Files Guide
Keep a shared progress log the whole team writes in
A collaborating team, with members from different organisations, decides to keep one shared progress journal per client; the agreement is that every team member adds every relevant update to it.
The situation. Several people work as a team over a long period on several client files. Until now, notes lived in emails, separate chats and notebooks. When a colleague is away, nobody knows what was agreed last week. The decision has been made to use Databeamer to centralise collaboration and data sharing. One group has been created to which all team members have been added.
What you will use. A journal in the group's Drive, with tag presets.
1. Create one shared progress journal per client #
In the group's Drive, open the client's folder and choose New journal. Give it a recognisable name, for example "Progress meeting
2. Agree on tags #
Open Journal settings and add Tag presets such as #call, #meeting, #decision, #deadline. Turn on Only allow preset tags so the log stays consistent. If you want to be able to change the date of added messages (entries), turn on Allow changing entry dates under Journal settings › Other.
3. Write a message as soon as something happens #
After each call or meeting, choose New entry and write what happened and what was agreed. Tag it if that helps you find it back. Use a checklist for open actions. Choose Pin on the entry with the current status, so that message stays at the top. Messages are saved automatically.
4. Find things back #
Search entries… searches the entire text of the journal. With the tag filter you can filter on messages tagged with, for example, #decision.
5. Information about this journal #
On the right you see a panel with more information about this journal. Through its settings you can select a document type, document status and any labels, if these have been agreed within your organisation or partnership. Below the labels you see the avatars of team members viewing this journal at the same time as you.
6. Writing at the same time #
You can work in the same journal with several people at once. Depending on your rights, you can also type in a message together (an owner and an admin can type in other people's messages). Should this lead to a conflict when saving, you are notified.
What a colleague taking over sees #
Every member of the group sees the same as you. Messages are sorted by date, with the most recent message at the top. Above those are the pinned messages, of which there can be several. No handover call needed.
Sharing outside the team #
A journal is secured inside the group and only members can read it. To give someone outside the group a copy, choose Download as Markdown (text file) and send the file by transfer.
A note on labels #
If your organisation uses document types, labels and statuses, you can also have management information produced from them. These characteristics are not encrypted and are visible on our server. So make sure they contain no confidential information.