Setting Up A Job Numbering System

So you need to set up a job numbering system -- where do you start??  For your own sanity, you will want to set up a numbering system for your job files that makes sense to the people working with the files.  You will want to think about the numbering structure of your numbering system since you will be living with it for some time to come.  

You will want to think about the types of construction you will be doing.  If you are doing ground up and tenant improvements or with the addition of service work.  Consider how many divisions you want to break down and whether you want to run your companies financial or production data by those divisions.  

You can set up numbering systems for service and construction with a year designation and then a number to classify the type and then a 4 digit number for the job numbers. You can also set up separate cost centers for the various divisions.

Numbering would then look like this:  12-01-1001 or 12-02-1003 - where 12 is the year, 01, 02 or 03 would be the type and then running consecutive job numbers until the end of time. I don't think I would repeat a job number in the next year. I would just keep on numbering 1003, 1004, etc and just change the year -- just in case a file label gets ripped and all you have are the last 4 digits.

There are several ways you may want to do the divisions and financial statements could be ran individually by a division, by state, by type (IE: government, private, school, etc.) or as a whole for the company. It just really depends on how your company decision makers want to see the breakdowns and financial statements.

Take a little time to think it through thoroughly and ask for some ideas that work and ones that don't from people around you in the same type of construction.  Ask them what they would change about their current set up if they could and take notes from those conversations.  

You should make the decision based on your needs and don't forget to think about future expansion and company growth.  You may decide that 4 digits for job numbers is just not enough -- go for 5.

Numbering and archiving your jobs is covered in my book in detail.  You need to also plan on archiving these jobs upon completion.  Keep a spreadsheet of all the boxes by numbers and what is included in each box -- be very detailed so that you can find things when you need them again.

Happy Numbering !!

Charlene S. Reed

"Construction Administration Handbook"