Structuring Public Affairs: Why Folder Systems Are Strategic, Not Administrative

Paul Shotton, PhD

Co-Founder Advocacy Academy, Advocacy Strategy and Owner at Paul Shotton Consulting

At first glance, building a folder structure for your public affairs work sounds like a purely administrative task — simple, straightforward, maybe even mundane. But for public affairs teams working across regions, time zones, and issues, the way information is organized is a mirror of how their work is delivered.

This became especially clear in a recent project with the Global Director of Public Affairs at a multinational company. As part of a broader initiative to deliver a more structured and strategic public affairs function, we were asked to design and implement a new information management system for their global team. The goal: enable collaboration, ensure consistency, and support internal alignment — all through a shared structure that reflects and reinforces public affairs best practices.

Starting from Disorder

The team was newly formed, with many recent arrivals, creating a unique opportunity: not just to tidy up document storage, but to embed better habits and build a foundation for collaboration. The challenge? Their existing document system was fragmented and unstructured.

They operated in Google Workspace — unlike most of our clients who use Microsoft Office and SharePoint — and the environment was non-negotiable. We had to build within Google Drive and Google Docs, tools that some team members knew well, and others were still learning. Meanwhile, issues like inconsistent naming conventions, difficulty finding files, and a lack of shared spaces were making collaboration harder than it needed to be.

What they needed wasn’t new technology — it was a new way of organizing their thinking.

A Structure Built on Process

We used our Public Affairs Process Framework — based on a 7-step methodology — as the foundation of the folder architecture. These seven steps guide how we audit, train, and structure public affairs functions:

1. Prioritization

2. Intelligence Gathering

3. Positioning

4. Internal Information Management

5. Campaign Management

6. Evaluation

7. Reporting and Strategy Adaptation

But instead of simply rolling out the entire framework, we prioritized implementation based on what the team needed most right now.

The Core Folder Structure

At the root level, we created five numbered folders, each with a specific role:

• 01_Public_Affairs_Team_Hub

• 02_Public_Affairs_Regions

• 03_Public_Affairs_Templates_and_Best_Practices

• 04_Resources

• 05_Archive

Each folder contained further subfolders to guide collaboration and align with daily workstreams.

The Team Hub was especially important, housing:

• A folder for global strategy documents.

• A shared internal reporting system with templates and repositories for weekly and monthly updates.

• A horizontal practice folder, encouraging team members to take ownership of areas like monitoring, stakeholder mapping, campaign planning, internal reporting, and coordination.

This wasn’t about filing documents — it was about giving structure to a team’s practice.

Designing Without Access, Implementing with Intention

Due to security restrictions, I didn’t have direct access to the company’s Google Drive. That meant building a mirrored structure externally, which the team would later recreate internally. This added complexity — but also reinforced the need for absolute clarity in folder logic, naming conventions, and documentation.

We provided:

• A naming convention guide to standardize document titles and improve searchability.

• An instructional video to walk team members through the new environment and explain the logic behind the design.

• One-on-one onboarding meetings with each team member to tailor the structure to their workflows and ensure buy-in.

A Multi-Week Onboarding Schedule

Our onboarding approach was phased and paced to match team capacity:

1. Two-week initial rollout – Team members began by migrating their most active, high-priority campaigns (usually one or two) into the new structure.

2. Adoption of internal reporting templates – Weekly and monthly reports were now housed centrally, using new formats.

3. One-on-one support – We met individually with each team member to review migration progress and help resolve blockers.

Measuring Success: Practical, Not Perfect

We are still mid-implementation, but we’re not measuring success by how many files are in the right place. Instead, we’re tracking:

• The extent to which campaign folders are being populated in a structured and consistent way.

• The quality and regularity of internal reporting, now facilitated by shared templates.

• Feedback from the team, as they adapt and shape the system into something that truly supports their daily work.

Ultimately, the project isn’t about document management. It’s about building a shared, structured environment that supports strategic thinking, institutional memory, and effective execution.

Final Reflection: It's Never Just About the Folders

Whether you use Google Drive, SharePoint, Dropbox, or a bespoke platform, the same question applies:

Does your information management system reflect the way you actually do public affairs?

If the answer is no, then no amount of tools or templates will save you.

A structured folder system isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a platform for consistent delivery. A way to align regional teams. A mechanism for sharing insight. And, perhaps most importantly, a foundation for growth.