SharePoint Essentials for Smarter File Management

Overview:

Feeling overwhelmed by digital clutter? This beginner-level practical session helps councils take control of files across Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint so documents are easier to store, find, share, and manage. It also introduces how Copilot can support smarter searching, summarising, and document drafting so delegates can work more confidently across their digital workspace.

Key Topics:

• Orientate – where files live and what the digital landscape looks like 
• Navigate – how to find OneDrive, team files, SharePoint, and File Explorer views 
• Work with files – creating, saving, naming, organising, templates 
• Collaborate – sharing instead of emailing attachments 
• Protect and recover – version history, read-only, issues, recycle bin, sensitivity 
• Use Copilot to search smarter – studying prompts in the Copilot interface to find, summarise, and understand council files more quickly 
• Create SharePoint-ready documents with Copilot – drafting clearer policies, guidance, or shared documents before saving and managing them in SharePoint 
• Extend – tagging, metadata, syncing, offline access, shortcuts

These practical scenarios show how the skills from this session apply to everyday council file management and collaboration tasks. 

Scenarios:

1. A new clerk needs to understand where files should live across OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint, and when to use local or cloud storage. 

2. Your council wants a clear folder structure, consistent naming conventions, and better governance so files are organised, secure, and easy to manage. 

3. Officers and councillors need to find the latest agenda, policy, grant application, or project document quickly using search, filters, and tags. 

4. A clerk studies the prompts shown in the Copilot interface and adapts them to search SharePoint for the latest council policy, agenda, or project file without browsing through multiple folders. 

5. A council officer uses Copilot to create a first draft of a SharePoint-ready guidance document, then saves it in the correct library with a clear file name, version history, and appropriate sharing settings. 

6. Councillors and staff are still emailing attachments and need a safer, simpler way to share and collaborate on documents. 

7. A file has been shared incorrectly or overwritten, and staff need to review access, share securely, and restore earlier versions when needed. 

8. A clerk needs to access shared council files through File Explorer, sync key folders for offline use, and use templates and shortcuts to work more efficiently day to day. 

Who Should Attend:  
Ideal for council officers, clerks, members, and support staff who are new to Microsoft 365 or want clearer, more practical ways to manage files. This session is especially useful for those who want to reduce clutter, improve organisation, and understand how OneDrive and SharePoint work together.

Pricing:

• Free for CloudyIT customers using a training credit 

• £65 for non-CloudyIT customers (read T&Cs) 

Continue Your Digital Learning Journey:

Take the next step with SharePoint Advanced for Governance and Collaboration to explore smarter collaboration, stronger permissions, and more confident document governance across Microsoft 365. 

Keep Building Your Digital Confidence:

• Try the Microsoft 365 Digital Skills Audit Tool
• Join an AI in Local Government Members’ Day
• Come along to a DisGovery Day in person