A simple digital filing system for growing teams.

Preview editorial draft · September 2026

A filing system succeeds when different people can predict where a document belongs. Keep the structure shallow and the naming rules easy to follow.

Organise by business activity

Start with a small number of folders such as Administration, Projects, Teaching and Finance. Within a project, separate Working, Approved and Archive material. Restrict confidential folders to authorised people.

Choose a naming pattern

Use a consistent pattern such as 2026-09-03_Project_Document_v01. Dates in year-month-day order sort naturally. Avoid names like “final-final-new” that hide the version history.

Assign an owner

Every shared folder needs someone responsible for permissions, obsolete files and naming consistency. Do not give every collaborator the ability to edit or delete everything.

Separate backup from synchronisation

Synchronisation helps keep copies aligned but can also propagate unwanted changes. Maintain recoverable backups and test that important files can be restored.

Make it a team habit

1. Agree on the folder structure together.
2. Move one active project first.
3. Write a one-page naming guide.
4. Review access when someone changes roles or leaves.
5. Schedule periodic cleanup without deleting required records.