Google Workspace for Administrative Productivity Training Course

Course overview

Administrative teams manage a constant flow of meeting requests, executive communications, shared documents, action trackers, travel arrangements, and confidential records. When files sit in personal drives, calendar changes are handled by email, and trackers are copied between versions, routine coordination becomes slow and difficult to audit. This course helps administrative professionals build reliable Google Workspace workflows that reduce duplicated effort, clarify ownership, and keep leaders and teams working from accurate information.

Participants learn to configure Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Meet, and shared Workspace resources for practical office administration. They create structured inbox and delegation systems; schedule complex meetings across time zones; establish shared-drive filing standards; prepare controlled meeting packs; build action and deadline trackers; collect requests through Forms; and use Sheets to monitor follow-up, attendance, budgets, and service tasks. The course also addresses permissions, sharing settings, version history, approval routes, templates, and records-handling practices for sensitive administrative work.

Training is delivered through instructor demonstrations, guided configuration exercises, realistic executive-office scenarios, and peer review of administrative processes. Each participant works through a simulated week of requests involving diary conflicts, document approvals, meeting preparation, and team reporting. They leave with an Administrative Productivity Playbook: a practical set of folder structures, naming conventions, calendar procedures, email rules, templates, trackers, and implementation actions tailored to their own workplace.

The programme is designed for experienced administrators, executive assistants, office coordinators, and team support professionals who already use Google Workspace but need a more disciplined, scalable way to run administrative operations.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Configure Gmail labels, filters, templates, and delegation settings for controlled administrative correspondence
• Build Google Calendar scheduling workflows for executive diaries, recurring meetings, time zones, and room resources
• Design a Google Drive folder architecture with naming conventions, ownership rules, and role-based access permissions
• Produce collaborative meeting agendas, briefing packs, minutes, and action logs in Google Docs
• Create Google Sheets trackers using data validation, conditional formatting, filters, and protected ranges
• Deploy Google Forms request workflows that capture complete information and route responses into operational trackers
• Apply version history, commenting, approval, and sharing controls to protect confidential administrative documents
• Develop an Administrative Productivity Playbook containing reusable Workspace templates and implementation priorities

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Executive Assistants — who coordinate senior leaders’ diaries, meetings, communications, and briefing materials
• Administrative Officers — who maintain records, process requests, and support day-to-day office operations
• Office Managers — who need consistent digital procedures across shared services, facilities, and administration teams
• Team Coordinators — who track actions, deadlines, meetings, and shared documents for operational teams
• Personal Assistants — who manage competing priorities and require dependable systems for executive support
• Project Support Officers — who prepare documentation, maintain registers, and coordinate project governance meetings

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should be regular users of Google Workspace and able to sign in, send email, create basic documents, and navigate shared files. Familiarity with Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Google Docs is assumed, including opening shared links and making simple edits. Participants should bring access to a laptop and, where possible, a workplace or training Google account that permits use of Workspace applications. Prior spreadsheet formulas, automation, coding, or Google Workspace administrator rights are not required. The course teaches productivity workflows rather than domain-wide IT administration.

Training methodology

The instructor uses a realistic administrative-office case that develops across the five days: participants receive executive requests, scheduling conflicts, shared-document issues, event tasks, and reporting deadlines. Short demonstrations are followed by guided practice in Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Forms. Participants configure tools, compare process options in small groups, and review examples of weak and well-controlled administrative records. Daily exercises create reusable components, which are assembled on the final day into an individual Administrative Productivity Playbook and workplace application plan.

Course outline

Day 1: Administrative Workspace Foundations and Email Control

• Google Workspace navigation for administrative operations
• Gmail labels, nested labels, and conversation management
• Gmail filters for automatic filing and prioritisation
• Email templates for recurring administrative responses
• Gmail delegation and delegated mailbox responsibilities
• Stars, snooze, tasks, and follow-up triage methods
• Professional email control for confidential and time-sensitive requests

Workshop: Participants configure an executive-support inbox workflow and produce a triage map with labels, filters, templates, and delegation rules.

Day 2: Calendar, Meetings, and Executive Coordination

• Google Calendar settings, working hours, and appointment visibility
• Executive diary management using multiple calendars
• Recurring meeting series and exception handling
• Time-zone scheduling for distributed teams and travel
• Room and resource calendar booking procedures
• Google Meet links, guest permissions, and meeting preparation
• Calendar-based workflows for agendas, reminders, and follow-up actions

Workshop: Participants resolve a simulated week of conflicting executive appointments and produce a coordinated calendar plan with meeting resources and communications.

Day 3: Drive Governance and Collaborative Documents

• Google Drive versus shared drives for administrative records
• Folder structures, naming conventions, and document ownership
• Sharing permissions, restricted access, and link settings
• Google Docs templates for agendas, minutes, and briefing notes
• Comments, assignments, suggestions, and approval routes
• Version history, file recovery, and audit-friendly collaboration
• Meeting-pack assembly using linked files and controlled distribution

Workshop: Participants build a shared-drive structure and produce a controlled board-meeting pack comprising an agenda, briefing note, minutes template, and access plan.

Day 4: Tracking, Requests, and Administrative Reporting

• Google Sheets tracker design for actions, deadlines, and service requests
• Data validation lists and standardised status fields
• Conditional formatting for overdue and high-priority work
• Filters, filter views, and protected ranges for shared trackers
• Basic formulas for counts, dates, totals, and completion rates
• Google Forms for meeting, travel, facilities, and information requests
• Forms-to-Sheets response workflows and data-quality checks

Workshop: Participants create a request form and linked action tracker that captures submissions, assigns ownership, flags due dates, and produces a status view.

Day 5: Integrated Administrative Productivity Systems

• Connecting Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Forms workflows
• Administrative standard operating procedures for recurring work
• Template libraries and controlled reuse of office documents
• Permissions review for confidential and executive information
• Handover planning and continuity during staff absence
• Personal productivity dashboards and weekly review routines
• Workplace implementation priorities and adoption measures

Workshop: Participants assemble and present their Administrative Productivity Playbook, including templates, filing rules, tracker design, calendar procedures, and a 30-day implementation plan.

Tools & standards covered

Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Calendar

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions