A new joiner asks 'where do you save signed contracts?'. Different answers from different team members. New joiner is confused. Three months later, signed contracts are scattered across four locations.
A team cheatsheet prevents this. One page, four sections, settles every recurring question.
Section 1: Team tools
List the canonical PDF tools the team uses: merge, sign, compress, edit, redact. Include any paid tools the team has, with usage guidelines.
The goal: everyone uses the same tools for the same tasks. No 'I prefer Acrobat because that's what I know' creating inconsistent outputs.
Section 2: Folder structure and naming
The team's shared folder structure: `/Team/Inbox/`, `/Team/Projects/<project>/`, `/Team/Archive/`. Plus the naming convention: `YYYY-MM-DD_<project>_<doc-type>_v<N>.pdf`.
Document the exceptions — client-facing folders may differ, partner folders may have specific structure. Document and stick to them.
Section 3: Signing protocols
Who can sign on behalf of the company. What gets signed in the browser (Flint) vs an envelope tool. Where signed contracts go after signing.
This section saves the most chaos. Signing authority and signing destination are recurring confusion points; documenting both eliminates them.
Section 4: Sensitive document handling
What counts as sensitive (financials, PII, M&A). Required treatment: password-protected, shared via specific channel only, redacted before archive.
Make the rules explicit. Without them, sensitivity is judged ad hoc, which means inconsistently.
FAQ
Who owns the cheatsheet?
One named person — usually operations, finance ops, or chief of staff. Owner updates it quarterly and during onboarding cycles.
Where should it live?
Wiki, Notion, shared Drive — wherever your team's other handbook material lives. The PDF version is the snapshot; the wiki version is the source of truth.
How long should it be?
One page, two if absolutely necessary. Longer documents don't get read. The cheatsheet is the quick reference; the underlying training happens in person.
How do I get team adoption?
Use it as the onboarding doc for new joiners. Existing team members copy from new joiners' good habits. Top-down mandate alone rarely works.
One page of clarity replaces hours of inconsistency. Document your team's workflow in Flint and onboard the next joiner from it.