Do you know what kind of problems duplicate documents can cause in the long run? The first of all problems is the wasted storage space, the second problem is the version confusion and the third and worst problem is the problem of being misled while making decisions and thus acting upon outdated information.

Turn On Version Control

File Management Software can contain a Version Control system to keep one master file and keep track of all the changes to this document, instead of saving lots of different copies of documents (e.g. report_final_v3_REAL.docx) as if they were all different.

Use Check-In and Check-Out Functions

When someone else edits the same file while you are editing it, you get duplicate copies with conflicting changes. The Check-in and Check-out Functions lock the file while you are editing it to prevent others from editing and saving duplicate copies of the file.

Enable Automated Duplicate Detection

Set the system to automatically search for and identify any duplicates when new files are uploaded to your account, rather than having to search for them yourself.

Enforce Naming Conventions

Many duplicate files are created due to files with inconsistent file names. In some cases, having files with a consistent file name can even help prevent the creation of duplicate files. Agreeing a standard file naming convention (such as a date in the file name first, followed by the project name and then version number) can help prevent duplicate files from being created.

There is more on File Management Software at https://www.watermarktech.co.uk/file-management-software/.

Keep an Audit Trail

This also means that the organisation will be able to abide by the UK’s data protection rules under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). In summary, it allows users to track who has uploaded a document and when it was done.

It’s worth investing the time to set up these features and have them operating for you.