Independent IFS Cloud practice · Document handling design
Set the attachment convention before the first file is added
IFS Cloud document attachments are easy to add, and nobody has to agree a convention first. The system then fills with files named by habit, linked to the wrong object and held in revisions nobody can trace. Engineers, buyers and auditors cannot find the current document, and a later migration of legacy files multiplies the same mess. The convention costs one workshop before go-live. Without it, the clean-up grows with every file that is added.
Key takeaways
- IFS Cloud Document Management organises documents by document class, keeps revisions, connects them to business objects and controls visibility through document access and groups documents in folders.
- A document object connection links a document to an object such as a part, an order or an asset, so the convention must say which object types carry documents.
- Decide the class list, naming rule, folder structure, access rules and revision rule before users start attaching.
- Legacy files are migrated by decision: what, into which class, linked to which object. The rest is archived outside IFS Cloud.
- One named role owns the convention after go-live and reviews it on a fixed date.
1.What does a managed document in IFS Cloud consist of?
A managed document in IFS Cloud belongs to a document class, can carry revisions, and is connected to the objects it describes. The IFS documentation on creating and maintaining documents describes the process from the first record to a revised version.
Each of these three properties is a place where a convention helps or its absence hurts:
- Document class: the type of document, such as drawing, specification or certificate. It is the first thing a user searches by, and a class list that grows without control becomes a second free-text field.
- Revision: the version history. If nobody agrees when a change deserves a new revision and when it deserves a new document, both habits appear in the same system.
- Connection: the link to the business object. A document without a connection is findable only by someone who already knows it exists.
2.How do documents connect to parts, orders, assets and other business objects?
A document connects to a business object through a document object connection, which links the document record to the object. The IFS documentation on document object connections describes the connection itself.
One document connected to several objects is easier to keep current than the same file copied onto each of them, because a change is made once. A purchase-side specification linked to the part, and a drawing linked to the asset, give two different users a path to the right file from the record they already have open.
The convention should therefore name, per object type, which document classes are expected: for example, which classes a part may carry and which are mandatory before an order is released. That is a short table, and it is the part of the convention users check most often. Document approval steps, where they are needed, are a workflow question treated in IFS Cloud workflows.
3.Which conventions must be set before users start attaching?
Six conventions must exist before the first user attaches a file, and each one fits on a single page.
| Convention | What to decide |
|---|---|
| Document class list | Which classes exist, who may add one, and what each class is for |
| Naming rule | How a title is built, so that two people name the same drawing the same way |
| Folder structure | How documents are grouped, described in the documentation on document folders |
| Access rules | Who may see, change or release a document of each class, as set out in the documentation on document access |
| Revision rule | When a change is a new revision and when it is a new document |
| Object rule | Which object types carry documents, and which classes are expected on each |
Access deserves the most care because it decides who can read contracts, price data and technical know-how. A supplier price agreement and a public datasheet do not need the same visibility, so access is decided per class, together with the permission design described in the IFS Cloud ERP implementation guide. Fields that capture class or title at entry can be shaped through tailoring, covered in the ultimate guide to IFS Cloud tailoring.
4.What happens to legacy files during migration?
Legacy files should be migrated by decision, not by volume, because every migrated file arrives with a class, a name and a connection that someone must get right. Three questions settle each folder of the old system:
- Is it still needed for operations, audit or law? If not, it goes to an archive outside IFS Cloud and stays out of the migration.
- Which class does it belong to? A file that fits no class on the list is a sign that the list is incomplete or that the file is not needed.
- Which object does it describe? A file that cannot be connected to an object will be unfindable in the new system, so decide before loading whether it should be loaded at all.
The data side of this work, including extract and load checks, is in the IFS Cloud data migration checklist. This article covers only the document decisions that come before the load.
5.Who owns the convention after go-live?
One named role owns the document convention after go-live, with the authority to approve a new class, a change to the naming rule or an exception. The role is usually held in a business function that depends on the documents, such as engineering or quality, with IT as the technical contact.
The owner reviews the class list on a fixed date, for example after the first year, and removes classes nobody uses. Without an owner, each department adds its own classes and the list slowly reproduces the folder structure of the file server it replaced. The convention belongs in the support package: see the handover to support. A document that only one person knows how to find is the same risk described in knowledge loss when an employee leaves.
6.What does a convention checklist contain?
The convention is ready for go-live when all eight of these checks can be answered with a document, not with a promise.
- The document class list is written down, with a purpose and an owner for each class.
- The naming rule is on one page with three worked examples.
- The folder structure is drawn and agreed with the departments that use it.
- Access is defined per class, and an auditor can read it.
- The revision rule states when a change creates a new revision and when a new document.
- For each object type, the expected document classes are listed.
- Legacy files are sorted into migrate and archive before any load.
- The convention has one named owner and a review date.
7.Frequently asked questions
How do documents connect to business objects in IFS Cloud?
A document in IFS Cloud connects to a business object, such as a part, an order or an asset, through a document object connection. The connection links the document record to the object. The IFS documentation on document object connections describes the details for your release.
What is a document class and why should the list be set early?
A document class in IFS Cloud Document Management is the type a document belongs to, for example a drawing or a certificate. The list should be set before go-live because users search and filter by class, and a class list that grows without an owner duplicates itself. Retiring a class later means deciding what happens to every document already in it.
How do I control who can see a document in IFS Cloud?
Visibility of a document in IFS Cloud is governed by document access, described in the IFS documentation for the Create and Maintain Document area; folders group documents. Decide access per document class, record it in the convention, and review it together with the permission design of the project.
Should we migrate every legacy attachment into IFS Cloud?
No. A legacy file should be migrated to IFS Cloud only when it is still needed for operations, audit or law, fits a document class and can be connected to an object. Everything else goes to an archive outside IFS Cloud. Each migrated file needs a class, a name and a connection, which is work that an unneeded file does not justify.
Who should own the document convention after go-live?
One named role in a business function that depends on the documents, such as engineering or quality, should own the IFS Cloud document convention. The owner approves new classes and exceptions and reviews the class list on a fixed date. IT acts as the technical contact and does not decide what the classes mean.
8.About the author
Dariusz Myśliwiec: 18 years hands-on with IFS, including IFS Cloud. Based in Kraków, delivering remotely across Europe and globally through an independent practice. You talk to the consultant who does the work, not a sales layer.
IFS is a registered trademark of IFS AB; this practice is not affiliated with IFS AB.
Have your attachments become a landfill?
A document-handling design review covers classes, folders, access and the migration of legacy files. It starts with one question: can a buyer find the current specification from the part record without asking anyone?
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