Document numbering?

["Geoff Hart (by way of \"Eric J. Ray\" <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>)" <ght -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

Ginna Watts bemoans a <<mishmash of document numbering systems
[that] is slowly grinding to a halt. We currently use five different
document numbering schemes: quality, technical, user, research and
the lovely catch-all, 'internal'.>>

I'm not really sure what the problem is you're trying to solve (i.e,
what the current systems are and why they're not working), so this
advice is necessarily general. For more specific advice, please
repost your question with more details.

<<What sorts of document numbering systems do you use?>>

We have roughly half a dozen series of technical reports, each
with its own ISSN number, and our archivist assigns the next number
in the appropriate series to each new report once it's ready for
printing. Key point: One person and one person only maintains the
list of report numbers.

<<Does your company have one that covers all documents, or
do they vary according to purpose?>>

Each report series serves a specific need. (We're re-evaluating
these series in response to changing audience needs, and will cut the
number roughly in half over the next year.) Broader categories of
needs work better than very narrow categories in our experience, but
YMMV. Key point: what needs does each of your report types serve, and
is that need still valid?

<<Are you happy with your document numbering system? If not, what's
wrong? (and what would you do to change it?)>>

Works just fine for us, given the caveats above.

--Geoff Hart @8^{)}
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

"By God, for a moment there it all made sense!"--Gahan Wilson


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