LAN/Data/Folder Organization Principles?

[jto18]

I am attempting to bring usability and order to a network drive that has simply evolved over time. The result has been that similar or related data/files are stored in difficult to find, seperate locations. In many cases the same thing is in more than one place, making it difficult to ascertain if the most current version is being used.

Where should I be looking to find some guidance on how to organize such a network drive? What is the easiest way to clean up a mess like this?

Thanks for your advice,

JT

 

[mikesgroovin]

No offense, but this is just going to end up being a "Help us help yourself thread". This all depends on....

So, let me start it out....

A) Where is the drive? Work? Home?
B) Who uses it?
C) What is in it?

Honestly, its all going to boil down to personal preference.
Some may like:

Media>Music>Genre>Artist>Album>>>>>Files

While others may like something totally different....it really just depends on the above and your own preference.

 

[jto18]

Hey Mikes,

The more I think about this the more I think it's the sort of thing we'll have to sort out on our own. The Drive in question is at work - it's the main drive used by the HR department. There are about 10 people who use it on a day to day basis. What is on the drive? It would be easier to list what's not... It contains all of the files, letters, forms, documents, and data that has been used by our office in the past 10 years. That includes job descriptions, correspondence with job applicants, salary surveys, bargaining agreements - you name it, if it's HR related we've got it. Adding to the confusion has been the fact that in the last several years there has been significant turnover without much knowledge transfer or documentation about who was working on what where.

I was hoping someone would be able to point me to a resource that lays out some different generic options for structuring information (ie organizing by function vs. by who uses it vs. who the target audience is vs. better options I haven't thought of yet etc). I guess I was also hoping other people had had similar experiences and could share how they went about cleaning up an illogically structured filing system. Alternatively, organizations must do some up-front thinking about how to set up a drive so it is useable and everyone knows where to find what they need - what did that planning process look like?

Part of the problem is the breadth of the types of info we deal with - perhaps I should post to an HR-related forum.

Thanks Mikes for asking questions to help me clarify what I'm looking for. I appreciate your time!

JT