SharePoint Document Library Metadata and Views Design
Replace deep folders with columns, filters and views.
The Open buttons send the prompt text as currently shown below to that site only when you click. Fill in the placeholders first.
[VERIFY] is an editorial flag, not a blank to fill. Wherever the prompt shows [VERIFY], check that item against a reliable source before you use it.
Design metadata for a SharePoint document library. Types of documents: [DOCUMENT_TYPES]. How people search and group them today: [CURRENT_USE]. Reports or lists needed: [REPORTS]. Retention or approval needs: [RETENTION_AND_APPROVAL]. Volume: [VOLUME]. Propose a column plan as a table (name, type, choices, required or optional, default), with no more than five required columns because too many discourage saving files. Example: Document type (choice: Policy, Procedure, Form) required; Owner (person) required; Status (choice: Draft and so on). Use names users understand with no abbreviations; keep it simple. Propose content types if useful and views (by project, by status, my documents, recently changed) with filters, grouping and sorting. Explain how metadata replaces folders, what remains in folders (folders can still define security boundaries), naming rules, an example document with all fields filled in, and bulk tagging of existing documents [VERIFY]. Pilot: upload ten documents, tag them, check each view, and ask two users to find three items. Mark features whose names may differ [VERIFY].
Fill in before use
Optional: type your details and the prompt above updates. Nothing is saved or sent.
Replace each bracketed placeholder with your own details, then paste into Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT or another assistant.
See an example result (fictional data)
Invented columns: Document type (choice: Policy, Procedure, Form) required; Owner (person) required; Status (choice: Draft, Approved, Retired) required; Review date (date) optional. Example: 'Travel policy' | Policy | A. Singh | Approved | 14 March. View 'Due for review': Status = Approved and Review date within 30 days, sorted by date. Second view: 'My documents' filtered by Owner = me, grouped by Status. Third view: 'Policies' filtered by Document type = Policy, sorted by Review date. Bulk tagging plan: tag 300 existing files in batches of 50 using the grid editing view [VERIFY], starting with the most used. Pilot test: two users find three documents each in under 30 seconds using the views.
Illustrative only, made-up data. Your results will differ and must be reviewed.