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document system without using paper.
Introduction
Less rework. Faster review cycles. Better decisions.
Mine planning is not only about interpreting geology and building schedules. A big part of the job is managing information properly so the plan can be executed effectively and efficiently. When your data is organised, consistent, and traceable, you spend less time chasing files, fixing avoidable errors, or explaining basic changes and more time making the decisions that move tonnes safely and efficiently.
Why data management is critical
Mine planning sits at the intersection of geology, survey, geotech, drill and blast, production, mineral processing, environment, and commercial. Each of these groups constantly rely on your outputs, and every one of them can change the inputs that underpin your plan.
That is why data management is not 'admin'. It is operational control. If people cannot find the right inputs, or cannot trust the latest approved version, the plan becomes a moving target. You will wear the consequences in rework, confusion on the floor, and a loss of confidence from stakeholders.
When it is done well, good data management benefits you in three practical ways:
- Less rework: the latest version is obvious, and the approved version is easy to trust.
- Shorter review cycles: stakeholders can quickly find what they need, and comparisons between versions are clean.
- Better continuity: leave, turnover, contractors, and shifting priorities do not break the workflow because everything is structured and traceable.
- Reduced safety and compliance concerns: ie a geotechnical catch bench is required due to previously unknown structures and is updated in a design but is not executed because the wrong file is utilised.
1) Consistent layouts: make the plan easy to read
A consistent structure in the information you communicate (i.e. month to month, week to week, or within a single presentation) helps stakeholders find what they need quickly and interpret it correctly the first time.
The goal is simple: people should be focused on making decisions, not trying to decode your drawings.
Figure 1 - Consistent layout checklist (example).
Consistent layouts deliver a few immediate benefits:
- Fewer misreads and fewer 'gotchas' during reviews.
- Less time spent interpreting drawings, more time checking assumptions and managing risk.
- Faster comparisons because the same views, legends, and conventions show up every time.
- Cleaner traceability when someone asks, 'What changed?' and 'Why?'
- More confidence in the plan à make it easier for others to trust what you are communicating.
Practically, this means agreeing and sticking to the basics: colour schemes, line types, layers, annotation style, northing orientation, standard views, and the order of information in your packs. Most planning teams do not struggle because they lack capability; they struggle because every planner has a different ‘house style’ and the pack becomes harder to read each month.
2) Consistent file structures: stop hunting, start planning
A consistent file structure is one of the quickest ways to lift a planning team's effectiveness. Being able to reliably find the correct survey surface, the right geological data, or the latest issued design saves time every single day. Whether you are working in Deswik (.duf), Vulcan (.isis), or in File Explorer, the principle is the same: make it hard to do the wrong thing by accident.
When file structures are inconsistent, the failure modes are predictable:
- The wrong inputs get used (incorrect survey, outdated geology, missing constraints).
- Audits become painful because evidence is scattered and context is missing.
- Handovers are slow and incomplete, especially across leave or contractor rotation.
- External reviewers cannot be pointed to a single issued location, so duplication and rework creep in.
The key is separation. ‘Working’ is for iteration and drafts. ‘Outputs’ is what downstream teams should use. Archive is for traceability (so you can show what was issued, when, and why it changed). Once that rule is clear and consistently applied, it becomes much harder to grab the wrong file and much easier to onboard new people without breaking the system.
A simple structure that works in most environments is to split the project into Inputs, Working, Outputs, and Archive, then keep subfolders consistent (Survey, Geology, Constraints, Designs, Schedules, Reports). If everyone can reliably predict where something will be, people stop building their own parallel filing systems.
Figure 2 - Example folder structure (File Explorer) for a ST Engineer.
3) Version control: protect the plan from 'Final_v6'
Version control is one of the easiest disciplines to get right, and one of the quickest to create damage when it is ignored. It is not just about being neat. It is about making sure the plan still makes sense when you are on leave, when a reviewer is in a hurry, or when someone else has to pick up your work at short notice.
A workable approach has three essentials:
1. Clear status (Draft / In Review / Approved / Issued): Downstream teams should be consuming Issued files only. If the status is unclear, people will pull whatever they can find and hope it is current.
2. A revision identifier that increments logically (Rev01, Rev02, etc.): Keep it simple and consistent. Some teams use letters for internal drafts and reserve numbers for approved issues à this only works if everyone follows it.
3. A short change log: Two or three bullet points can be enough: what changed, why it changed, and what it impacts (even if it is 'no material impact').
If nothing else: stop using ambiguous file names like 'latest', 'final', or 'new'. Those names guarantee confusion. Use a predictable pattern that includes revision and status, for example: Pit_Strip_Horizon_Block_RevXX_Status.
Figure 3 - Example version control workflow.
A few practical rules keep teams out of trouble:
- Only one folder contains issued deliverables. If it is not in there, it has not been issued.
- Approved and issued files are read-only for most users. If you need to change it, create a new revision.
- Superseded files are never deleted - they are archived with a short note explaining the change.
- Every issued pack includes a 'what changed' summary for downstream teams.
How to manage the data without making it painful
Most teams do not need a complex system to get the bulk of the benefit. A handful of standards, applied consistently, will do the job. The trick is to make the right way the easiest way.
Templates
Templates are not just PowerPoint and Word. Build a standard planning package template that includes the folder structures, presentation templates, legend blocks, in a consistent order. This reduces variation and shortens review cycles because everyone knows where to look.
Design standards
Proceduralise and publish an agreed set of standards, covering everything from line styles and colours to what interval contours need to be labelled when presenting information. This is particularly important when multiple planners contribute to the same work product.
Discipline with outputs
When a new version is approved and issued, archive the old one. Do not delete it. Archive it. That traceability matters when you are asked to justify a decision or track down an inconsistency weeks later.
Accountability is key
Data management only works when ownership is clear, whether it’s a folder directory, procedure or the weekly plan, someone must be accountable for setting and maintaining the standard, while the team that utilises it must be accountable for aligning with the standard.
Quick Wins
- Create a single master planning pack template (including a drawing title block).
- Create a design standard document outlining everything from naming conventions to storage methodologies.
- At the deliverable level, adopt a simple folder structure: Inputs / Working / Outputs / Archive, Clearly defining the source of truth for each input (survey, geology, constraints) and record the date/version.
- Implement revision naming: Rev _ Status_ Date, and stop using 'final/latest/new'.
- Maintain a change log with every revised ‘issued’ design, including who, what, why and impacts.
- Once a week, sanity check your outputs: correct folders, consistent revisions, traceable deliverables.
- When someone new joins, walk them through the system so they do not unintentionally break it.
- Continuously improve: every time you lose 10 minutes searching for something, review: was the process followed, does it need revising?
In mine planning, credibility builds over time. When your drawings are easy to read, your files are easy to find, and your revisions are traceable, stakeholders trust what you issue. That drives faster decisions, fewer surprises, and less rework. That is not semantics - that is productivity.
Conclusion
Copper has been and will continue to become a critical mineral due to its widespread application. The advent of the Green Energy Transition has only made copper more important than ever. Battery and Electrification are at the center of this revolutionary shift to green energy, and somehow, commodities like lithium, manganese, nickel, and rare earth elements have been the flavour of the conversations, while copper has been flying under the radar.