[Tristan Lall]

Do you use version control (or PDM, i.e. product data management)? You should, even if in a rudimentary form (like saving backup copies at important milestones, e.g. daily and before each major restructuring of the assembly).

There's also some debate over whether or not to use an ordered numbering scheme for part files, or just to number each one sequentially and let the PDM software handle it based on the part name defined within the file.

If I were setting up PDM, I'd go with sequential numbers, and let the names, part-to-part relations, etc. be defined within the files. This means that re-using parts is easy, and that the PDM software can always find the right file. It's also easy to duplicate and then adapt a part in future, and to switch between versions.

Absent dedicated PDM software, you'll probably be managing your files in Windows Explorer. Given that, you may instead want to give your files meaningful names for your own convenience.

Then again, maybe just set Explorer to view thumbnail tiles for identification purposes, and start using part numbers right off the bat, so as to pave the way for PDM adoption later.