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Articles > Computer > Project Organization Basics
So you are about to begin a new project: where do you start? Here's how I organize my files and folders.
In my home directory1 I have a Projects folder, a Projects (Completed) folder, and a Projects (On CD) folder. I also have a Projects (Abandoned) folder since I tend to start things and never finish them. Each of my individual projects lives in a subfolder folder that I move around to indicate its status (i.e., Projects/YDM Marketing/2). I keep a spreadsheet named _Projects.xls3 inside the Projects (Completed) folder.
When I first begin a project I create its folder within the Projects folder. When I wrap up I move it into Projects (Completed)— or Projects (Abandoned) — and forget about it.
When Projects (Completed) has around 600MB of data it's time to burn a CD. I open up the projects spreadsheet and add an entry for each project (see example below) and then burn the folder (including the spreadsheet) to a CD. Then I do it again (you'll see why in a moment). Finally, I move all the projects from within Projects (Completed) to Projects (On CD).
| Project Spreadsheet | |||
| Start | End | CD | Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3 | Jan 30 | Projects 1 | PBC Website |
| Jan 15 | Jan 17 | Projects 2 | PBC Tomato Site |
| Feb 2 | Feb 10 | Projects 2 | YDM Business Plan |
When my computer gets full I delete project folders from Projects (On CD), secure in the knowledge that they are safely burned to disc. If I ever need to revisit an archived project, I copy (not move) it back into Projects and add a version number to the end of its name (i.e., YDM Marketing/ becomes YDM Marketing 2/). When I finish the revision I move the folder into Projects (Completed) and eventually re-enter it into my spreadsheet, burn it to CD, and move it into Projects (On CD).
Some projects (the Your Digital Mentor website, for example) are ongoing and have no 'completion date'. For these projects I occasionally copy them into Projects (Completed) with an appropriate suffix (i.e., YDM Website 2006-05)4 and back them up as usual.
And what do you do with all these CDs? Go out and buy two CD wallets — the big zippered things made by Case Logic. One of the wallets sits in your office, and as soon as you burn the CD you label it appropriately (Projects 1 burned on June 27 2006) and put it in the wallet. This is your insurance in case your computer has a hard drive failure, or if you ran out of room and needed to delete the project files. The other wallet is at a friend's house across town; label the CD and bring it to your friend as soon as possible. This is your insurance in case your office is burglarized or burns down. Any disaster big enough to take out two buildings on opposite sides of town is so big that your data will be the least of your concerns.
As I said before, each of my projects lives in a folder of its own. Even if the 'project' is just a single Microsoft Word document, I still go ahead and create the folder. I'd rather use consistent conventions, and having a folder makes it easier for me to track file versions.
Each project folder contains a _Log.doc Word document that I use for keeping track of my notes. If billing is an issue I also have a _Timelog.xls spreadsheet that I use to track my hours. I do a lot of graphic design and web publishing, so I also create folders for each of the applications that I will be using on the project. Finally, I have folders for source files (if I was given any) and file versions (if I track them). The 'outcome' of the project (PDF file, Word docment, website, etc.) goes at the top level with an appropriate name.
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