In our last blog post, we described four first steps you can take to optimize the use of your shared drives.
These first steps included creating an information framework, designing the folder structure, and setting up user permissions. From there we were able to implement the new structure ourselves on the shared drive.
Before your new structure is ready for prime time, however, there are a few additional steps you need to take. In fact, these last four steps are some of the most important if you want to get the results you want: reduced risk, avoiding duplication of documents, and increasing labor productivity.
Going Live with Your New Approved Drive
As with any record management initiative, success depends heavily on staff training and proper transition management. These two points round off the last four steps of our approach:
- Inform all employees about the new structure and the new processes
This is a two-part step. The first part is to educate employees about the benefits of the new approach. If employees aren't excited about the benefits of the new shared drive, they're less likely to work with it! The second part is intended to show you how the new shared drive is actually used. It is helpful to be as thorough and detailed as possible when training your employees. Not everyone will have the same understanding of the principles of computer or record management. For example, something as simple as renaming a folder or creating a new folder may not be widely known.
- Careful transition to the new released drive
Switching employees to the new released drive is also two. Sub-process. When you move to a new house, you don't want to take your garbage with you. The first step is to get employees to participate in cleaning up unnecessary documents. Placing unnecessary files in a folder for deletion simplifies the next step, which is to migrate retained files to the new folder structure. Again, you need to get each department to participate in the process so that they can migrate the way that works best for them.
- Monitor and support employees during the transition.
If the training performed well, your role during and after the migration process should be minimal. Even with the best plans, employees will undoubtedly need support and guidance during the transition process.
- Summary of the last details
After the migration has been completed, there are some last details to be considered before closing the project. These include:
- Deleting old directories and the cleanup folder
- Finalizing folder names by removing the temporary prefixes previously created
- Unsubscribing important stakeholders
While some of these steps may seem reasonable, we have seen some organizations overlook important elements in the hurry to migrate to a new shared drive.
A proven, methodical approach like the one we describe ensures that you cover all the basics to achieve a successful result.
Next steps
