Fix Filing Chaos in Teams/SharePoint
Join a practical call to teach our team modern filing fundamentals in Microsoft Teams/SharePoint. Your advice will reduce duplication, improve findability, and leave us with a simple practices for onboarding.
ADVICE
CALL
WHAT WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH
Deliver an engaging mini‑training on filing best practices for Teams/SharePoint, with Q&A. Recommend a lightweight, standard folder structure, naming rules, and version‑control habits we can adopt immediately.
OUR SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
- Folder Architecture: What standard structure should we use across Teams/SharePoint, and when should staff file under channel files vs General?
- Naming Conventions: What minimal, memorable conventions (dates, project codes) will cut duplicates and help search?
- Version Control: What simple “one‑source‑of‑truth” habits should we use to avoid version chaos?
- Permissions & Governance: Who should own folder creation, permissions and archiving across projects?
- Onboarding: How should we train frequent new staff and what checklist should we use so they file correctly?
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
DUCT champions the environmental health of the uMsunduzi (Duzi) and uMngeni river systems in KwaZulu-Natal. DUCT aims to restore and protects the Duzi-uMngeni river system by combining hands-on clean-ups and habitat rehab with pollution mitigation, education, and local job creation linking river health to community well-being.
We have a sharepoint filing system that was set up. It is not followed. And we get new staff coming in, and we don’t have a standard operating procedure and training video that means we pass on the institutional knowledge. We have a LOT of young people come through the company. None have any experience in filing.
The current structure snapshot is attached as an additional document -
have added a few screen shots.
Everybody uses Microsoft Teams. Teams is for all internal communications and records.
We work everything through Microsoft Teams. Yes, there is Sharepoint behind the scenes, but no one really works from that access point. We set up a Team for every project, and have the following standard channels: General; Project Finance: Contractual. Then it differs for each project - some common ones are MERL, Project Management.
The priority pain points are: duplicates, no version control. People filing in strange places. Too many filing spaces - under channel files, and then under general files.
We only have naming conventions for invoices. We could definitely introduce some.
Governance: Anyone can create folders, but only 2-3 people can create Teams and Channels.
Our compliance/retention rules are only for financial and contracting documents and that is 5 years.
HOW YOUR HELP WILL IMPACT US
We can stop repeating work, learn from the past, and build on it rather than starting again. We will make fewer mistakes and find information faster - saving time across projects and preserving institutional knowledge for future staff.
Deliver an engaging mini‑training on filing best practices for Teams/SharePoint, with Q&A. Recommend a lightweight, standard folder structure, naming rules, and version‑control habits we can adopt immediately.
- Folder Architecture: What standard structure should we use across Teams/SharePoint, and when should staff file under channel files vs General?
- Naming Conventions: What minimal, memorable conventions (dates, project codes) will cut duplicates and help search?
- Version Control: What simple “one‑source‑of‑truth” habits should we use to avoid version chaos?
- Permissions & Governance: Who should own folder creation, permissions and archiving across projects?
- Onboarding: How should we train frequent new staff and what checklist should we use so they file correctly?
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
DUCT champions the environmental health of the uMsunduzi (Duzi) and uMngeni river systems in KwaZulu-Natal. DUCT aims to restore and protects the Duzi-uMngeni river system by combining hands-on clean-ups and habitat rehab with pollution mitigation, education, and local job creation linking river health to community well-being.
We have a sharepoint filing system that was set up. It is not followed. And we get new staff coming in, and we don’t have a standard operating procedure and training video that means we pass on the institutional knowledge. We have a LOT of young people come through the company. None have any experience in filing.
The current structure snapshot is attached as an additional document -
have added a few screen shots.
Everybody uses Microsoft Teams. Teams is for all internal communications and records.
We work everything through Microsoft Teams. Yes, there is Sharepoint behind the scenes, but no one really works from that access point. We set up a Team for every project, and have the following standard channels: General; Project Finance: Contractual. Then it differs for each project - some common ones are MERL, Project Management.
The priority pain points are: duplicates, no version control. People filing in strange places. Too many filing spaces - under channel files, and then under general files.
We only have naming conventions for invoices. We could definitely introduce some.
Governance: Anyone can create folders, but only 2-3 people can create Teams and Channels.
Our compliance/retention rules are only for financial and contracting documents and that is 5 years.
HOW YOUR HELP WILL IMPACT US
We can stop repeating work, learn from the past, and build on it rather than starting again. We will make fewer mistakes and find information faster - saving time across projects and preserving institutional knowledge for future staff.
DUCT champions the environmental health of the uMsunduzi (Duzi) and uMngeni river systems in KwaZulu-Natal. DUCT aims to restore and protects the Duzi-uMngeni river system by combining hands-on clean-ups and habitat rehab with pollution mitigation, education, and local job creation linking river health to community well-being.
We have a sharepoint filing system that was set up. It is not followed. And we get new staff coming in, and we don’t have a standard operating procedure and training video that means we pass on the institutional knowledge. We have a LOT of young people come through the company. None have any experience in filing.
The current structure snapshot is attached as an additional document -
have added a few screen shots.
Everybody uses Microsoft Teams. Teams is for all internal communications and records.
We work everything through Microsoft Teams. Yes, there is Sharepoint behind the scenes, but no one really works from that access point. We set up a Team for every project, and have the following standard channels: General; Project Finance: Contractual. Then it differs for each project - some common ones are MERL, Project Management.
The priority pain points are: duplicates, no version control. People filing in strange places. Too many filing spaces - under channel files, and then under general files.
We only have naming conventions for invoices. We could definitely introduce some.
Governance: Anyone can create folders, but only 2-3 people can create Teams and Channels.
Our compliance/retention rules are only for financial and contracting documents and that is 5 years.
We have a sharepoint filing system that was set up. It is not followed. And we get new staff coming in, and we don’t have a standard operating procedure and training video that means we pass on the institutional knowledge. We have a LOT of young people come through the company. None have any experience in filing.
The current structure snapshot is attached as an additional document -
have added a few screen shots.
Everybody uses Microsoft Teams. Teams is for all internal communications and records.
We work everything through Microsoft Teams. Yes, there is Sharepoint behind the scenes, but no one really works from that access point. We set up a Team for every project, and have the following standard channels: General; Project Finance: Contractual. Then it differs for each project - some common ones are MERL, Project Management.
The priority pain points are: duplicates, no version control. People filing in strange places. Too many filing spaces - under channel files, and then under general files.
We only have naming conventions for invoices. We could definitely introduce some.
Governance: Anyone can create folders, but only 2-3 people can create Teams and Channels.
Our compliance/retention rules are only for financial and contracting documents and that is 5 years.
We can stop repeating work, learn from the past, and build on it rather than starting again. We will make fewer mistakes and find information faster - saving time across projects and preserving institutional knowledge for future staff.
THE RIGHT VOLUNTEER
- You love structure and order
- You know how to build simple, scalable admin systems for project-heavy teams and know the tricks or rules to keep them tidy.
- You love to make info findable → clean + searchable.
- You understand how to drive adoption: bite-size guides + quick training.
HOW WE WILL CONNECT AND WORK TOGETHER
Engagement at a glance
Format: 40-minute Zoom call
Booking: Lock in a time that suits you via Calendly
Prep: Review the brief plus any background docs ahead of booking. Review again before the call so we can spend our time on solutions, not admin. Note if there is some prep work required.
Schedule Call Agenda:
Warm introductions (0-5 min)
Context download (5-10 min)
Deep-dive & advice (10-30 min)
Action-plan recap (30-35 min)
Wrap-up & thanks (35-40 min)
- You love structure and order
- You know how to build simple, scalable admin systems for project-heavy teams and know the tricks or rules to keep them tidy.
- You love to make info findable → clean + searchable.
- You understand how to drive adoption: bite-size guides + quick training.
Engagement at a glance
Format: 40-minute Zoom call
Booking: Lock in a time that suits you via Calendly
Prep: Review the brief plus any background docs ahead of booking. Review again before the call so we can spend our time on solutions, not admin. Note if there is some prep work required.
Schedule Call Agenda:
Warm introductions (0-5 min)
Context download (5-10 min)
Deep-dive & advice (10-30 min)
Action-plan recap (30-35 min)
Wrap-up & thanks (35-40 min)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Folder Tree Screenshots -
Folder Tree Screenshots -
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