Files - Do you know where to keep your files?

Last updated by Tom Bui [SSW] 4 months ago.See history

Each client project should have a nice place to keep files. In the old days, things were simple but limited, we simply used Windows Explorer and file shares. Today there are so many places that teams can store documents. E.g Dropbox, OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and Azure DevOps (was TFS).

Screen Shot 2020 10 29 at 11 02 48 AM

Which is the best corporate solution?

The solution that allows the best collaboration with Developers, Project Managers, and other stakeholders is SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. It is super easy to create, upload, and share documents with others.

Microsoft Teams Files
Figure: Teams | Team | Files

More at Files - Do you store project documents in Teams?

What emails do you need to store?

More at Sales - Do you track all sales related activities in CRM?

What stuff do you need to store?

For most projects, you need to quickly store and locate important details and documents such as:

  • Server details (Dev, Test, Production)
  • Change-log documents
  • Upcoming features (most often in Word or OneNote)
  • General documents e.g. Requirements/Specifications (Note: it is possible to share documents from Microsoft Teams externally, but not from Teams directly... just open it in Office Online or a specific Office app first)

Dont keep files
Figure: Bad example – It might be easy to use File Shares, your Local C:, or emails – but don’t. They don’t work in a team environment as they aren’t easy for others to access

keep files TFS
Figure: Bad example – SharePoint integrated into Azure DevOps (was VSTS/TFS) is not supported via Visual Studio anymore

keep files SP
Figure: Bad example – Even though this is using SharePoint - this is using a Team Site with a Document Library - it is better to use Microsoft Teams which uses SharePoint under the covers

keep files sp teams
Figure: Good example - Use Microsoft Teams and it will automatically create a Site for the Team (and that includes a document library which you can connect to with OneDrive)

What does not get stored in Microsoft Teams?

  1. For developers
  2. Code - it belongs in GitHub, Azure DevOps, etc.
  3. The 7 important documents - should be stored in Azure DevOps... or instead use Markdown with the Wiki
  4. For designers
  5. Large files - OneDrive is a better choice. See: Do you know the best Source Control for Designers?

What about usernames and passwords?

Documents with usernames and passwords should not be stored in Microsoft Teams. Security is very important for everyone and every company. Use a password manager to store usernames and passwords.

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