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Have a Work Procedure in Place
Whether your PowerPoint production is in country or abroad, having a work procedure in place is a must. Your work procedure should cover administrative details, as well as how to work on the PowerPoint files.
Here is a list of items to consider and prepare for ahead of time:
What is the PowerPoint file-naming convention? How is each new version of a file saved and named? Keeping track of files and versions is a key element in your procedure. Each time a file is updated with new information, a new version should be created while keeping the prior version intact. It's not uncommon for presenters to change their minds at the eleventh hour and revert to a slide that was created three file versions ago. Finding that version quickly and efficiently is easier then re-creating it.
It's a good idea for helpers to include their initials in the file name, along with a version number. If there are questions about slide information in a particular file, you'll know whom to ask. Be explicit about file naming. For example, a file name may consist of letters and numbers, followed by a person's initials and the version number.
Prepare a list of commonly used company acronyms and other terms that are unique to your workplace. You may be quite familiar with special terms, but helpers are not. You'll find fewer errors and questions if you supply helpers with a comprehensive list of unique terms and acronyms.
How many slides may be included in each file? If you split each presentation up into several files with just 10–15 slides each, you not only keep file sizes down and manageable, you also enable more helpers to work on each presentation at the same time because each helper can work on a subset of a particular presentation.
Where are files stored? Everyone works differently in the world of computers. If you don't instruct helpers on working folder locations, you end up with PowerPoint files in a variety of folder locations on a hard drive. To avoid mistakes, set up file folder locations ahead of time and then change the default working folder location in PowerPoint:
Select Tools, Options. The Options window is displayed.
Click the Save tab to display its settings.
In the Default file location text field, type the file path to the working folder.
Click OK. You are returned to the document window. Each time a document is saved, the new default file folder location is used.