How to implement 5S for electronic files (document management)?

Hi Marieta,

Here are my thoughts on adapting the 5S framework for electronic files/document management.

SORT - remove the unwanted, keep the wanted

1. Delete all unnecessary files (like unused files or duplicated files)

TIP - You can easily find unused files by searching in the folder you want to clean.

• Press "CTRL-F" in the folder. The Search box at the top right of the window will be selected automatically when the tool opens.
• Click the "Date modified" option under "Add a search filter" and select the date range for the file search. Your options will be "Yesterday," "Earlier this week," "Last week," "Earlier this month," "Earlier this year" and "A long time ago." Select one of the latter options to find files that haven't been used in a while.
• Press "Enter" to search your computer for files modified in the selected date range. To delete some of the files pulled up by the search, click and drag to select them and press "Delete" on your keyboard.

TIP - You can easily find duplicated files by searching in the folder you want to clean and sort by name. You will see the duplicated files straight away and can keep only one version. You can also sort by size – duplicated files will have the same size and will be spotted easily.

2. Delete all unnecessary folders

TIP - You can find empty files either by using special apps (there are a lot of them) or by following these steps:

• Press the Windows key+F to open "find"
• Choose the location you want to search
• Search by size equal to zero

3. Define a red-tag folder to place unnecessary files that can’t be immediately deleted. Allocate a certain time (usually 2 weeks) for people to check if any of those files are needed and then delete them.

STRAIGHTEN - put things in their designated places for ease of reach whenever they are required

1. Organize your folders in such a way that everything is easy to find. Folder structures can help you be organized, just like drawers are keeping your clothes organized. Organize them by due date or business name, perhaps in alphabetical order, or maybe color code them.

TIP Here are some tips for when you organize your folders:

• Create folder-subfolder structure templates for generic things like projects. You can then copy-paste it every time you start a new project.
• Think of folder names as keywords. Keep in mind that you can search for files using folder names; the more specific, the more quickly you’ll find what you’re looking for.
• Keep folders unique. Make sure there’s no overlap in what goes into your folders (e.g.: there shouldn’t be two places you’re keeping project charters for the same project).
• Keep down the number of subfolders. The more you’ll have, the more complicated it will be to figure out where you need to find or save things.
• For a template folder, start the subfolder names with a number, for example:
  • 01 - Preparation
  • 02 - Initiation
  • 03 - Execution
  • 04 - Control
  • 05 - Close-out

2. Define a file naming convention and stick to it. File names should allow you to identify a precise file from the name. Choose a format for naming your files and use it consistently.

You might consider including some of the following information in your file names, but you can include any information that will allow you to distinguish your files from one another. Your files will be grouped together based on the first few components so start your naming convention with the more general components and move to the more specific ones later on.  

• Date of file – I usually put this at the beginning of the file, a good format being YYYYMMDD – e.g. 20180924 – XYZ
• Author name/initials – e.g. 20180924 – Mirel Baila - XYZ
• Project name – e.g. - 20180924 – Mirel Baila - Project X – XYZ
• Version number of the file – e.g. - 20180924 – Mirel Baila - Project X – FTE Analysis Team 1 – v001

TIP - Use leading zeros for clarity and to make sure files sort in sequential order. For example, use "v001, v002, ... v010, v011 ... v100, v101, etc." instead of "v1, v2, ...v10, v11 ... v100, v101, etc."

TIP - When multiple people are working on a presentation, I prefer to name the versions v0.01, v0.02, …, v1.0 – where v1.0 is the final version that is ready to be presented.

TIP - If you have too many files to rename them all by hand, try one of the following applications for renaming your files: Bulk Rename Utility (Windows), Renamer 5 (Mac), PSRenamer (Linux, Mac, Windows)

SHINE – keep the things clean

Clean-up unnecessary data in regular intervals.  Once every 2 weeks, scan through the folders and sub-folders to clean-up unnecessary or unused files and folders.

STANDARDISE – formalise the new practices

Create a version-controlled process document that details naming, structuring and maintenance schedule of files and folders which can serve as a reference document.  Share this document with peers.  

SUSTAIN – continue doing the first 4S consistently

Track and monitor to adherence to the above 4Ss by everyone (including yourself).  Conduct monthly audits (self and for peers) to ensure that the set procedures are followed diligently.  Document and publish the hard disk space usage data on a weekly basis.