Find and organize work
Search helps you find work. Good organization makes the results worth finding.
Use the right surface
| Surface | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Explorer | You know where the work belongs or need to create/edit in context |
| Search | You know a term, title, sender, phrase, or identifier but not the location |
| Files, Notes, Tasks, Chats | You want a focused content view inside the repository |
| Companies, Contacts, Cases | The work starts from a relationship or operational record |
| Directory pages | You need users, groups, public links, agents, or other governance tables |
Do not send normal users to governance pages when they are trying to do project work.
Search effectively
- Start with one stable term: file name, title fragment, exact phrase, sender, company, case, or identifier.
- Narrow by item type or folder scope.
- Use full-text search when the content itself matters.
- Open the result.
- Verify the owning folder or record before editing, moving, or sharing.
If results are noisy, the fix is often organizational: duplicate folders, inconsistent names, and weak metadata produce weak search.
Keep folder structure simple
Folders should represent durable work domains:
- projects
- customers
- departments
- operations
- cases or matters
- controlled shared areas
Avoid folders that mirror old tool silos. A folder named Chats or Tasks rarely tells people what work it owns.
Use focused views without losing context
Focused views are useful for triage:
- Files for document work
- Notes for written context
- Tasks for assigned execution
- Chats for discussion
- Emails and Calendars when connected accounts are enabled
After opening an item from a focused view, confirm the owning folder or record before taking action.
Use companies, contacts, and cases as records
Companies, contacts, and cases are not just notes with nicer lists. Companies and cases can carry folder-backed work context; contacts are records that link to people, companies, and workspaces.
Use them when a person, company, matter, or operational workflow needs:
- durable ownership or relationship context
- related files and notes
- tasks and discussion
- structured metadata
- repeatable handoff
Use metadata sparingly
Metadata and tags help filtering and reporting, but uncontrolled fields create confusion.
Start with:
- a small vocabulary
- clear field names
- one field for one business meaning
- regular cleanup for duplicates
Do not create multiple status fields that mean different things in different folders.
Organization checklist
- Top-level folders are shallow and clear.
- Sensitive work has its own branch.
- Repeated work uses consistent names.
- Companies, contacts, and cases are canonical.
- Search results open back into understandable context.
- Metadata fields are owned and documented.
Next step
Continue to File Version History.