's not just messy; a primary organizational criterion is missing. Even worse is the lack of overview. In projects especially, there are always two basic questions:
- Have I done what I wanted to do?
- What should I do next?
Why don't we organize our files based on what needs to be done next?
We deliver results in our projects
Project work means delivering results under uncertainty. First, we need to designate a place in our filing system for the results (see fig. 2).
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| Figure 2: Some results are already delivered |
If we have a place for the results, we can always check to see if everything we expected is there. A delivery note or an invoice may indicate the delivery. An empty file folder means that we are still expecting the delivery.
We use documents to manage our project
Planning is a typical project management activity. To get results, we plan things like costs, dates, tasks, and partners. Therefore, we need a place to store our plans and other management documents (see fig. 3).
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| Figure 3: Project work involves plans |
Everyone knows where the plans and important lists are. We don't need to wait for someone else to tell us what the plan is. We now have a place for results and management documents. How will we know what to do next and whether we have completed our work packages?
We use folders for open and closed issues
For simple projects, we consider all activities, questions, and change requests to be open issues. We create a new folder for each open issue whenever we take action or react to something. This folder stores all incoming and outgoing messages, as well as all associated documents (see fig. 4).
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| Figure 4: One folder for any new issue |
Once work on an open issue is finished, we move the folder to the local archive. Now, we can clearly see what we need to take care of next.
Let's compare the different filing structures in fig. 5.
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| Figure 5: Old and new project filing structures |
Initially, it was difficult to assess the project's current status. We didn't know which results were expected or had already been delivered. We had to walk through all the folders and subfolders in the filing structure, as well as the email system. Even then, we are not sure if we have all the information.
Now that we know all the delivered results, the current plans, and the open issues that need to be addressed, we can move forward.
Our filing structure helps us maintain an overview of the project.
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