A single document can be assigned to up to five categories in Relativity project management

Outline:

• Hook and context: why multi-category tagging matters in Relativity

• Core fact: a single document can be assigned up to five categories

• Why five works: balance between detail and manageability; better search, analytics, and governance

• How it looks in practice: a simple workflow and examples

• Benefits for project work: filtering, reporting, risk management

• Best practices: disciplined taxonomy, governance, avoiding tag overload

• Real-world mental model: a practical analogy

• Takeaways and next steps

Engaging, practical article: Multi-category tagging in Relativity—up to five categories per document

Let’s start with a simple truth you’ll feel as soon as you’ve worked with a sizable pile of documents: sometimes one label isn’t enough. In Relativity, a single document can wear multiple hats, being assigned to several categories during categorization—up to five. That flexibility isn’t a gimmick; it’s a clean way to reflect the real-world complexity of information. When a file touches more than one facet of a matter, multiple categories help you find it later without forcing you to choose one path and ignore the rest.

Why five? Why not three or seven? Here’s the thing: five categories hit a sweet spot. It gives you enough granularity to distinguish different attributes without creating a maze of tags that bogs you down. Too few labels, and you miss the nuance; too many, and you spend more time tagging than you gain in searchability. Five categories offer a practical balance that works well in most project management contexts—think case types, stakeholders, sensitivity levels, document types, and phase indicators. The result is precise enough to be useful, flexible enough to adapt, and simple enough to manage without turning tagging into a full-time job.

Picture this in action. Say you’ve got a contract document. You might tag it with five categories: Client A (the primary relationship), Contract (the document type), Confidential (sensitivity), Active Matter (the project phase), and Q2 2025 (a time-based filter). Each tag opens a new doorway for discovery. If a query comes up—“Show me all confidential contracts related to Client A in Active Matter during Q2 2025”—you’ve already prepared the document to surface in that discovery. It’s like giving your files a compact, multi-dimensional index card.

How this looks in a practical workflow

• Define a concise taxonomy. Start with a core set of categories that stay stable over the project. Common families include clients or matters, document types, sensitivity, status, and timing. The goal is consistency, not novelty. A well-chosen taxonomy acts like a lighthouse guiding you through rough data seas.

• Tag thoughtfully, not haphazardly. When you add a document to a category, ask: “Does this tag help someone find this document later?” If yes, keep it. If you’re unsure, it’s better to skip than to clutter.

• Use relationships to guide tagging. Some Relativity configurations support relationships between categories or facets. If a document belongs to multiple related categories, you can link them so searches reflect that connection without requiring a separate, manual adjustment every time.

• Leverage filters and saved searches. With a document carrying up to five tags, you can build layered filters that slice data by client, matter status, document type, sensitivity, and timing. Saved searches let you run these multi-criteria queries with a click, saving time and reducing the chance of human error.

• Maintain governance. Tag vocabulary should be controlled. When new categories are introduced, they should be reviewed for consistency with existing labels. A quarterly or semi-annual review helps keep the taxonomy sane as projects evolve.

What this means for project management

• Faster, smarter retrieval. When you know a document carries several relevant tags, you can pull it up in multiple ways. One user might search by client, another by document type, and another by phase. The same document surfaces in each path, which speeds decision-making.

• Richer analytics. Multi-category tagging enriches your data model. You can ask more nuanced questions about how documents flow through a project, which types are most sensitive at different stages, or which clients generate the most activity in a given period. More precise data leads to more meaningful insights.

• Better compliance and governance. With consistent categories, it’s easier to demonstrate that information is managed according to policy. You can show that sensitive documents are tagged appropriately and that timing-based categories align with milestones and reporting cycles.

• Improved collaboration. When teams share a common taxonomy, it reduces miscommunication. People across functions—legal, PM, IT, compliance—speak the same tagging language, so handoffs feel smoother.

Best practices to keep tagging useful, not chaotic

• Keep it tight. Start with a core set of categories that won’t change every week. As you gain experience, you can refine but avoid constant churn.

• Favor stable, meaningful labels. Prefer categories that stay relevant across projects rather than edgy, one-off tags that become orphaned.

• Enforce a reference list. Use a controlled vocabulary rather than free-form text. That keeps searches reliable and analytics clean.

• Limit the number of categories per document. While five is the maximum, assess whether every document needs all five. Sometimes four or even three are perfect, which keeps the system tidy.

• Document decisions. Have a short, shared guide that explains what each category means and when to apply it. This reduces ambiguity and helps new or rotating teammates stay aligned.

• Review and revise periodically. The project landscape shifts; so should the taxonomy—but with care. Schedule regular checks to prune redundant categories and introduce needed ones without causing chaos.

A mental model you can carry forward

Think of a document as a multi-faceted gem. Each category is a facet—color, cut, carat, clarity, and weight—helping you see the whole piece from different angles. Some facets catch the light when you shine a specific search, others reveal a different shimmer when you zoom in on timing or audience. In practice, that means you don’t have to choose one lens to view every document. You get a richer, more navigable dataset—and you can tune your view to the question you’re asking in the moment.

A few practical reminders

• Don’t overdo it. If a category isn’t genuinely useful for retrieval or reporting, skip it. The goal is clarity, not clutter.

• Keep it human. Categories should feel intuitive to the people who use them daily. If a label prompts more questions than it answers, it’s probably not the right fit.

• Use examples to train the team. Short, concrete examples of when to apply each category can help new teammates learn quickly and stay consistent.

• Monitor usage. If you notice certain tags never get used, it’s a sign the taxonomy needs simplification. If you notice tags explode in variety, it’s a sign you need governance.

A quick analogy to wrap it up

Imagine organizing a library where each book can sit on up to five shelves at once—one shelf for the author, another for the subject, a third for the audience, a fourth for the edition, and a fifth for the time period. You can still find anything you need, but now you can answer a lot of questions at once: who’s involved, what kind of document it is, what matters it relates to, when it’s relevant, and how sensitive it is. That’s the power of multi-category tagging in Relativity: it gives you a richer, faster way to navigate complex information.

Bottom line

Assigning multiple categories to a document—up to five—brings structure to complexity. It’s not about piling on labels for the sake of it; it’s about building a navigable, insightful data fabric that supports search, analytics, and governance. When done thoughtfully, this tagging strategy turns a mountain of documents into a well-charted map, making collaboration smoother and decisions sharper.

If you’re applying Relativity in a real-world project, start with a lean, deliberate taxonomy. Tag thoughtfully, use the filters you gain, and review the system regularly. The goal isn’t to tag every possible attribute, but to tag the ones that truly help someone find, understand, and act on the information. And that, in the end, is what good project management is all about: clarity, speed, and confidence in every decision you make.