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Document Numbering Admin Guide

This guide covers the administrative responsibilities for document numbering — scheme design, activation, counter management, and handling edge cases — for Org Admins and Project Admins.

Scheme design principles​

A well-designed numbering scheme is:

  1. Unambiguous: Two documents with different disciplines, types, or zones should never produce the same number
  2. Readable: The number should communicate the document's purpose at a glance (STR-PLAN-ZA-0001 is clearer than 0001-ZA-PLAN-STR)
  3. Stable: The format should not need to change during the project's life
  4. Consistent with contract requirements: Check whether the contract or client specifies a numbering format before designing your own

Agreeing the scheme before the project starts​

Getting numbering right before any documents are created is far easier than migrating later. At project kick-off:

  1. Identify required metadata fields that will appear in the number
  2. Agree codes for each option in those fields with the project team
  3. Build and preview the scheme in the Token Builder
  4. Share the preview with the project controls lead and document controller for approval
  5. Activate only after the format is confirmed

Managing the active scheme​

When to deactivate a scheme​

Deactivate a scheme if:

  • The project is closing and no more documents will be created
  • The numbering format needs to change (rare — design it right the first time)
  • The project is migrating to a different numbering convention

Do not deactivate while the project is active — it leaves members unable to create numbered documents until a new scheme is activated.

Counter management​

Access counter state from the active scheme's Manage Counters panel. Common administrative tasks:

TaskHow
Set start value for a new combinationFind or create the combination row, click Set start value
Reset a counter (e.g. after a test)Set start value to the desired reset point
View all combinations in useManage Counters shows all combinations with documents created against them

Warning: Counter adjustments cannot be undone. If you set a counter lower than the highest existing number, the next auto-generated number will conflict with an existing document. Always set counters to a value higher than the current maximum.

Handling numbering gaps​

Numbering gaps occur when a document record is created (reserving a number) and then deleted. The number is consumed and will not be reused.

Gaps are normal and expected — do not try to fill them. Filling gaps creates more confusion than the gap itself. If an auditor asks about a gap, point to the Audit Log which shows the creation and deletion events for the deleted document.

Handling import numbering​

When bulk importing documents from another system:

  1. Leave the Document Number column populated in the import template with the original numbers
  2. Do not activate the auto-numbering scheme until after the import
  3. After import, activate the scheme and set counter start values above the highest imported number

Multi-project numbering​

If your organisation runs multiple projects with similar numbering formats, ensure discipline codes, zone codes, and other codes are consistent across all projects. Inconsistent codes make cross-project reporting difficult.

Manage this by:

  • Defining all discipline and document type codes at the org level
  • Allowing only zone codes (which are project-specific) at the project level
  • Reviewing org-level codes when creating a new project type

What's next​