Email and Outlook

[Anonymous]

How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

I create folders in the Inbox and move the e-mails to them. I do the same
for Contacts, Tasks, Etc... My Folder list goes down the whole screen.

Some e-mails regarding money issues, acceptance of plans, or anything that
might be needed in court later are printed and put in the job folder. Any
drawings are exported out of outlook and put in the project folder on the
server.
The server backsup every night and our ISP server retains all e-mails up to
3 months ago. If we do delete anything in outlook it is archived by outlook
and those files are burned to CD.
I truelly beleive in creating folders, organization and not having to spend
minutes searching for some e-mail from some client's assistant whose name
you don't remember, and they didn't put a good subject title.

[peter.ashby]

We do this in personal folders, you can if you want set up a personal folder for that job, and have it in the job folder too, when the job finishes, all you have to do is detatch it from your outlook, if you need to view those mails again, just re-attatch to outlook, and there you go (.pst files)

[Anonymous]

40 person Architectural firm running exchange... we have a public folder for
each project. The PM can add subfolders for mail, contacts, calander or
tasks.

Each person on the project has to move mail to the project public folder.

When the project gets archived the public folder gets saved to a .pst and
put on CD with the rest of the computer files.

This also allows me to keep fairly small mailbox limits on personal
mailboxes - unlimited on the public folders.

- Sarah Gardescu


"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4846639@discussion.autodesk.com...
How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

Similiar, except with half as many people...



"S Gardescu" wrote in message
news:4847878@discussion.autodesk.com...
40 person Architectural firm running exchange... we have a public folder for
each project. The PM can add subfolders for mail, contacts, calander or
tasks.

Each person on the project has to move mail to the project public folder.

When the project gets archived the public folder gets saved to a .pst and
put on CD with the rest of the computer files.

This also allows me to keep fairly small mailbox limits on personal
mailboxes - unlimited on the public folders.

- Sarah Gardescu


"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4846639@discussion.autodesk.com...
How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

Sarah and Paul, Could you send me a screen shot of the public folder. My
fear is that we can have 100+ active projects and the public folder
directory will be a mess.

Can the .msg file for each e-mail be copied in to the network job folder?

Thanks.


"Paul Humphrey" wrote in message
news:4847920@discussion.autodesk.com...
Similiar, except with half as many people...



"S Gardescu" wrote in message
news:4847878@discussion.autodesk.com...
40 person Architectural firm running exchange... we have a public folder for
each project. The PM can add subfolders for mail, contacts, calander or
tasks.

Each person on the project has to move mail to the project public folder.

When the project gets archived the public folder gets saved to a .pst and
put on CD with the rest of the computer files.

This also allows me to keep fairly small mailbox limits on personal
mailboxes - unlimited on the public folders.

- Sarah Gardescu


"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4846639@discussion.autodesk.com...
How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

I do not store email in the public folders but contact data for consultant,
clients and contractors per job.

Emails are stored by user in a job specifc folder name. Typically only the
project manager archives his to back up as a pst.



"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4848149@discussion.autodesk.com...
Sarah and Paul, Could you send me a screen shot of the public folder. My
fear is that we can have 100+ active projects and the public folder
directory will be a mess.

Can the .msg file for each e-mail be copied in to the network job folder?

Thanks.


"Paul Humphrey" wrote in message
news:4847920@discussion.autodesk.com...
Similiar, except with half as many people...



"S Gardescu" wrote in message
news:4847878@discussion.autodesk.com...
40 person Architectural firm running exchange... we have a public folder for
each project. The PM can add subfolders for mail, contacts, calander or
tasks.

Each person on the project has to move mail to the project public folder.

When the project gets archived the public folder gets saved to a .pst and
put on CD with the rest of the computer files.

This also allows me to keep fairly small mailbox limits on personal
mailboxes - unlimited on the public folders.

- Sarah Gardescu


"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4846639@discussion.autodesk.com...
How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

On Tue, 17 May 2005 20:51:38 +0000, Ric Hammond wrote:

>Sarah and Paul, Could you send me a screen shot of the public folder. My
>fear is that we can have 100+ active projects and the public folder
>directory will be a mess.

There are two key points to keep in mind, when making the PF structure:

1. Build natural hierarchies to minimize the number of Project PFs that one has
to navigate. The best way is to build a logical folder tree by year:

\Public Folders
\All Public Folders
\Company Projects
\2002
\2003
\2004
\2005

2. Make sure you deadfile all projects that are finished! It's very easy to
export a PF out to a PST file, then burn that to the same DVD as the other
project files. Then delete the PF off the system. This also decreases the size
of the Public Information Store.

Matt
mstachoni@comcast.net
mstachoni@bhhtait.com

[Anonymous]

40 person MEP firm running Exchange 2003...

We tried the public folder route be found that everytime a client sent an
email to our entire project team of 3-10 people, we wound up with 3-10
copies of the same email in the public folder. And then when one or more
people replied to that email it never went into the public folder. We tried
using rules to filter emails to/from clients, using project tags in the
subject line, etc - but nothing really covers all the possibilites.

So currently, we as users to create project folder in a local PST to get
the mail off the server (our "mailboxes" are on the server - and this move
is primarily to shorten the backup time) then at the end of a project these
get exported out to a project folder. Where they sit as big, massive files
of junk never to be accessed again and the only time any even remembers them
is when they show up as corrupt files in the backup logs and ultimately get
archived.

What I am encouraging users to do is pay attention and be selective in the
emails they keep and manage their attachments. If it's important stuff, I
encourage PMs to print it and put it in the project book. We're making some
progress, but it takes time to change a culture.


"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4846639@discussion.autodesk.com...
How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

with our fim being ISO 9001 registered, we have to keep tight on all filing,



we use this product above... many various versions,

"Matt Stachoni" wrote in message
news:4848825@discussion.autodesk.com...
On Tue, 17 May 2005 20:51:38 +0000, Ric Hammond
wrote:

>Sarah and Paul, Could you send me a screen shot of the public folder. My
>fear is that we can have 100+ active projects and the public folder
>directory will be a mess.

There are two key points to keep in mind, when making the PF structure:

1. Build natural hierarchies to minimize the number of Project PFs that one
has
to navigate. The best way is to build a logical folder tree by year:

\Public Folders
\All Public Folders
\Company Projects
\2002
\2003
\2004
\2005

2. Make sure you deadfile all projects that are finished! It's very easy to
export a PF out to a PST file, then burn that to the same DVD as the other
project files. Then delete the PF off the system. This also decreases the
size
of the Public Information Store.

Matt
mstachoni@comcast.net
mstachoni@bhhtait.com

[Anonymous]

On Wed, 18 May 2005 15:09:30 +0000, pkirill wrote:

>40 person MEP firm running Exchange 2003...
>
>We tried the public folder route be found that everytime a client sent an
>email to our entire project team of 3-10 people, we wound up with 3-10
>copies of the same email in the public folder.

That's because the recipient's name was different in all emails. Happens to us
as well. Our solution was just to drop it in there anyway, since a single email
sent to multiple persons is only instanced once in the database.

>And then when one or more
>people replied to that email it never went into the public folder.

Nor should they, automatically.

>So currently, we as users to create project folder in a local PST to get
>the mail off the server

*GASP*

Personally, I've _never_ found local PSTs to be the solution to anything, other
than saving possibly corrupted mailboxes as a fail safe.

Matt
mstachoni@comcast.net
mstachoni@bhhtait.com

[Anonymous]

Yeah. Not a great solution. Using Outlook for managing (essentially)
contract documents is a little like using AutoCAD for all your word
processing chores. You *can* do it, but you're asking to it to do something
it wasn't designed to do. I'd really like a program that let you *print* to
a DM database and that was intelligent enough to know that someone already
did it...

"Our solution was just to drop it in there anyway, since a single email
sent to multiple persons is only instanced once in the database."

Are you sure about this regarding email received from external sources?

"Matt Stachoni" wrote in message
news:4849420@discussion.autodesk.com...
On Wed, 18 May 2005 15:09:30 +0000, pkirill wrote:

>40 person MEP firm running Exchange 2003...
>
>We tried the public folder route be found that everytime a client sent an
>email to our entire project team of 3-10 people, we wound up with 3-10
>copies of the same email in the public folder.

That's because the recipient's name was different in all emails. Happens to
us
as well. Our solution was just to drop it in there anyway, since a single
email
sent to multiple persons is only instanced once in the database.

>And then when one or more
>people replied to that email it never went into the public folder.

Nor should they, automatically.

>So currently, we as users to create project folder in a local PST to get
>the mail off the server

*GASP*

Personally, I've _never_ found local PSTs to be the solution to anything,
other
than saving possibly corrupted mailboxes as a fail safe.

Matt
mstachoni@comcast.net
mstachoni@bhhtait.com

[Anonymous]

We're running Exchange 2003. We use PF's exclusively for Projects. We
set up master Client Folder and then file projects below it or if just
one project client, then just PF for inbound and a sub below for
outbound. For large master clients, with multiple projects, I have set
up a PF with an email address (do not hide in the GAL!), so the Users
select that email addy as a BCC, and it automatically goes to the
folder! Here's an somewhat dated, but applicable weblink--
http://www.msexchange.org/articles/MF021.html ...and Microsoft's
weblink (scroll down to-- Mail-Enabling a Public Folder)--
http://tinyurl.com/a682e

Here's the basic setup...

PF-Projects
+---Master_Client
+---0_Master1 (PF for BCC emails; using 0 puts addy at top of contacts list!)
+---ProjectA (PF for all INBOUND emails; no Company emails... User is required to move from their mailbox to PF)
¦ +---Project Team (PF for contacts; easy to print project listing; all copied to master company contacts PF)
¦ +---Sent Items (PF for all OUTBOUND eMails; Administrator moves emails from 0 folder to here every so often)


Ciao!
~Terry



Ric Hammond wrote:

>How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
>into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
>do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?
>
>

[Anonymous]

Ric Hammond wrote in message:
> How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you
> copy/move them into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in
> the outlook inbox? When do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

We keep a Public Folder store that is Project based.

\Public Folders\Projects\

\Record Mail (Mail and Post)
\Design Checklists (Tasks)
\To Do Lists (Tasks)
\Project Schedule (Calendar)
\Conversation Records (Journal)

etc.

My only beef is that Public Folder Tasks don't show up in the (assigned)
person's local Tasks.
I wish you could link them...(Exchange Server 2000) Maybe in a newer
version you can?

--
CoreyL

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of the info.

Here is what I am thinking about doing.

Emails are COPIED from the Inbox to a folder in the Project Directory (Ex:
G:\2004\04-152\Documents\Email. This copies the .msg file for each email
and makes it easier to archive. The .msg file name is the same as the
Subject line. This way I don't have to mess with creating .pst files. The
orignial Email is still in the outlook folder.

Does this make sense?


"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4846639@discussion.autodesk.com...
How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

On Wed, 18 May 2005 18:47:15 +0000, pkirill wrote:

>Yeah. Not a great solution. Using Outlook for managing (essentially)
>contract documents is a little like using AutoCAD for all your word
>processing chores. You *can* do it, but you're asking to it to do something
>it wasn't designed to do. I'd really like a program that let you *print* to
>a DM database and that was intelligent enough to know that someone already
>did it...

Yeah, I wouldn't suggest that Exchange/Outlook is a great substitution for a
true EDM solution, if that's what you require. In our case, any attachments
(which is what we need to manage) go saved into the project folder along with
the drawings. The PF is the "electonic mail" portion of the project, and as such
emails get printed for the paper trail, and the PST is archived, etc.

>"Our solution was just to drop it in there anyway, since a single email
>sent to multiple persons is only instanced once in the database."
>
>Are you sure about this regarding email received from external sources?

Yes. Exchange databases (i.e., the Private Information Store) are "single
instance" storage, with pointers that point to the recipients.

Matt
mstachoni@comcast.net
mstachoni@bhhtait.com

>"Matt Stachoni" wrote in message
>news:4849420@discussion.autodesk.com...
>On Wed, 18 May 2005 15:09:30 +0000, pkirill wrote:
>
>>40 person MEP firm running Exchange 2003...
>>
>>We tried the public folder route be found that everytime a client sent an
>>email to our entire project team of 3-10 people, we wound up with 3-10
>>copies of the same email in the public folder.
>
>That's because the recipient's name was different in all emails. Happens to
>us
>as well. Our solution was just to drop it in there anyway, since a single
>email
>sent to multiple persons is only instanced once in the database.
>
>>And then when one or more
>>people replied to that email it never went into the public folder.
>
>Nor should they, automatically.
>
>>So currently, we as users to create project folder in a local PST to get
>>the mail off the server
>
>*GASP*
>
>Personally, I've _never_ found local PSTs to be the solution to anything,
>other
>than saving possibly corrupted mailboxes as a fail safe.
>
>Matt
>mstachoni@comcast.net
>mstachoni@bhhtait.com

[Anonymous]

and maybe one for you all,

we use this rule:
the first person who the email is sent to, is then responsible for filing
the email...unless informed otherwise.

"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4850605@discussion.autodesk.com...
Thanks for all of the info.

Here is what I am thinking about doing.

Emails are COPIED from the Inbox to a folder in the Project Directory (Ex:
G:\2004\04-152\Documents\Email. This copies the .msg file for each email
and makes it easier to archive. The .msg file name is the same as the
Subject line. This way I don't have to mess with creating .pst files. The
orignial Email is still in the outlook folder.

Does this make sense?


"Ric Hammond" wrote in message
news:4846639@discussion.autodesk.com...
How do you file/save/archive project specific e-mails? Do you copy/move them
into the job folder? Print a hard copy and leave in the outlook inbox? When
do you delete or autodelete from the inbox?

[Anonymous]

Maybe not related to this thread, but I thought this was kind of cool.

One firm I was at had an old machine in the corner of the office running
Outlook. Whenever you got an important email, you would forward it to an
address called "a file copy@insertFirmNameHere.com". In the subject, you
would add something like "[204039 C5]" which was the project number and
filing code.

Those emails were picked up by the old machine which also was running a rule
and printed a copy of each email it received. It took some discipline to
keep the size of the email small, i.e. you would need to strip down the 4
page emails which had been fowarded multiple times to keep them less than a
page.

Every few months, the IT guy would archive the .PST on that computer.