Contributor
People around the world are using SharePoint and its tools to make a smooth transition toward digital transformation. It is helping organizations store, manage, coordinate, and organize the complete office management.
Multiple business entities are using SharePoint document libraries to manage their day-to-day business operations, but it is crucial to understand all its features and functionalities to make it worthy for all the employees and of course for the organization.
Let us discuss what are some of the best practices to use a SharePoint document library in an organization.
What is SharePoint Document Library?
A SharePoint document library is a digital platform where all the employees from an organization can upload, create, update, and collaborate on files and documents. It includes a set of libraries that displays a list of files and key information about each file and folder.
Now, let us move over some of the steps to follow while using document libraries:
- Metadata
Metadata is data about one’s data. It is a simpler way to manage all the files and documents. It also helps in eliminating the need for multiple folders and subfolders. Metadata includes columns that represent exact details about files. It is a straightforward way to sort and filter the library for searching files as and when needed. With the SharePoint document library, it is also possible to customize metadata according to different projects.
- Co-authoring
Co-authoring allows multiple people to work on a file or document along with updating their progress at the same time. It helps in eliminating various problems associated with file management like sending versions of a file through emailing, managing different versions of an individual file, losing edits, and a lot more.
- Versioning
Versioning is also one of the best practices of document libraries. It allows the editors to revert to a previous version of a document whenever needed. It is also one of the best ways to manage edits and retrieve lost data.
- Filters and Views
Using a document library, it is easier to filter files and create views. Filtering is easy by clicking the relevant column and selecting a filter. It is also easier to create views for finding documents and making frequent phases of a project.
There are various other use cases of a document library that can help in digitalizing all the documentation.
Furthermore, there are dynamic features of the library that can help in efficient management.
- Document Library
The document library provides comprehensive management of all the documents and files in a more systematic and organized manner. It provides an uncomplicated way to organize, manage, and store all the documents in one place making it accessible for the entire team.
- Picture Library
A picture library provides an easy platform to store pictures and images that can be displayed as thumbnails for easy viewing and sorting. This library is amazingly effective for managing images from multiple projects.
- Site Asset Library
With a site asset library, organizations can use the library to store everything in a SharePoint site. It helps in storing all the assets efficiently and systematically.
- Sites Pages Library
The library stores all the pages on a site. It includes no documentation but all the sites when stored in the library.
- Permissions
With this feature, we can set permissions for easy document accessibility. It includes permission types such as visitors, members, owners, and admin. It improves document accessibility in a better way.
What are the benefits of using the SharePoint document library optimally for your business?
SharePoint is a powerful collaboration tool, be it for communication, workflows, information, and documentation. Using the above-mentioned steps of the SharePoint document library enhances the following aspects of a business-
Storing documents
SharePoint’s document library enables one to centralize all their documents, i.e. store all the company’s documents at one central location. What makes it important for businesses is that all the employees can easily access the documents they require. Moreover, it enables everyone to work on the same version of the document.
Collaboration
SharePoint’s document library ensures that everyone is on the same page, i.e everyone is able to work on the same document simultaneously without any confusion. Thus, it provides optimal collaboration that yields higher productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, it allows them to make changes to any of the versions of the same document. This feature is especially useful for cases where there are multiple people working on the same document.
Accessibility
It is true that the SharePoint document library makes documents accessible to all, but what it specifically does is that it makes the right document accessible to the right person. For example, an employee does not need to edit the HR policies of the company based on his work role. Thus, he shall only receive ‘viewer’ access to that document and not access to edit. Thus, it means that sensitive documents are viewed only by those who need to see them.
Searchability
The SharePoint document library allows one to add metadata like meta-tags, summary, author details, and more so that they get to leverage its advanced search capabilities. This shall make it easy for the employees across the organization to access the needful documents as and when they need them.
Conclusion
The above use cases of a document library are helpful for any organization that is looking for a robust document management system. It can help teams to find and use project documents quickly, fetching up-to-date detailing for all the documents.There are various other features and functionalities of a SharePoint document management system that can be used to align all the organizational procedures and automate entire office management. So, if one is thinking of using a document management system, one must understand all its functionalities and provide proper training to all the employees in their organization.
