Organizing Electronic Records A Basic Approach How you

Organizing Electronic Records: A Basic Approach

How you should organize your electronic records. � No filing strategy: You create no folders, keeping all emails in the inbox. � Filing system: You use a simple filing scheme based on topical areas. In this way, you can incorporate your office’s records retention and disposition schedule. � You use a combination of filing system and usage of inbox to store emails.

Planning a Filing Structure � Deal with bad electronic filing systems now, the problem will only get worse as more records are created. � Plan ahead--coordinate with paper filing system. � Create a directory tree with primary subjects divided by secondary subjects. � Keep all files together in a central directory/ folder.

Planning a Filing Structure � Each folder and each file needs a logical place in the filing structure, so arbitrary decisions are limited. � Filing structures must be easy to understand. � Focus on business processes, not records. � Define activities associated with each business process. � Determine how records are retrieved and accessed. � Use consistent terminology.

Planning a Filing Structure While there are no limits to the number of sub-folders that you can create, your filing system may become confusing if you have more than 3 or 4 levels of subfolders.

Naming Electronic Files � Follow the ABC Rule; use titles that are: Accurate, Brief, and Concise. � Use default application file extensions. � Titles should have only one interpretation. � Avoid repeating the folder name in file name. � Determine subject content when naming. � Use version numbers, if necessary (useful for e-mail attachments) � Be consistent with case numbers, dates, upper vs. lower case

Managing Filing Systems � As new projects are started and new records are created the filing system will need to change. � As some folders grow they may get too large and will need to be divided. � Eventually some folders may need to be eliminated or combined with others. � Managing a filing system is an ongoing process.