I thought I already posted a question but must have fouled it up so my apologies if this is a duplicate.

We are a small shop and hoping to learn from small and large operations about how you handle your file management for particular jobs, designs, output files to the machine, and so on. Mainly with regards to how you handle the housekeeping/deleting of files.

We have a very varied workflow. We can be running kitchens or commercial cabs for a period, then be into custom one-of's, molding and trim packages, then completely off the wall 3D work. With storage being so cheap I have typically always setup a job folder for a given project, saved everything from drawings, shop drawings, notes, and so on. Then we output toolpaths to the CNC in a cloud folder created with the same job name. This gets a bit daunting after a while in that how do you handle when the files sent to the CNC get deleted? Do you save them? Does the operator delete them when they are run? Do you delete all files when the job is complete? How long do you keep the job files after the job is complete? Do you archive them in a remote backup? Do you do this manually? Automatically? How?

I worry about deleting much of anything especially with regards to the job folder of course which will have changes and so on even for a long period after the job is complete (legal coverage)? Do you archive all your drawings permanently to keep your active file tree's as clean and compact as possible?

Sorry for the length. Just trying not to reinvent the wheel.

Thanks

In my opinion delete nothing. I have a spring clean about 4 times a year. For repeat orders I know I’ll be able to access files because everything is sent via email to the client but cnc files tend to get cluttered and everything starts to get very slow so I put this giant mess on 1TB usb drive I make sure to drag and drop the contents of the recycle bin into it.
Every week without fail I have to access old files that if I had deleted them I would have to drive hundreds of kms for measurements

On the cnc, we delete output files on a quarterly basis. We go back and delete from the previous quarter. We do this so that our output numbers from CV don't start over.
We use google file stream for job files and contracts so everyone that needs it has access. We do a folder for each designer that has a filder for CV file and another for Pdfs. We make a new file evey year so it doesnt het to big. We save all customer documents last name first initial and sometimes add abbreviation to that.
Holland d GC.cvj This would be acabinet vision job for Derrek Holland and its his garage cabinet job. It would be in the folder that only has cv files in it for the designer that is working with the client.

Thanks so much for the replies guys. Gives me a bit to work on.

I'd love to find a way to an automated solution, time line'd deletion, but this gives me a bit to work on.

I guess we we continue saving all files other than the CNC and archive them manually at this pont.