So you've started building a doc to run your team's project, but you're not sure if it has all it needs to be ready for all of them? Check off this handy list of 6 things to do, and you'll be in great shape.
- Add a welcome section to your doc at the very top
Give your doc a 'Welcome' section at the very top to help your team get oriented. Include a few elements:
- Purpose of the doc - what project or goal are you tracking
- Team - who created it (you!), and who are the key participants
- Table of contents - a list of the key sections in the doc, with hyperlinks to each one
- A 'last updated' timestamp (=thisDocument.Modified())
2. Organize your section list
A cluttered section list can confuse new doc users, so organize yours like you'd tidy your place before a houseguest arrives. Include folders by team, with sections underneath. Delete old or outdated sections entirely, or move them to an 'Archive' folder at the bottom. Keep your 'big' data tables in an 'Admin' folder, and only create shorter, streamlined views further 'up' the list.
3. One section, one purpose
You can create, and organize, a lot of sections and folders - so don't combine purposes in a single section. Important text sitting underneath a huge data table will go unread - pull it out and put it in its own section. Rule of thumb: if you can't describe the goal of a given section in a sentence or two, split it up into multiple sections!
Also, for important sections, you can add instructions at the top, highlighted or with call-out emojis like Steps 1️⃣and 2️⃣ so your teammates know exactly what they need to do there.
4. Add views, not tables
If you find yourself creating multiple tables with the same columns except for one (e.g. "Project 1 Tasks," "Project 2 Tasks"), you probably just need one table with views instead. Combine all your like-minded data in a single table with a new attribute (column) for the difference. You can always group by that column to see the difference, and create a separate view by project.
5. Got a big data table? Add a dropdown menu (AKA control)!
Controls are handy little objects you can insert into your doc to easily manipulate table data. Filter a giant customer interactions table with a calendar date picker, or show only tasks from a particular team. More on controls here.
6. User-based formulas are everyone's friend (kind of literally)
If you want a number of individuals to see only their tasks or items, but you don't want to create dozens of sections, give the User() formula a whirl - it will filter your table based on the currently logged-in user, without stepping on other users' toes (or rows).