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.
Checkout and Document Generation
Documents are managed through a checkout system:
Check Out Documents creates the initial draft and triggers document generation. A loading 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
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
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
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
Reprocess From Here — Available on individual generator tasks. Regenerates that task and all downstream tasks. You can optionally provide instructions to guide the regeneration (e.g., "include the 1995 remediation event in the site history")
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.