The cheapest time to get a job file right is before the first revision lands. This template gives you an empty, pre-labeled folder tree to duplicate in Google Drive or Dropbox at the start of a job, plus a one-page README for the root that states the current-set rule, the naming convention, and who may replace drawings.

It is a practical starting point, not an industry standard, and it is the same tree I use in “A Procore-Level Job File With Google Drive (or Dropbox) and a Spreadsheet.” The copyable tree and README are in templates/H7-03-job-folder-template.md. Folder-by-folder placement is in “The Job Folder Structure, Explained Folder by Folder.”

There is no “Misc” folder. Within a week, “Misc” turns into the place files go to disappear.

How to duplicate it

In Google Drive: Create or open a shared drive the company owns, not one person’s My Drive. Make a folder named with the job number and name, then create the numbered folders inside it. Paste the README into a Google Doc or a plain text file in the root, and fill in the job name, the file keeper, and the people who may replace drawings. Drop empty RFI and submittal logs into 05_RFIs and 06_Submittals. Share the drive or the job folder: most people view and download the current set; only a short list can replace it.

In Dropbox: Create the same tree inside a team folder, not a personal folder with a wide-open edit link. Paste the same README into the root. Set 02_Drawings_Current to view-only for most people, and edit for the short list who may replace the set.

Then, before the first pour, confirm the superintendent can open 02_Drawings_Current on a phone, including offline if the site needs it. If the tree only works at a desk, it is not finished.

What to put in the README

Keep the README to one page of plain language that a new superintendent can follow without a meeting:

  • If a sheet is not in 02_Drawings_Current, do not build from it. When a new official revision arrives, the new PDF goes into Current and the old one moves to 03_Drawings_Superseded.
  • File names follow YYYY-MM-DD_Job_DocType_Number_ShortDescription_Rev. Rename on the way in.
  • Who may replace drawings in the current-set folder, and who to call if something looks wrong.
  • Where the RFI and submittal logs live, and the twice-weekly plus day-before-pour review.

The template README has those lines ready to paste and fill in. Update it if the file keeper changes mid-job.

If you want the tree built in your account

You can create the folders yourself in about twenty minutes. If you would rather have them built in your Drive or Dropbox, with permissions, logs, and a phone check, that is my one-time job file setup. I can also run the file later on a retainer or help with closeout.

If you want me to take a look, walk me through how the last job was filed, even if it was messy. The files stay yours.

If you want help, not just a checklist

Some jobs run fine on a clean file and a superintendent who gives the log fifteen minutes twice a week. Others do not: revisions are moving fast, closeout is already behind, or the field simply has no hours left for paperwork.

That is where I come in. I set up the job file, run the logs on a retainer, or prepare closeout before the scramble starts. Your files stay yours, and there is no software contract to sign.

Email travis@builtonrecord.com Get the free Job File Kit