How to Cheat at Jenga: Using Naming Conventions to Maintain Structure

Jenga always seemed an odd cultural phenomenon, in that such extreme pleasure is taken from what can only be called absolute failure. In actuality (read: "at work"), I derive satisfaction from a diametrically opposed – admittedly, sometimes anal-retentive – sense of stability. Given, I don’t get to yell as much.
 
Managing a large/long-term project can often involve multiple owners accessing and altering an array of files on an ongoing basis. Avoiding complete collapse requires pulling and replacing just the right pieces, at the right time, in the right way. And adhering to file naming conventions can help provide your team this level of precision.
 
Here are some quick clues to keep your structure standing:
 

• Who: If all else fails, you can always ask the creator/owner some of these questions – assuming you know who he/she is. Digital signatures, document checkout, or just the latest editor’s initials (as a part of the file name) make this infinitely easier than begging your IT guy to track down this information.

• What: The convention should make sense at both the system and file levels. Anyone who looks at the file name should know (roughly) what it is. Avoid spaces and special characters that may cause problems for certain applications. Periods, underscores and capital letters are a good way of helping the legibility of labels.

• When: Version tracking is important. Try incorporating dates and/or version numbers into filenames, especially if these are not readily apparent in your file catalogue or operating system. 

• Where: Interpersonal and file dependencies are near inevitabilities when working on major initiatives and nothing is a bigger resource-suck than having to track down source documents, media files, etc. that are not where they are supposed to be. If folders are an inherent part of how your team operates, folder structure should be a part of the initial naming convention rollout. Materials should be stored in a location that all team members can access (not your desktop) and files should not be moved once they are created. If you need a local version to work with, copy and paste the file to your desktop then (if appropriate) overwrite/replace the shared resource.

• How: Decide on a naming convention that everyone can adhere to. Avoid departmental lingo (or company-specific terms, if other partners will be involved). If conventions need to change, have a formal rollout to ensure all team members are utilizing the same standard.