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Copy from Prior Edition Cycle

This tutorial covers month 2 of a recurring monthly reporting cycle. You will copy data from the April edition into May, selectively reset sections, add this month's new items, and submit for review.

Scenario: You manage a Monthly Progress Report for a construction project. The April edition was approved. It's now time to create the May edition.

Assumptions:

  • A blueprint called "Monthly Progress Report" exists with the following sections: Executive Summary, Risk Register, Action Log, Site Progress Photos, Lookahead (4-week), Cost Report.
  • The April 2026 edition is in Approved or Closed status.
  • You have Contributor or Report Owner access.

Step 1 — Start a new edition​

  1. Go to Report Forge → your project → Editions tab.
  2. Click + New Edition.
  3. Select the Monthly Progress Report blueprint.
  4. Fill in the edition settings:
FieldValue for May edition
Edition nameNorth Station - Monthly Progress - 2026-05
Reporting period start01 May 2026
Reporting period end31 May 2026
Data date29 May 2026
Report date03 June 2026
AssigneesSelect the same contributors as April
Due date02 June 2026

Step 2 — Enable Copy from Prior​

Still on the Create Edition panel:

  1. Toggle on Copy from prior edition.
  2. In the source edition selector, choose "North Station - Monthly Progress - 2026-04" (the April edition).

A section checklist appears.

Step 3 — Select sections to copy​

For this scenario, apply the following choices:

SectionCopy?Reason
Executive SummaryYesCarry the narrative structure forward — contributor will update bullet points
Risk RegisterYesCarry all open risks forward — remove resolved risks in the editor
Action LogYesCarry all actions forward — mark completed actions as closed
Site Progress PhotosNoPhotos are unique to each period — start fresh
Lookahead (4-week)NoLookahead rows are entirely new each month
Cost ReportYesCarry summary rows forward — update the period figures

Tick the checkboxes accordingly, then click Create Edition.

Step 4 — Review and update the Executive Summary​

The section opens with the April narrative copied in.

  1. Navigate to Executive Summary in the section nav.
  2. Update the Reporting Period field to "May 2026".
  3. Update the Key Highlights bullets — remove April-specific achievements and add May milestones.
  4. Update any RAG status fields to reflect current period performance.
  5. Save.
tip

Keep the structure of the Executive Summary identical each month — same headings, same order. Reviewers and report readers appreciate consistency.

Step 5 — Update the Risk Register​

The Risk Register section contains all rows from the April edition.

  1. Navigate to Risk Register.
  2. Review each row:
    • Closed / Mitigated risks: Delete the row, or change the Status to "Closed" and move to the bottom.
    • Ongoing risks: Update the Likelihood and Impact fields if they have changed. Update the Mitigation actions column with progress made.
    • Escalated risks: Update the RAG from Amber to Red if the risk has materialised.
  3. Click + Add row to add any new risks identified in May.
  4. Save.

Step 6 — Update the Action Log​

The Action Log contains all actions from April.

  1. Navigate to Action Log.
  2. Review each row:
    • Completed actions: Change Status to "Complete". Leave the row for the record — do not delete (reviewers and report readers want to see what was closed this period).
    • Overdue actions: Update the Due Date if the deadline has been extended with justification. Update the Status if it has changed.
    • In-progress actions: Update progress notes.
  3. Click + Add row to add new actions.
  4. Save.

Step 7 — Add this month's Progress Photos​

  1. Navigate to Site Progress Photos.
  2. This section is empty (you chose not to copy it).
  3. Click + Add row for each photo location.
  4. Upload photos using the Image field in each row.
  5. Fill in the Location, Date taken, and Description columns.
  6. Save.

Step 8 — Enter the 4-Week Lookahead​

  1. Navigate to Lookahead (4-week).
  2. This section is empty (you chose not to copy it).
  3. Click + Add row for each planned activity over the next 4 weeks.
  4. Fill in Activity, Planned start, Planned finish, Responsible party, and Status.
  5. Save.

Step 9 — Update the Cost Report​

The Cost Report section carried forward April's summary rows.

  1. Navigate to Cost Report.
  2. Update the Period amount column for each cost category with May figures.
  3. Update the Cumulative amount (or verify if it is a computed field that auto-sums).
  4. Update variance explanations in any narrative fields.
  5. Save.

Step 10 — Final check and submit​

  1. Review the section nav — confirm all required sections show a green tick (required fields complete).
  2. Check your data: spot-check dates are in the May reporting period, not copied April dates.
  3. Click Submit for review.
  4. Status moves to Submitted — assigned reviewers are notified.

What happens next​

Reviewers receive a notification and open the edition. They compare the May data against the April edition (using the Compare with prior edition option in the edition header).

If reviewers request changes, you will receive a notification. See Edition Lifecycle Walkthrough for the full review-and-resubmit cycle.

Once approved, the report owner generates the PDF output using the edition's approved data.

Time savings from Copy from Prior​

In this scenario:

  • The Risk Register and Action Log avoided complete re-entry of ~15–25 rows.
  • The Executive Summary structure carried forward, reducing formatting time.
  • The Cost Report summary rows required only period updates, not row recreation.

For a 6-section report, Copy from Prior typically reduces data entry time by 40–60% for stable sections.