Filing and Records Management

1. 'Family-tree' Filing

You will need one single filing and records system to ensure that people can find the information they need, when they need it.

This system is usually based on a hierarchy, or family tree, of files.

1.1 Decide the main categories for your filing system. Give each a code.

• For example, sales (SA), accounting (AC), human resources (HR) and general administration (GA).
• Have a Project Files category (PF) for whatever falls outside your main categories.

1.2 Divide each category into sub-categories.

• For example, divide HR into HR/recruitment, HR/pay, HR/performance appraisals, HR/training, HR/employee file.

1.3 Further divide these sub-categories into sub-sub-categories, to whatever level is necessary.

• For example, if you need to file the CV of a potential secretary (for the first time), you might create a new file called HR/recruitment/candidates/secretary/potential.

1.4 Store files where they are needed, in alphabetical order.

For example, if customers have named files, these can be stored near the sales team, in order eg SA/customer/Amis.

1.5 Businesses with large or complex filing systems often use a filing code instead of a name.

• For example, potential secretary candidates might be filed in HR/1/2/1/1 (where the first 1 signifies recruitment, the 2 means candidates, the next 1 means secretary and the last 1 means potential).