Document Numbering and Identification Methods

[buzzjaw]

Arghh! Who says you need to have a numbering system at all? Where is it written that a document numbering system is a requirement. Not that it isn't sometimes useful, but it can also be incredibly restrictive and takes the focus away from the title of the document. The title is the most important reference to a document and what most of your system users will use to find a document.

 

[sagai]

There is a tendency that people make identification equivalent with a numbering or sequencing scheme.
It can happen, it happened with me too, majority of the surrounding world stipulates it.
Cheers!

 

[buzzjaw]

Sagai, where in the 'surrounding world' does it state that documents should be numbered? Not ISO 9001. Not ISO 14001. Not OHSAS 18001. Please advise.

 

[sagai]

The world we are live in!

For example ...
When we have any kind of ticket for identified seat, there are numbers and letters to identify the position. When we go to customer service, we draw a ticket saying what is our position to go to the service desk. When we buy electronics for example, mostly numbers and letters identifies the particular model.
The majority of the things embracing us are making us to think that numbers are the way to do proper identification, it is inherited in our world and this could cause difficulties for people looking into document identification to forget numbering schemes.

Cheers!

 

[buzzjaw]

I understand that it has its place, but I think numbering can present many of its own problems. Ordering numbered documents can be a headache, trying to get people to use document numbers is hard and when they finally do it becomes hard for new people to follow references to document numbers rather than titles, companies that rely on numbering to track documents often overlook providing the document with a carefully considered title, etc.

And with document management systems the way they are today numbering will be less important going forward. Document management systems may number all its documents (it's a computer after all), but you no longer need to know what that number is.

 

[drgnrider]

While I agree that the title is THE most important part of document identification, in today's world, "quicker is better" (or so I keep hearing). It's 'shorthand'; like saying "ISO 9001" instead of "International Standards Organization document 9001 for Quality management systems"

Basically - Keep it simple and make sure you understand the method to your madness.

 

[Rob Kellock]

While I agree that the title is THE most important part of document identification, in today's world, "quicker is better" (or so I keep hearing). It's 'shorthand'; like saying "ISO 9001" instead of "International Standards Organization document 9001 for Quality management systems"

Basically - Keep it simple and make sure you understand the method to your madness.

I've done some investigation into what people search the internet for in terms of quality management. The biggest related search phrase by far is "What is ISO 9001". So there's an awful lot of people that aren't familiar with the abbreviation. If you use the full title you guarantee it will convey something to everyone. Food for thought!

 

[mortby]

My thoughts on this are more of a reflection on possible futures for quality systems.

There are many ways to present a quality management system to a user, and when thinking about how you want to manage, control and label the information within it, you should think about how you expect your users to find and access it.
For example, a company that have paper copy manuals in every office might think about numbering the sections and pages and providing a paper index at the front. A company that uses and entirely web based system where information is presented on any number of interlinking web pages might use the web address to label the document/information and provide search functions in different ways to access the information.

Whatever it is, as many others have already said here, it should be designed to work for you and your business.

 

[ari septiyanto]

dear all,

I have some problem with document numbering system.
My company have more than 10K employee, and devide into more than 30 department. so we have very complex document. e.g in assy. department have 100 form (not yet include procedure and also WI).
I think, main purpose of numbering system is to identified of each document. so I made format of numbering so simple but can identifible.
I have request from assy dept. to change of numbering system, the reason is, they can't trace the parent document of the each form from the number.
I want ask to you, how do you think about interest rate (urgency rate) a document can to trace of their document parents? (based on hierarchy document)
regards

 

[Rob Kellock]

This is a problem, but not insurmountable. It depends on how your system is hosted. If it's just Office documents on a Windows network you can search for text within documents. If documents are hyperlinked all your hyperlinks to that document will be broken. In Office documents that's a problem, because the only way I know of to trace them is to click them and fix the ones that don't work. In webbased systems you can run hyperlink checking software that will identify all the broken links - you still have to fix each one, but at least you know where they are. I've been working on an Office Find and Replace app for Word that would do a multiple find and replace in all the files in a folder (and sub folders), but I've never finished it (or yet had the need to). Either way it's a big job and as the system grows it just gets bigger. If the system relies on document numbers, can't be changed and no longer has any logic behind it then try and concentrate on document titles. Ensure you develop a logical, structured approach to document titling.