Proper Alphabetical Filing System
Basic filing terms.
Proper alphabetical filing system. In order not to lose a file that is somewhere but not where you first thought you need a system. Before learning the 12 filing rules an understanding of filing terms is necessary. Various places may have very specific rules such as medical files which i haven t been privy to or filing by number either ascending or descending. It is filing by descriptive feature instead of by name or number.
Receipts and invoices. It s important for every business to have their employee information company records and other important data maintained in a proper and systematic manner. The way most companies do this is by alphabetization. Subject filing this is the arranging of material by given subject.
Luckily it s simple to get started with new documents and still is not a difficult change to make if you need to reorganize. By implementing alphabetical filing in your life you will ensure all documents are protected and readily available. However paper documents such as letters purchase orders and. The 12 rules you will learn in this chapter follow the same principles as the arma rules.
Decide on a filing system. Arma has published a list of alphabetic filing rules containing standard rules for storing records alphabetically. Even in today s electronic age businesses and home. These documents can include letters memos financial records reports and other forms of correspondence.
Suddenly filing alphabetically becomes a bit more complicated. Filing receipts and invoices properly is one of the most important things a small business needs to do. Once entered into a computer this data can easily be accessed by assigning simple file storage folders and backing up the data regularly. There are different versions of filing rules so filing practices differ from company to company.
Filing is done by units. To achieve a coherent and efficient filing system you must employ proper procedures. Business information that arrives in digital form requires no manual processing rules. The first unit is usually a person s last name.
This system is best when most of your files are going to be names of clients patients or customers. As an admin i ve often had to do filing for the companies i ve worked for. Such a system enables statistics to be held in manageable and comparable units and also permits a large or macro figure or total to be evaluated in terms of its micro or component parts. But there are standard alphabetical systems that most people use for client files.
If you share these files with others the system needs to be straightforward and easily communicated. Whatever it is it must make sense so you ll know exactly where every piece of paper is. If your business is ever subject to an audit and you are unable to produce the required documents in.