One owner per file.
When two agents need the same file, give it one owner. The owner writes. The others read.
Two jobs, one file
Some files belong to more than one job. A price list is read by the agent that writes listings and updated by the agent that sets prices. If both can change it, you will spend your time asking which version is right. Decide who writes it before either agent starts.
Give the file one owner
Pick the agent whose job the file belongs to. Put the file under that agent's May change list in the permissions guide. Nobody else gets it on their May change list. One name, one file.
Let the others read it
Each other agent that needs the file gets it under May read. It uses what is in the file and does not edit it. If an agent finds a mistake, it does not fix the file. It tells the owner.
Send changes to the owner as a request
A request is a short note: the file, the line, the change and the reason. The owner reads it and decides. The handoff guide shows how to write a note another agent can act on. The owner stays in charge of what goes into the file.
Write the owner at the top of the file
Put one line at the top: who owns this file and where requests go. A person opening the file cold, or a new agent, can see at once who to ask. Keep the line short and update it if the owner changes.
Keep a copy before a big change
Before the owner makes a large edit, it saves a copy first. The rollback guide explains how to keep a version you can go back to. Put shared files in a clearly named place, as described in the folder guide, so all the agents look in the same spot.
Check it: a made up price list
A small shop has two agents, Pricer and Lister.
- The price list is owned by Pricer. It is on Pricer's May change list.
- Lister has the price list under May read.
- The top line of the price list says: owner Pricer, requests go in the Pricer inbox.
- Lister sees a price that looks wrong. It writes a request: the item, the price it saw, and why it looks wrong. It sends the note to Pricer.
- Pricer reads the request, checks, and edits the file or says why not.
You can read the inbox and the file and see the whole story.
One file. One owner. The rest read.
