IREC Teams File Management

Initial rendering of the Hareforce I.

The Problem

When I was elected Vice President of the Aerospace Club, the file organization was a low priority for the club. Rather than using the built-in file versioning system in Microsoft Teams, we were saving a brand new file, leading to confusion about the current file version.

The Solution

When I took office, I made it a priority to clean up our Teams and establish standards for file naming, modeling, and drafting.

Restructuring: I created new folders to separate work-in-progress from released designs
Standardization: I implemented a new file naming convention, improving searchability and clarity
Documentation: I created a comprehensive guide to ensure the changes I made would take effect

The Impact

Major benefits of this project include a reduced learning curve for new members, version stability, and clarity of meaning. When I ask a new freshman member to change the wall thickness of part 018, there is no ambiguity.

Lessons Learned

I learned the importance of stakeholder buy-in before implementing major changes to our operation. I did not communicate effectively before overhauling the files, leading to greater confusion. To prevent such issues in the future, I instituted an approval process for operational changes. Now we must analyze who is affected by a proposed change and seek approval, ensuring proper communication.