Last month we talked about filing your own paper files according to your personal Key Result Areas. It's also possible to set up Key Area Result files for an entire officeif it is smallor at a minimum, you can set up shared files for a team.  

At TMI USA, we started this process in , 1997, and we are not entirely finished, but we are getting closer. Described below is the step-by-step process that we followed. If you are interested in how TMI USA, can help you do something similar, please do give us a call. We now know how to facilitate such a process.  

1. First, we closed the office for one day, and created a team building day around office organization. We put our phones on voice mail, and we do apologize for any of our readers who have called on that day and couldn't reach us. Because we wanted to focus on this task, we chose a day that traditionally is not a heavy phone day for us.  

2. We created a Key Area list for TMI USA. In other words, we went through the same process any individual might go through to establish his or her own personal Key Areas. We did it for the entire organization. A lot of time was spent on this process, because we wanted to make sure we had a good overview of everything we do to create results for our company.  

3. We then began to list all the tasks/activities we perform for these Key Areas. It was a lengthy list, as you can imagine. To make it easier for us to focus on this list, we then printed it out on our lovely Hewlett-Packard plotter, so we had one full-sized flip chart paper with all this information.  

4. Our next step was to list the physical or electronic documentation we associated with all these tasks and activities.  

5. Step five involved deciding who needed access to this information. This was a crucial step as it helped us plan where to place information. Some files are used by virtually everyone in the office, and we needed those in space easily available to everyone. Some files are used only by one person, and that meant they could be placed to the advantage of the individual who used them.  

6. Then we got creative. We began to figure out where was the best place to put the considerable amount of files/data/workbooks/binders that we use on a regular basis. We liberally used color for certain files. Now we know when material is in a yellow file, for example, what kind of information is there, and where it gets returned after it has been used. This is particularly important for shared files.  

7. One last thing. We also spent a portion of the day throwing things away. We filled an entire dumpster which was extremely rewarding in itself. 

8. End result. We know where things are! We can find things more quickly! We're not losing as much as we did in the past. All of us feel more efficient! As I indicated earlier, we need to repeat this day again. In fact, we have decided to host an annual team building office organization day. Information changes. Results change. And we want our files to reflect the dynamic, growing stance of our company.  

Janelle Barlow, President  

TMI, USA  

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