Moving from Shared Drive or the traditional approch for managing files and folder to SharePoint Online (SPO), you need to develop a proper file plan. A file plan is a virtual cabinet for storing files, folder, categorise them and their retention schedule. Below we will explain more on file plan for you to have a better clarity while implementing this in SharePoint online. 

File Plan:

Objective of File Plan is to categorize documents for organizations in such a way that Users should be able to find it easy to navigate and use in SharePoint. To be specific in this step, we have to identify and confirm the type of file plan to create for companies and implement further in SharePoint Online with the agreed approach.

File plans are generally hierarchical and based on the functions and activities of the department or organization.

• Level 1 = Function
  • Level 2 = Activity (Process) - An activity (or process) is part of a function.
    • Level 3 = Record Class - The record class is part of the activity (or process). 

Benefits:

• Later the file plans would all roll up into one master plan and retention schedule but each department would only have to be concerned about its records and information.
• Users should be able to find it easy to navigate and use. This means that users can successfully predict in which category they are likely to find the content they want, just by looking at the top level.
• In future we can apply unique retention and disposition and, in many cases, security requirements as well.
• And the file plan can ensure consistency in retention and disposition. Depending on how the file plan is implemented in SharePoint, policies can be set up to automatically identify and potentially dispose of information that has met its retention period. This is typically done through inheritance – that is, once the record is put into the appropriate place in the repository, it inherits retention and disposition rules. The user doesn’t need to know necessarily where that appropriate place is either; this can be managed using information management policies and workflows.

Create File Plan:

The file plan has to be developed before it can be implemented in SharePoint. The process consists of the following basic steps.

• Develop a business classification scheme (BCS)
• Conduct a records and information inventory
• Develop the file plan classification structure

Below table will assist in achieving above steps

Test File Plan:

• Ask users in the organization to classify their documents and records using the file plan using Folders.
• Ideally everything the users do and create should fit in exactly one place in the file plan. If there are documents that meet multiple classification structures, or that do not fit into any of the categories, add those in Activity list.
• It is important to do this testing before the file plan is implemented in SharePoint because it is easier to correct these issues in a spreadsheet than to change SharePoint libraries or folders.

Are you looking for a Microsoft Partner to implement Document Management in SharePoint. Call us to discuss further.