Overview
The Draft Documents tab manages the full document lifecycle for a client report - from initial generation through iterative editing to final submission for review. This is where report documents are created, downloaded, edited offline, uploaded back, and versioned.
Prerequisites for Document Generation
Before documents can be generated, the following must be in place:
A Report Writer must be assigned on the General tab
At least one Report Reviewer must be assigned on the General tab
Some report types also require associated fieldwork tasks and/or completed items on the Additional Data tab
If requirements are not met, the checkout button is disabled and a warning message explains what is needed.
Pre-flight Conflict Alerts
Before checkout, the page may show one or more pre-flight alerts:
Empty fieldwork task - One of the selected fieldwork tasks has no data. This is a hard block. Check Out and Regenerate are disabled until the task either has data or is removed from the report.
Sibling conflict - Two selected fieldwork tasks overlap (for example two soil-classification siblings with overlapping samples). This is advisory only. The buttons stay enabled but the alert tells you which records overlap.
If the Primary Fields card appears at the top, it summarises which fieldwork task is the primary source of fields like report name and event date.
Checkout and Document Generation
Documents are managed through a checkout system:
Check Out Documents creates the initial draft and triggers document generation. A full-screen spinner appears while documents are being produced.
Only one user can have a draft checked out at a time. If someone else has it checked out, you will see their name and a message to wait.
Undo Check Out releases the draft so another user can check it out. Any unsaved changes from the previous user are lost. A confirmation prompt appears before the action runs.
When you have the draft checked out, the Current Draft card lists the version, the checkout status, and the associated fieldwork tasks with external-link buttons so you can jump to a task in a new tab.
Processing Messages
After generation, a Processing Messages card may appear with:
Informational messages about the generation process.
Warnings (yellow badge) about potential data issues.
Errors (red badge) that prevented parts of the report from generating.
Some messages include action links that navigate directly to the relevant page to resolve the issue.
The card header shows whether the run had errors, warning, and a count of messages.
Report Generation Progress
The Report Generation card tracks document generation tasks in real-time:
Generating... - Tasks are still running (spinner displayed).
Generation Complete - All tasks finished successfully.
Generation Failed - One or more tasks encountered an error.
Each individual task in the list has its own row, and (for AI-driven tasks) its own actions.
Available Downloads
Once generated, documents are available for download. The specific document types depend on the report type:
Word Document - The main report (.docx)
Excel Tables - Supporting data tables (.xlsx)
PDF Document - The formatted PDF version
Lab Data (ZIP) - Laboratory analytical data (not available for all report types)
Complete Package (ZIP) - All documents bundled together
Download buttons show a spinner while documents are still being generated.
Uploading Edited Documents
After downloading and editing documents on your computer, you can upload the revised versions:
Upload a revised Word Document (.docx) and/or Excel Document (.xlsx)
You can upload either independently - if you skip one, the previous version is retained
At least one file must be selected before the check-in buttons become active
Check-In Options
Two check-in options are available:
Check In Draft Documents - Saves uploaded files as a new draft version for further editing
Check In Documents for Review - Saves uploaded files and marks them as ready for review on the Review and Approve tab
Regeneration and Reprocessing
Regenerate - Creates a new document version with regenerated content. The current version is preserved in history. Only available when the draft is checked out to you. A confirmation prompt appears before the action runs.
Reprocess From Here - Available as a button on individual generator tasks inside the Report Generation card. Click the button on a specific task to regenerate that task and all downstream tasks. A modal opens where you can optionally provide instructions to guide the regeneration (for example "include the 1995 remediation event in the site history").
Reprocess From Here is most useful for AI-driven report types (like PSI) when one section of the report is wrong and you only want to redo that section plus anything that depends on it.
Document Version History
A table showing all draft versions with:
Version number (e.g., v1.0, v1.1)
Creation date and who created it
Status - Current, Historical, or Checked out by a specific user
Download buttons for each version's Word, Excel, and PDF documents
Generation History
The most recent generation attempts are displayed with:
Date, version, user, and result (Success, Warnings, Errors, or In Progress)
Expandable message details for each run showing processing logs
Things to Know
The checkout system prevents two people from editing the same draft simultaneously. If you need the draft but someone else has it checked out, coordinate with them or use Undo Check Out if necessary.
Regenerating creates a new version. The previous version is always preserved in the version history.
Check Processing Messages after generation to catch data issues before finalising the report.
The Reprocess From Here feature with custom instructions is useful for refining specific report sections without regenerating everything.
Empty fieldwork tasks block checkout outright. Sibling conflicts are advisory and let you proceed.