Skip to main content

Organizing Knowledge Around Workspaces and Folders

This guide provides strategies and best practices for organizing your knowledge content using workspaces, folders, and other organizational structures to ensure information is easily discoverable and maintainable.

Knowledge Organization Fundamentals​

Key Organization Structures​

The Knowledge Management system offers several ways to organize content:

  • Workspaces: High-level containers for department or team-specific knowledge
  • Folders: Hierarchical organization within workspaces
  • Categories: Cross-cutting classification that can span workspaces
  • Tags: Flexible, keyword-based organization
  • Collections: Curated sets of related content

Setting Up Workspaces​

When to Use Workspaces​

Workspaces are ideal for separating knowledge by:

  • Business units or departments
  • Product lines
  • Customer segments
  • Geographic regions
  • Project teams

Creating a Workspace​

  1. Navigate to Admin > Workspaces > Create New
  2. Configure workspace settings:
    • Name and description
    • Icon or color theme
    • Default language
    • Access permissions
    • Integration settings
  3. Define workspace administrators
  4. Set up initial folder structure
  5. Configure workspace-specific settings:
    • Custom metadata fields
    • Approval workflows
    • Content templates

Workspace Best Practices​

  • Limit the number of top-level workspaces to avoid fragmentation
  • Create clear naming conventions for workspaces
  • Document the purpose and scope of each workspace
  • Regularly review workspace usage and consolidate if necessary

Folder Structures​

Designing an Effective Folder Hierarchy​

Create a logical folder structure that:

  • Reflects how users look for information
  • Balances breadth and depth (aim for 3-4 levels maximum)
  • Uses consistent naming conventions
  • Accommodates future growth

Common Folder Organization Patterns​

Product-Based Structure​

Product A/
  ├── User Guides/
  ├── Technical Documentation/
  ├── Troubleshooting/
  └── Release Notes/
Product B/
  ├── User Guides/
  ...

Audience-Based Structure​

End Users/
  ├── Getting Started/
  ├── Common Tasks/
  └── Troubleshooting/
Administrators/
  ├── Installation/
  ├── Configuration/
  └── Maintenance/
Developers/
  ├── API Reference/
  ├── Code Examples/
  └── Best Practices/

Process-Based Structure​

Onboarding/
  ├── Account Setup/
  ├── Initial Training/
  └── First 30 Days/
Daily Operations/
  ├── Standard Procedures/
  ├── Checklists/
  └── Common Issues/
Compliance/
  ├── Policies/
  ├── Regulations/
  └── Audit Preparation/

Folder Permissions​

Configure access controls at the folder level:

  1. Navigate to the folder settings
  2. Select Permissions
  3. Choose a permission model:
    • Inherit from parent
    • Custom permissions
    • Public to all workspace members
  4. Assign specific permissions to user groups:
    • View only
    • Comment
    • Edit
    • Manage

Cross-Cutting Organization​

Using Categories​

Categories provide a classification system that can span across workspaces and folders:

  1. Go to Admin > Categories > Manage
  2. Create a category hierarchy
  3. Define category rules and governance
  4. Apply categories to content manually or automatically

Tagging Strategy​

Develop a consistent tagging approach:

  • Create a controlled tag vocabulary
  • Define tag governance rules
  • Use tag suggestions to encourage consistency
  • Implement tag hierarchies for related concepts
  • Regularly audit and clean up tags

Collections​

Create curated collections for specific purposes:

  • Onboarding collections for new employees
  • Project-specific collections
  • Training paths
  • Featured content
  • Seasonal or time-sensitive information

Advanced Organization Techniques​

Metadata-Based Organization​

Use custom metadata to enhance organization:

  1. Define custom metadata fields in Admin > Metadata
  2. Apply metadata to content
  3. Create filtered views based on metadata
  4. Enable faceted search using metadata fields

Dynamic Content Organization​

Implement dynamic organization based on:

  • User behavior and preferences
  • Content popularity and ratings
  • Recency and relevance
  • User role and permissions

Relationship-Based Organization​

Connect related content:

  • Create explicit relationships between articles
  • Set up prerequisite or follow-up content links
  • Build knowledge graphs to visualize connections
  • Use "See Also" sections for related content

Governance and Maintenance​

Organization Governance​

Establish clear governance for your organization system:

  • Document organization principles and guidelines
  • Define roles and responsibilities
  • Create approval processes for structural changes
  • Schedule regular organization reviews

Maintenance Activities​

Regular maintenance tasks to keep organization effective:

  • Audit unused folders and consolidate content
  • Review and update category hierarchies
  • Clean up unused or redundant tags
  • Verify permission settings
  • Check for misplaced or miscategorized content

Migration and Reorganization​

Planning a Reorganization​

When reorganizing existing content:

  1. Analyze current usage patterns and pain points
  2. Design the target organization structure
  3. Create a migration plan with minimal disruption
  4. Communicate changes to users
  5. Implement redirects for bookmarked content
  6. Provide a transition period with both structures

Bulk Organization Tools​

Use bulk tools for efficient reorganization:

  1. Go to Admin > Bulk Operations
  2. Select Reorganize Content
  3. Use filters to select content to reorganize
  4. Apply bulk changes to:
    • Move content between folders
    • Recategorize content
    • Update tags and metadata
    • Change permissions

Best Practices​

  • Balance structure and flexibility: Too rigid or too loose organization both cause problems
  • Consider the user perspective: Organize based on how users look for information, not how it's created
  • Keep it simple: Simpler structures are easier to maintain and navigate
  • Be consistent: Use consistent naming and organization patterns
  • Plan for growth: Design structures that can accommodate new content areas
  • Document your system: Create clear guidelines for how content should be organized

Next Steps​