Are you naturally organized like Marie Kondo? Or are you unconsciously avoiding the piles of to-do’s that require sorting? Stop spreading yourself thin between all the chaos of forms and documents in SAM, or worse, piles paperwork and invest the time in getting your SAM system up to date with all you need in order to be more effective. Going through your database and taking a long hard look at the sporadic additions throughout the year(s). Trust us, we know this is the MOST overwhelming part but if you take a mental snapshot of how you feel when you go to start this process, then you’ll be less likely to allow the massive accumulation of paperwork and documents this time next week! Rule of thumb, schedule an organizing hour into your calendar/work day; setting aside this time, you’ll find yourself in a rhythm and better utilizing your SAM System in no time! So, let’s dive in;
Does it bring you Joy? | Discard Before Organizing
Before you get too deep in the paperwork, we recommend to start by going through all of your documents i.e. home study paperwork, court documents, caseworker documents, etc. and get rid of what you don't need AND THEN organize. Ideally you’ll be able to focus strictly on what you have set-up within SAM but, just in case we are talking hard copies we suggest uploading your paperwork into SAM for ease of access.
Overlooking fields and sidebar links? Click them! See what’s behind and if your team is using them. You can get a quick peek through the stats in the Field Properties screen.
Make it Simple | Store by Category
Since our goal is to streamline your data retrieval + overall admin systems, we highly suggest you start and store by category! If we stay focused on documents, do they fall into general categories your team searches for regularly? Those categories can become sidebar links of that subset or filtered subforms that help your team pinpoint the documents they need quickly.
Focus on one program and one part of that program’s process at a time. Looking at the whole program or case is likely to put a halt to your progress.
Store Items Upright | In SAM’s Case- Store Folders + Documents in a Clear Order
Step three will help you by making things easier to spot, more readily available and not to mention these small efforts will even simplify the life of your future colleagues. If we organize now, the long term effect will be overall satisfactory for your whole team and all users in the years to come!
These are just a few of our best suggestions to help you start better utilizing SAM . We exist to see you thrive! Part of our mission here at InReach Solutions is to see you function in your fullest potential and make your life easier with better data organization.
As always, reach out if you have any questions! We’re always here to help!