Name shared drafts so the next person can find the right one.

Choose the details your team needs

A useful name usually identifies the subject, the relevant date or version and the document’s purpose. Keep the convention small enough that someone can apply it without consulting a long manual. Do not add a field just because it might be useful someday.

For dated work, a year-month-day form such as 2026-10-11 is easy to compare within the same naming system. For ongoing drafts, a sequence such as v01 and v02 may be clearer. Use the convention your team already understands if changing it would create more confusion.

A fictional folder before and after

Before: update-final.docx, update-final-new.docx and update-actually-final.docx. None says which update it is or whether it is ready to send.

After: customer-update-2026-10-11-v01.docx and customer-update-2026-10-11-v02.docx. Beside them, a handoff note says: “Current draft: v02. Numbers checked. Opening paragraph still needs review. Do not send yet.”

The file name identifies the artifact; the note carries the state. Avoid making a name do every job. A file called approved is not proof that the required person approved its contents. Use your existing approval record where one is needed.

Handle copies and exports deliberately

When you export a document from an app, open the exported file and check that the title still identifies the subject. Downloading twice can append a number that looks like a meaningful version when it is only a duplicate.

If you send a copy for review, say whether the recipient should edit that copy or the shared original. Two independently edited files can diverge even when both have tidy names. Keep the previous version until you know the next one contains the changes you intended.

Avoid private information in the name

File names can appear in shared links, downloads and screenshots. Use a subject label that is appropriate for everyone with access. Do not put an email address, private account number or sensitive note in a name just to make the file distinctive.

This naming convention is a practical suggestion, not a backup or retention policy. A well-named file can still be lost. Keep copies according to the storage and access process that applies to your work.

A handoff note to copy

• Current file: identify the exact name or shared location.
• State: draft, under review or ready through the agreed process.
• Checked: list the parts already reviewed.
• Open items: identify the questions or edits still needed.
• Next step: say who acts next, if that has been agreed.

Use this next

• Test an app’s export
• Choose one reversible experiment