Despite being available in SharePoint since 2010, Document Sets remain underutilized by many organizations. From a Business, HR, and Legal perspective, their value is immediately apparent—they address key limitations of traditional folder structures while offering advanced functionality not found in standard file shares. For professionals managing grouped documents, Document Sets provide a transformative solution that enhances organization, efficiency, and workflow automation.

Document sets in SharePoint are a powerful way to manage related documents as a single entity, offering metadata tagging, version control, and workflow automation. They provide a structured approach to managing multi-document work products, making them more scalable and efficient than traditional folders. By leveraging metadata fields, you can take a file share structure that is many levels deep with repeated folder structures and bring it all to the top-level. No more clicking through multiple levels to get to the folder you need. Instead, utilizing views and search, you can find what you’re looking for with one to two clicks.

Many organizations invest substantial resources—often hundreds of thousands of dollars—into standalone Contract Management, Case Management, Entity Management, Board Management, and HR systems. Yet, much of the functionality they rely on can be seamlessly handled within SharePoint using Document Sets, custom views, advanced search, and Power Automate workflows. With Microsoft’s built-in security features, businesses can confidently protect their data while ensuring seamless access for internal employees and external stakeholders, such as board directors. Instead of overspending on separate platforms, why not maximize the powerful tools you already own?

Document Sets aren’t just for organizing files…they’re a powerful tool for reporting and insights. Need to provide quarterly updates on active litigation cases? Done. Tracking contracts set to renew in the next 90 days? Effortless. Generating a comprehensive report on open projects and their statuses? Just a few clicks away. Plus, you have the flexibility to export data to Excel for detailed analysis or leverage Power BI dashboards to visualize key metrics in a dynamic and interactive way.

Document Sets can also be paired with Lookup Lists to maximize SharePoint’s built-in functionality. Take Litigation Cases, for example, you can maintain separate lists for Outside Counsel and Outside Counsel Contacts, allowing you to assign specific contacts directly to a case’s metadata. This streamlined approach enhances accessibility, making it easier to identify and engage the right legal representatives with minimal effort.

 

Real-World Use Case: Contracts Management

Contracts management is a common challenge for many organizations. Contracts are often tracked in spreadsheets with limited information, and without automated alerts, critical deadlines for renewal or termination are frequently missed—mistakes that can cost millions, particularly for high-value agreements. Additionally, locating contracts stored on traditional file shares can be time-consuming and inefficient, as they rely solely on folder structures for classification. Without the ability to apply multiple categories or tags, organizations are left to either duplicate documents or compromise on searchability—both of which introduce further complications. Reporting also tends to be a manual, time-intensive process, often requiring hours of work each quarter.

Solution: Document Sets

Using Document Sets in SharePoint provides a more structured, dynamic, and scalable approach. Each contract is housed within its own Document Set and enhanced with rich metadata fields such as:

  • Counterparty Name
  • Contract ID
  • Contract Type
  • Start and End Dates
  • Status
  • Renewal Terms
  • Renewal Date
  • Reminder Date(s)
  • Assigned To
  • Contract Value
  • Key Milestones
  • Inactive Date (used for retention policies)

Custom views can be created to display contracts by type, status, ownership, and upcoming renewal dates. Multi-select choice fields allow for tagging across multiple categories, eliminating the need for data duplication.

Enhanced Visibility and Automation

Dashboards can be built to support work queues, improving visibility and task management. Automated workflows can trigger timely notifications to relevant teams as contracts approach renewal or termination dates. Reporting capabilities allow teams to quickly access metrics such as contract volume per individual, contract values over time, and other key performance indicators—without the need for manual effort.

Other Applicable Document Sets Use Cases:

  • Litigation, Bankruptcy, and Collections Case Management
  • Corporate Governance and Entity Management
  • Projects
  • Employee Records
  • Client and Sales Files
  • Board Meeting Materials
  • Insurance Claims

By implementing Document Sets, organizations benefit from improved efficiency, enhanced visibility, and reduced risk.

Ready to Transform Your Processes?

Contact Compass365 to schedule an assessment and explore how Document Sets can streamline your document and records management strategy.