Incident Types often evolve over time. You may need to add new questions, update workflows, adjust permissions, or respond to changes in organizational processes and regulatory requirements.
The Incident Form Builder includes tools to help you manage these changes while maintaining a clear history of what was published and when.
This article covers version management, updating settings, copying Incident Types, and understanding the difference between deactivating and archiving.
Accessing Incident Type Options
Each published Incident Type includes an action menu located on the right-hand side of the Incident Types page.
Select the menu to access options such as:
Versions
History
Settings
Copy
Deactivate
Archive
Print PDF
These tools allow you to manage the lifecycle of your Incident Types without having to rebuild them from scratch.
Versions
Each time an Incident Type is edited and republished, a new version is created.
Version management provides a record of how your Incident Type has changed over time and helps ensure historical configurations can be referenced when required.
Viewing Previous Versions
Select Versions to view all published versions of an Incident Type.
The Versions page displays:
Version number
Published date
Published by
Available actions
This makes it easy to review previous releases and understand when changes were introduced.'
Reviewing an Older Version
If you need to review an earlier version of an Incident Type, select the relevant version from the list.
This can be useful when:
Reviewing historical configurations
Investigating process changes
Comparing previous question sets
Preparing for audits or compliance reviews
Creating a New Version from an Existing One
Previous versions can also be copied and used as the starting point for a new version. This can save time when making significant changes while preserving the original configuration.
Exporting and Reusing Versions
Versions can be exported and used as the foundation for another Incident Type. This is particularly useful when multiple Incident Types share a similar structure.
Example:
You may already have a: Child Injury Incident
and want to create a: Staff Injury Incident
Rather than building the form again, you can export the existing version and use it as the basis for the new Incident Type. This helps maintain consistency while reducing administration effort.
Version Numbering Best Practices
Every published version must have a unique version number. Duplicate version numbers are not permitted, helping maintain a clear and accurate version history.
Examples:
Previous Version | Next Version |
1.0 | 1.1 |
1.1 | 1.2 |
1.9 | 2.0 |
Some organizations also include dates or release references where appropriate.
For example:
1.0 Nov 2025
2.0 Regulatory Update
Choose a versioning approach that aligns with your internal processes and makes changes easy to track.
Viewing the History Log
The History tab provides a complete audit trail of activity relating to an Incident Type.
This includes:
Creation dates and timestamps
Old and Status
Comment
Action By (Users)
The History log can be particularly valuable when:
Investigating changes
Supporting audits
Demonstrating governance processes
Reviewing publishing activity
Updating Incident Type Settings
The Settings page allows you to update an Incident Type after it has been published.
This means you can adjust configuration options without creating a completely new Incident Type.
Common updates include:
Categories
Permissions
Notifications
PDF report settings
People settings
The Settings page follows the same structure as the publishing wizard, making it familiar and easy to navigate.
Example: Updating Permissions
If you decide that a profile should have access to Investigation sections:
Open Settings.
Navigate to Access.
Update the required permissions.
Save your changes.
The updated permissions take effect immediately.
Example: Adding a New Category
If your organization introduces a new Incident Category:
Open Settings.
Navigate to Categories.
Select the new category.
Save your changes.
Future incidents can then be categorized accordingly.
Existing incidents remain unchanged.
Copying an Incident Type
The Copy option creates a duplicate of the latest published version, including:
Questions
Groupings
Conditional rules
Settings
Permissions
Notifications
This is a useful way to create similar Incident Types without starting from the beginning.
Example:
You may copy: Child Injury Incident
and rename the copy: Child Illness Incident
You can then customize the copied version while leaving the original unchanged.
Understanding Archive vs Deactivate
Although both options prevent future use of an Incident Type, they serve different purposes.
Understanding the difference is important when managing historical records
Archive | Deactivate |
New incidents can no longer be created using it. | New incidents can no longer be created using it. |
Historical incidents remain available. Existing records continue to appear in reports, dashboards, and registers. Compliance records are preserved. | Historical incidents were unavailable. |
Archiving is ideal when:
| Deactivation is generally used when:
Because deactivation can affect the visibility of associated records, services should carefully review the impact before using this option. |
Historical information remains accessible for reporting and auditing purposes. | If you're unsure whether to archive or deactivate an Incident Type, archiving is usually the safer approach. |
Printing a Blank Incident Form
The Print PDF option generates a blank version of your Incident Type.
This can be useful when:
Preparing for audits
Reviewing form layouts
Sharing templates internally
Obtaining approval before publishing
The generated PDF contains the form structure without requiring an actual incident to be created.
Best Practice for Ongoing Management
As your organisation evolves, it's normal to create multiple versions of an Incident Type.
To keep version management simple:
✓ Use meaningful version numbers
✓ Document significant changes
✓ Archive outdated Incident Types rather than deleting them
✓ Review permissions and notifications regularly
✓ Maintain a clear audit trail through version history
A well-managed version history helps ensure consistency, transparency, and confidence in your incident management processes.
Up Next: Converting Existing V1 Incident Forms
In the next video, we'll look at converting existing V1 Incident Forms to the V2 Incident Form Builder, including how to prepare your forms, review converted content, and make the most of the new functionality available in V2.
Spotted an issue or have feedback?
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