Give the work a starting point.
Write the question before listing the files. State what you hope to produce and what is outside the scope, so the next reader knows what to look for.
A notebook for small projects
A small home
for work
in progress.
Keep the brief, the working files, and the reason behind a decision together. Fieldnotes collects practical ways to leave a project understandable for the next person.
Begin with a question. Keep the drafts. Write down the choice.
FIELDNOTES / PROJECT 001
From the working folder
A project,
in one place.
A short introduction to a design handover: what changed, which version to use, and what still needs an answer.
01
The briefMake the project readable in one sitting.
02
Working notesKeep the drafts. Explain their differences.
03
The decisionOne entry page, linked to the existing files.
Still open: what does a new reader need?01 — 03
01
Project briefsThe question, the result, the boundaries.
02
Working notesThe details that do not make the final file.
03
Decision recordsThe choice, the reason, the open question.
01 / The approach
Keep the context.
Find the next step.
A folder can show what was made without explaining how it got there. A few short records give the files a reading order, preserve the alternatives, and make the next action easier to find.
Try the writing templatesKeep the useful uncertainty.
Leave a note beside the draft: what changed, what has not been checked, and which alternative is still worth keeping. A file called “final” cannot explain all of that.
Leave a decision someone can revisit.
Name the choice and the alternative you set aside. Add the reason, then say what new information would make you reconsider it.
02 / Project record
A design handover
Brief → notes → decision
001
Designing a quieter
project handover.
Two layouts looked finished. A set of review comments explained the difference, but the person opening the folder had no way to know where to begin.
- The problem
- The files were present. The current choice and its reason were missing.
- The change
- A one-page introduction, with a reading order and links to the original material.
- Still open
- Which reference links need a sentence of explanation?
03 / From the notebook
Small notes.
Useful things to keep.
Three short reads about the parts of a project that tend to get lost between the working file and the finished result.
01 / Working files
Which “final”
is final?
A file name can carry an object and a date. The reason for the change needs a sentence of its own.
Read the note02 / Stopping points
Leave a place
to pick up.
Before closing a draft, leave the question you were about to work on. Tomorrow's first step should not be a search.
Read the note03 / Decisions
A choice needs
a reason.
Record the alternative you did not choose, the trade-off you accepted, and when the decision should be reviewed.
Read the note04 / Keep a copy
Two pages to start with.
Use these as a starting structure. Keep the answers short enough for someone to read before opening the working files.
A project brief
Before the work begins
- Question
- How can a new reader understand this project without reconstructing its history?
- Intended result
- A short entry page: the aim, the current version, and a route to the supporting files.
- Boundaries
- Keep the original files in place. Improve the introduction before reorganising the whole folder.
- Next check
- Read the introduction without opening any of the links. Mark what still needs explaining.
A decision record
When a choice is made
- Choice
- Use one introduction page with links to the existing reference material.
- Alternative
- Move every file and conversation into a new workspace.
- Reason
- The introduction can explain the project without making a new filing system a condition of reading it.
- Review when
- A reader cannot find a reference, or the introduction no longer reflects the current work.
One note before you go
What would you leave
for the next person?
The question that started the work, the reason for the current version, or a useful place to begin. A project record does not need to contain everything.
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