Hello, I have been with my current boss for 4 years now. I need help properly setting up my filing system and organizational help. Could someone please provide me with some direction? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Clay
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After 4 years, you should have a good handle on what the basic areas of files that are needed. (For example: projects, financial, meetings, contacts, etc.) I am a big believer in colors. I color code all of my files. You can purchase file folders and hanging folders and labels in all sorts of colors. It's easy to find a colored folder on your desk if green is used for financial records and blue for projects. You will also want to consider how files are used. If you need to keep track of certain things by dates, file by date instead of alphabetically. If dealing with suppliers, you may want to file all of a certain type together, like all office supplies instead of trying to remember the name of the company that gave you the best discount last time. I am a paper person myself, but there are advantages to electronic files. You need to decide what's best and most efficient for you. Best of luck. It's a big job, but you'll enjoy the organization once it's done.
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Anonymous on
11/16/2011 2:10:33 PM
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Before I say anything, we're assuming you are talking about paper records.
I recommend you visit http://www.epa.gov/records/tools/10plan.htm to get a big picture view of what a filing or record system should do. Without details about the scope of your company or project, it is impossible to provide specific advice. If you have a big company, go speak to your records manager (usually your Administrative Officer) to learn what the company standing operating procedures are. If there are none, you are only limited by your imagination but remember two things! One, keep your system simple. If you, and more importantly somebody else, can't find a record, what is the point of having a system? Two, make sure you know what records you are legally bound to maintain. Murphy's Law states that the most important document in your company is the one you just put through the shredder so be careful! This brings up scheduling, or setting up a destruction plan for old records. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of destroying an entire file after a few years, you should at least schedule time to go through the file and destroy what is not needed--to thin it out over time.
Further, and adding to the EPA website above, your records don't have to be numbered. If you only have a filing cabinet's worth of records, they can also be maintained alphabetically or by subject area, depending on the number of records and breadth of information. I recommend you also visit http://www.deskdemon.com/pages/uk/information/skills/mfile and http://www.productivity501.com/links-for-setting-up-a-filing-system/707/ for more guidance and ideas.
If you really want some fun reading, visit http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r25_400_2.pdf. Army Regulation 25-400-2 prescribes how the U.S. Army does recordkeeping! Hooah! (Seriously, the regulation is an EXCELLENT primer for records management. I have not come across anything else (except from NARA) that has added anything of substance to the Army's guidelines.)
As for setting up organizational help, you have to, well, what do you need? If you mean help from others, the best approach is simply to introduce yourself and ask for help! This is the basic tenet of networking. Be careful you don't just ask for help; you'll come across as needy. Be specific about what kind of help you need; this helps everyone focus on the problem and not on your inability to solve it yourself.
Good luck!
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Anonymous on
11/16/2011 8:08:10 AM
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Thank you for your input. I would really like to learn more about Central Filing and how you set up your system.
If there is anyone in the Lexington, Kentucky area that would be willing to help, it would be greatly appreciated. Once I get things set up, I can keep it proper.
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Captain Clay Hammer on
11/15/2011 11:53:47 PM
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Clay,
More than five years ago, the position I accepted came along with a filing disaster! Here are some of the ways I cleaned it up:
? Central Filing System (a wall of 3-four drawer filing cabinets)
- A through Z for vendors, hospital departments, etc.
- Separate drawer for Top & Major Donors-Individuals
- Separate drawer for Top & Major Donors-Companies
- Separate drawer for Foundation matters
- Separate drawer for Banking/Investments/Financials
- Separate drawer for Events
? Binders (1 inch binders on my desk for quick access) / (each are tabbed for ease in locating contents)
- One labeled ?Budget? for the current budget
- One labeled ?Lists? for current Hospital and Foundation Board lists, Committee lists, solicitation calendar, Foundation staff duties, etc.
- One labeled ?How to? which contains detailed instructions on various things, such as How to?convert a file to a .pdf or to find a listing of devised excel formulas.
This works extremely well in our department of eight individuals. They know how to use the Central Filing System and it eliminates duplication of files. Additionally, when I am not at my desk, the staff can easily obtain the answers to their questions by referencing the binders on my desk.
I hope this helps
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Anonymous on
11/15/2011 3:16:26 PM
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My advise is to take advantage of electronic files as much as possible. Be sure that each project has its own folder and only information related to that project should be saved there. Do not rely on saving information in your e-mail folders, but rather save them in appropriate folders on your c: drive or any other drives that your company may provide for you. You should utilize sub-folders within each project to further organize your documents for quick retrieval if needed. Create a general correspondance file for e-mails that you want to save or memos sent to/received from others. I would suggest that your correspondance file be sub-divided into specific years. Define a purge date for use in deleting old files. If you still have some filing cabinets and files in them, you can use the same type of filing system as you use for your electronic files. Define the topic and add sub-folders if necessary. Hope this is helpful.
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Debbie on
11/15/2011 2:51:33 PM
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