FILE OPERATIONS · 5 MIN READ
How to keep source files attached to the correct property job
The highest-risk file mistake is not messy naming; it is confidently sending media from the wrong property because identity was lost between capture, upload and review.
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Give every property job a stable identifier and require that identifier at capture, upload and editor handoff. Separate media types and versions inside the job, verify the property before assignment, and quarantine files whose identity is uncertain. Never let filename similarity or folder location alone become the approval proof.
Create one identity that survives every handoff
Assign a stable job identifier before the shoot and show it with the property address, client and ordered services. Use it in the capture or upload instruction, receiving record and editor assignment. Human-readable names can help, but the identifier prevents two similar addresses from becoming interchangeable.
Keep the identifier attached when files are copied into working and submitted versions.
- Job identifier and property address.
- Capture owner and appointment date.
- Media type or service.
- Source, working, submitted and approved state.
- Person who verified uncertain files.
Verify at transfer boundaries
The photographer should confirm the property and source groups before upload. The receiving owner checks that the expected groups arrived and that the handoff matches the current job. The editor acknowledges the job and expected output before work begins.
If the identity cannot be established, move the material to an exception location and stop assignment.
| Boundary | Verification | Failure response |
|---|---|---|
| Capture to upload | Job and source group named | Hold and ask capture owner |
| Upload to intake | Expected groups match the job | Open a missing or uncertain-files exception |
| Intake to editor | Brief and sources share the identifier | Do not start editing |
| Approval to delivery | Approved version matches property | Block package access |
Illustrative two-property safeguard
A fictional photographer shoots two nearby properties on the same day. During intake, one exterior folder carries the second property name but sits inside the first property upload. The coordinator quarantines the folder, compares the capture record and asks the photographer to verify it. Only then is the corrected source group attached to the proper job.
The example shows why folder position is not sufficient identity evidence.
Preserve traceability through approval
Keep original sources unchanged, use explicit versions for submitted work and record which version was approved. Before delivery, compare the client package with the job identity and ordered output. Review recurring identity exceptions and improve the earliest failed handoff.