Documents and version control
Reconciling conflicting versions of an event file
The venue, the AV supplier and your own team each hold a different timeline, and rehearsal is in three days.
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The short answer
Reconcile conflicting files by freezing all edits, collecting every copy with its date and sender, comparing them line by line, and letting the named decision owner settle each difference.
Then issue one corrected version, withdraw the others in writing and record what changed and why.
Freeze before you compare
Ask everyone to stop editing and to send you the copy they are actually working from. Note when each was last saved and who sent it.
Do not start merging while people are still changing files, or you will chase a moving target.
Compare line by line, not file by file
Put the copies side by side and list each difference as one row: the item, what each copy says and who is affected. A difference in a start time matters more than a difference in wording.
Sort differences into three kinds: errors (one copy is simply wrong), updates (one copy has a later valid change) and open decisions (nobody has decided yet).
Who settles each difference
- Errors: the owner of that fact in the source register.
- Updates: check the approved document register and the version history to see which change was approved.
- Open decisions: take to the named decision owner and record the answer in the decision log.
- Anything affecting safety, legal or contractual terms: refer to the competent party, such as the venue, your legal adviser or the supplier contract, before changing it.
Issue one corrected version
- Build the corrected file from the master, applying only settled differences.
- Give it a new version number and date, and list the changes at the top.
- Send it to everyone who held any of the conflicting copies, asking for written acknowledgement.
- Mark the others as withdrawn in the log, and ask suppliers to delete or archive them.
Find out why it happened
After the event, note how the copies diverged: an emailed attachment, an offline edit, a verbal change, a second folder. Add one rule to prevent that route next time.
Worked example · Fictional example
Three timelines three days before rehearsal
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional banking association is holding a half-day roundtable for about 80 guests. The venue's copy puts doors open at 08:30, the AV copy starts the sound check at 08:00 and the association's copy has the first speaker at 09:15.
The secretariat freezes edits and lists eight differences. Five are errors against the approved version, two are later valid changes confirmed by the chair, and one, the lunch break length, is still undecided. The chair decides, the log records it, and version 09 goes out to all three parties for acknowledgement the same day.
Use this yourself
Reconciliation worksheet
Use one row per difference. Do not issue a corrected file until every row has a decision.
- Copy name, sender, last saved date
- Item that differs
- What each copy says
- Kind: error, valid update or open decision
- Who decides, and the decision
- Who is affected
- Date new version issued, recipients, acknowledgements
| Item | Copy A says | Copy B says | Kind | Decided by | Decision | Affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doors open | 08:30 | 08:45 | Error | Secretary | 08:30 per v08 | Venue, ushers |
| Sound check | 08:00 | 08:00 | Same | - | - | - |
| Lunch length | 45 min | 60 min | Open | Chair | 45 min | Caterer, MC |
Open the tool: Conference materials and translation-version checker
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Three or fewer copies, one decision owner and time to compare calmly.
- The master and approvals are recorded and the differences are small.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several organisations hold conflicting files and the event date is close.
- The differences touch contracts, safety or money and the owners disagree.
Files disagree and time is short?
A conference project lead can collect the copies, run the line-by-line comparison, take each open item to the right decision owner and issue the corrected version to suppliers. Contractual and safety points are referred to the competent party.
Questions organisers ask
Should we just use the newest file?
Not automatically. The newest file may contain an unapproved edit. Check the approval record first.
What if the supplier will not accept the corrected version?
Ask for the reason in writing and check the contract for which document governs. Refer disputes about contract terms to the person responsible for the contract.
Can a tool compare the files for us?
Comparison tools help find differences, but a person still decides which is right. The materials version checker covers session materials.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.