In one sentence
Document admin is where you set up the shape of your document library — what categories and classes exist, how documents are numbered, who approves what, and which templates and reusable components authors can pull from.
- Categories & Classes — the two dimensions every document is classified by, plus the auto-numbering scheme.
- Approval routing — pre-fill (or lock) the reviewer and approver based on facility, class, and category.
- Templates and components — reusable starting points and content blocks that keep the library consistent.
The admin surface for Documents lives at Admin → Documents. Access requires the Access audit admin permission (Admin or Quality Manager by default).
Categories & Classes
Admin → Documents → Categories & Classes
Manage the two independent classification dimensions used throughout Documents, and configure how document numbers are auto-generated.
- Document Classes — organizational functions (HSE, Safety & Quality, Operations…). Each class has an optional Number prefix — a short string prepended to the category code when auto-generating a document number (e.g.
ACME-SQ-). - Categories — document types (SOP, Policy, Procedure, Work Instruction, Form…). Each category has an optional Code — a short token appended after the class prefix (e.g.
P,SOP,WI).
Orgs get a sensible default set on first use. Editing is non-destructive to existing documents — they keep the category and class they were created with even if you later rename or restructure.
Document numbering
When a new document is created and both a class prefix and a category code are set, the document number is auto-generated as:
{class prefix}{category code}{sequence}
For example, class prefix ACME-SQ- + category code P → ACME-SQ-P01, ACME-SQ-P02, … The sequence is scoped to that exact class + category combination, so two classes both start at 01. If either the prefix or the code is blank, the number field is left empty for manual entry.
Organization code. The Organization code field on this page (e.g. ACME) drives the auto-suggested prefix when you add a new class — the suggestion is {orgCode}-{className}-. Accept it or type your own. The org code only drives suggestions; it doesn't appear in numbers unless the class prefix includes it.
Manual override and conflicts. The number field is always editable by authorised users. If a number is already in use by another document, a warning appears below the field and the document cannot be saved unless it supersedes the conflicting one.
Approval routing
Admin → Documents → Approval Routing
Routing rules pre-fill the Reviewer and Approver on documents. Each rule is defined by three dimensions:
- Scope — a specific facility, or org-wide (applies to all facilities)
- Document Class — a specific class, or Any
- Category — a specific category, or Any
When a document's class and category are set (or changed), the system finds the most specific matching rule and applies it. Specificity is scored: a facility match outweighs a class match, which outweighs a category match. The highest-scoring rule wins.
Pre-fill vs lock
Each rule has a Lock on documents option:
- Unlocked (default) — the rule pre-fills the Reviewer and Approver fields on new documents only. Authors can still change them.
- Locked — Reviewer and Approver fields on matching documents are disabled and can't be edited. The rule controls the assignment; the only way to change it is to edit the rule.
Use locked rules when a routing decision is a policy requirement, not a default. Use unlocked rules for convenience pre-fills.
Bulk Apply
The Apply button on any rule updates existing documents to match — useful after a personnel change.
Before applying, a preview shows:
- How many documents match the rule's scope
- A breakdown by document status (Draft, Rejected, Approved, Obsolete)
- A warning listing any documents currently Under Review — those don't update because their approval chain was snapshotted at submission
Confirm to apply. The update is immediate.
Once a document is submitted for approval, its approval chain is snapshotted and routing rules no longer affect it. If a rule changes and you need to re-route a document already under review, reject it and resubmit — the new approvers are picked up at submission.
Templates
Admin → Documents → Templates
Pre-built starting documents authors can pick from the New Document modal. Each template has:
- Title, description, category, and document class
- Initial content (authored in the same editor as normal documents)
Templates are a starting point — once a document is created from a template it has no further relationship to the source. Edits to the template don't propagate to documents already created from it.
Reusable components
Admin → Documents → Components
Shared content blocks that stay in sync wherever they're used. Use for:
- Standard intro / scope statements
- Approved role definitions
- Legal or compliance boilerplate
- Cross-document consistency requirements
Authors insert components via the editor toolbar or slash menu. Unlike templates, components stay live — when you update the component here, every document that embeds it reflects the new content on next render.
Components are the right tool when the content must remain identical everywhere; templates are right when documents should start alike but then diverge.