business classification schemes and file plans Modern shared network drives enable organisations to store vast amounts of internal documentation, and thus constitute, in theory at least, a powerful information repository. However in most organisations documentation on shared network drives is difficult to retrieve and near impossible to manage. Folder structures have grown in an organic and haphazard way; folder titling is idiosyncratic and opaque; and important documents rest cheek by jowl with ephemera and time served material. The route out of this mess is to provide a common structure which: Covers all the work the organisation undertakes All colleagues understand and can navigate easily Can survive organisational re-structuring This type of structure is called a business classification scheme. It is essential for sorting out a clogged up shared network drive, and it becomes even more powerful in Electronic Records Management System environments where it can be linked to retention and access rules. At TFPL we have developed an approach to building business classification schemes using a combination of: User involvement (to ensure that the scheme is acceptable to staff) Research interviews (to ensure that the scheme covers all the work that the organisation undertakes) key contacts: Martin Sanderson, Senior Consultant, TFPL Ltd., London email: martin.sanderson@tfpl.com Save as Outlook contact John Davies, Senior Consultant, TFPL Ltd., London email: john.davies@tfpl.com Save as Outlook contact James Lappin, Consultant, TFPL Ltd., London email: james.lappin@tfpl.com Save as Outlook contact Val Skelton, Head of Training & Learning, TFPL Ltd., London email: val.skelton@tfpl.com Save as Outlook contact