Managing Master Detail files from multiple years

[GREMMELS1]

Our office currently has new and old projects in Revit 2017 through 2021.   As a result we have Master Detail files that are in Revit 2017 through 2021.  This is an issue because we end up with new details and standards spread out across multiple files rather than having everything consolidated into one file.  If we were to always upgrade all our projects to the same version of Revit that would fix this problem but that is not really possible because it would mean all consultants we work with would have to do the same and their workflow is not something we have control over so they may not be able to always match our file upgrades.  Upgrading a file when we are heavy into CDs is not something I care to do either.

Assuming our office plans to continue to have projects spread out across multiple Revit years, is there a best practice/workflow/feature that other people have found to work best for maintaining master detail file(s)?

One solution that comes to my mind is to not upgrade the master detail file mid project but to keep new details, families, wall/floor types saved in each specific project folder.  This way we can track all new families for each project and then upgrade only the most current master detail file once that project is complete.  For system families like wall and floor types this would have to just be on the drafters to take note of when they have to create something that didn't already exist in the master file.

[barthbradley]

Interesting. In my neck of the woods, Revit version is determined at the onset of a Project and is even specified in contracts.  We don't upgrade Projects to newer versions of the software midway through the Project.  I can only imagine the nightmares that might cause.     

[GREMMELS1]

Correct.  We agree to a Revit year at the beginning of a project.  We will sometimes upgrade versions if early enough into the project and agreeable to all parties.  Having multiple projects in different versions of Revit do you end up with Master Detail files that have varying amounts of information?  How do you manage multiple detail files so that you end up with one that has everything incorporated into it?

[Sahay_R]

Edit the file in the oldest version of Revit. Upgrade to other newer ones as needed.

[GREMMELS1]

If our Master Detail file is in 2017 and we just finish a project in 2019 how do we transfer any new details or wall and floor system families into the older detail file?

[barthbradley]

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@GREMMELS1 wrote:

If our Master Detail file is in 2017 and we just finish a project in 2019 how do we transfer any new details or wall and floor system families into the older detail file?

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Transfer backwards?  It's not possible. Revit is not backwards compatible.  Besides that, why would you do this?  

[syman2000]

It is an endless battle trying to support multiple version. How I would approach this is whatever project have detail for that year, you keep it to those years. Lets say if the detail is done with 2019 and you have 2017, then 2017 won't have those detail. 2019 and onward will have those detail. You keep your detail moving forward in year and keep the older version as is. That way it keep your project moving toward newer version rather than keeping it to older format. My office typically skip one version so they go 2017, 2019 and 2021. So instead of supporting all version, you basically have in between that can use older format. It keeps your Revit file management down.