Territory Management Guide

This guide covers organizing, categorizing, and managing territories beyond the map editing features. Learn how to structure your congregation's territory system for maximum efficiency.

Table of Contents

• Territory Organization
• Reference ID System
• Types and Categories
• Localities
• Feature Groups (Linked Territories)
• Territory Metadata
• Bulk Operations
• Territory Lifecycle

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Territory Organization

Organizational Hierarchy

Level 1: Congregation

• Top-level organizational unit
• Contains all territories for your congregation
• Settings and preferences apply congregation-wide

Level 2: Locality

• Geographic areas or neighborhoods
• Examples: "Downtown", "East Side", "Suburb North"
• Helps publishers work nearby territories
• Enables coverage tracking by area

Level 3: Territory Type

• Functional categories
• Examples: Apartment, Business, House to House, Phone, Letter
• Defines how territory is worked
• Affects assignment strategy

Level 4: Individual Territory

• Specific territory with unique reference ID
• Contains address data and geometry
• Assigned to individual publishers
• Tracked for completion and coverage

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Reference ID System

What is a Reference ID?

The Reference ID is your territory's unique identifier in your congregation's system.

Examples:

• YT-101 (Yaletown, territory 101)
• DT-5 (Downtown, territory 5)
• W-12 (West, territory 12)
• APT-25 (Apartment, territory 25)
• BUS-3A (Business, territory 3A)

Designing Your ID System

Common Patterns:

1. Locality Prefix + Number

• YT-101, YT-102, YT-103 (Yaletown territories)
• DT-1, DT-2, DT-3 (Downtown territories)
• Pro: Clearly shows geographic area
• Con: May need renumbering if localities change

2. Type Prefix + Number

• APT-1, APT-2 (Apartment territories)
• BUS-1, BUS-2 (Business territories)
• H2H-1, H2H-2 (House to House territories)
• Pro: Groups similar territory types
• Con: Doesn't show location

3. Sequential Numbering

• 1, 2, 3, 4...
• Pro: Simple, never conflicts
• Con: No contextual information

4. Grid System

• A1, A2, B1, B2 (like chess board)
• Pro: Visual spatial reference
• Con: Requires mental map

5. Hybrid System

• YT-APT-101 (Locality-Type-Number)
• A-H2H-5 (Grid-Type-Number)
• Pro: Maximum information
• Con: Longer, more complex

Best Practices for Reference IDs

✅ Do:

• Choose one system and stick with it
• Keep IDs short and memorable
• Use consistent formatting (capitalization, separators)
• Make IDs sortable (use leading zeros: 001 not 1)
• Document your system for future administrators

❌ Avoid:

• Special characters that cause sorting issues
• Extremely long IDs
• Changing system mid-way
• Duplicate IDs for different territories
• IDs that look similar (O vs 0, I vs 1)

Using Duplicate IDs (Feature Groups)

Special Case: The same reference ID can be used for multiple geographic features that represent ONE territory.

See Feature Groups for details.

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Types and Categories

Built-in Territory Types

Apartment (Primary)

• Multi-unit residential buildings
• Condos, apartments, townhomes
• Often worked with address ranges
• May require building access codes

Business (Primary)

• Commercial districts
• Office buildings
• Retail areas
• Typically worked during business hours

House to House (Primary)

• Single-family homes
• Standard door-to-door territories
• Suburban and rural areas
• Most common territory type

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Custom Type Creation

When to Create Custom Types:

• Your congregation has unique needs
• Standard types don't fit your territories
• You want more granular categorization
• Special territory campaigns

Examples of Custom Types:

• "Gated Community" (residential requiring special access)
• "Rural" (distinct from suburban residential)
• "Student Housing" (seasonal, near universities)
• "Seasonal" (vacation areas, campgrounds)
• "Letter" (letter-writing territories)
• "Phone" (telephone territories)

Creating Custom Types:

1. Go to Territory Types, click the + button
2. Enter type name and description
3. Save and start using in territories

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Localities

What are Localities?

Localities are geographic areas that group territories by location. They help organize territories, assign by area, and track coverage.

Examples:

• Neighborhoods: "Yaletown", "Kitsilano", "Westside"
• Districts: "Downtown", "East Side", "Suburbs"
• Zones: "Zone 1", "Zone 2", "Zone 3"

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Creating and Managing Localities

Creating a Locality:

1. Open Map Builder or Settings
2. Go to Localities → Click the + button
3. Enter locality name
4. Save and start assigning territories

Locality Properties:

• Name: Display name (e.g., "Downtown")

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Locality Strategy

Approach 1: Geographic Neighborhoods

• Use actual neighborhood names
• Matches how people think about areas
• Easy for publishers to understand
• Pro: Natural, intuitive
• Con: Boundaries can be fuzzy

Approach 2: Administrative Zones

• Create arbitrary zones (Zone 1, 2, 3)
• Divide congregation territory evenly
• Easier to balance coverage
• Pro: Clear boundaries, even distribution
• Con: Less intuitive for publishers

Approach 3: Assignment Groups

• Localities based on who works them
• "Service Group 1", "Service Group 2"
• Matches congregation organization
• Pro: Aligns with existing structure
• Con: Less geographic coherence

Recommendation: Use geographic neighborhoods if your area has clear, well-known neighborhoods. Otherwise, use administrative zones for better balance and coverage tracking.

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Feature Groups (Linked Territories)

What are Feature Groups?

Feature groups allow multiple geographic features (polygons or points) to be treated as a single territory by sharing the same reference ID.

When to Use Feature Groups

Scenario 1: Split by Geographic Features

• Territory divided by a river, highway, or railroad
• Two disconnected areas logically one territory
• Example: "YT-101" has polygons on both sides of creek

Scenario 2: Multi-Building Complexes

• Apartment complex with multiple buildings
• Campus with separate structures
• Example: "APT-50" includes three buildings

Scenario 3: Logical Grouping

• Small scattered areas combined into one territory
• Group of businesses across different blocks
• Example: "BUS-7" includes stores on three different streets

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Creating Feature Groups

Method:

1. Create first feature (polygon or point)
2. Set reference ID: YT-101
3. Set title: Oak & Main
4. Set type, locality, etc.
5. Create second feature (separate polygon or point)
6. Use the same reference ID: YT-101
7. Use the same title: Oak & Main (should match for consistency)
8. Features are now linked

Visual Indication:

• Same reference ID appears on all linked features
• Usually given the same color
• Appear as single territory in lists
• Share assignment and tracking

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Managing Feature Groups

Editing Grouped Features:

• Click any feature in the group to select
• Edit properties affect only selected feature
• Change reference ID to unlink from group
• Delete individual features within group

Assigning Grouped Territories:

• Assign the reference ID (e.g., YT-101)
• All features with that ID are assigned together
• Publisher sees all areas on their territory card
• Completion applies to entire group

Splitting Feature Groups:

1. Select one feature from the group
2. Change its reference ID to something unique
3. Feature is now separate territory
4. Update title and properties as needed

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Territory Metadata

Core Territory Information

Identification:

• Reference ID (required)
• Title (required)
• Type (required)
• Locality (recommended)

Visual:

• Color (optional, defaults to type color)
• Shape (for points: circle marker or custom icon)

Geographic:

• Geometry (polygon boundary or point location)
• Address count (for polygon territories)
• Area size (calculated automatically)

Tracking:

• Created date
• Last modified date
• Last worked date
• Times worked (count)
• Current assignment (publisher, date)

Status:

• Draft vs. Published
• Available vs. Assigned
• Active vs. Archived

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Territory Import/Export

Exporting Territories:

1. Click congregation button in sidebar (bottom)
2. Choose "Export Territories"
3. Select format: GeoJSON, CSV, or KML
4. Choose what to include (geometry, addresses, metadata)
5. Download file

Use Cases for Export:

• Backup territory data
• Share with other administrators
• Migrate to different system
• Analyze in GIS software

Importing Territories:

1. Prepare file in supported format
2. Click congregation button in sidebar (bottom)
3. Choose "Import Territories"
4. Upload file
5. Map fields to Territory Wallet properties
6. Preview import
7. Confirm and import

Supported Import Formats:

• GeoJSON (includes geometry)

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Territory Lifecycle

Lifecycle Stages

1. Draft

• Territory created but not published
• Only visible to administrators
• Can be freely edited without impact
• Not available for assignment

2. Published

• Territory finalized and made available
• Visible to publishers (if permissions allow)
• Available for assignment
• Changes require re-publishing

3. Assigned

• Territory given to specific publisher
• Marked as unavailable for others
• Publisher can access territory card and map
• Tracked for completion

4. Being Worked

• Publisher actively working territory
• Progress may be tracked (if feature enabled)
• May include activity logs or check-ins

5. Completed

• Publisher finishes territory
• Reports completion date
• Territory marked as recently worked
• Returns to available pool

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Best Practices

Territory Organization

✅ Do:

• Establish system before creating many territories: Plan reference IDs, localities, and types first
• Be consistent: Use the same patterns throughout
• Document your system: Write down your conventions for future administrators
• Review periodically: Assess if your organization system still works
• Train others: Ensure multiple people understand the system

❌ Avoid:

• Creating territories without proper metadata
• Mixing multiple reference ID systems
• Over-complicating categories
• Leaving territories unassigned indefinitely
• Duplicating territories accidentally

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Naming Conventions

Reference IDs:

• Use all caps or all lowercase consistently
• Include leading zeros for sortable numbers (001, 002 vs 1, 2)
• Avoid confusing characters (0 vs O, 1 vs I vs l)

Titles:

• Best practice: Use street intersections (e.g., "Oak & Main", "Broadway & 5th Ave")
  • Makes territories searchable when assigning to publishers
  • Publishers can quickly identify locations by familiar street names
  • Much easier to find territories in the search bar
• For buildings: Include building name + intersection (e.g., "Sunset Apartments - Oak & 5th")
• Use title case consistently
• Keep under 50 characters

Localities:

• Use official neighborhood names if available
• Be specific enough to be useful (not "North" but "North Downtown")
• Keep count manageable (5-20 localities, not 100)

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Troubleshooting

"I can't find a specific territory"

• Use search bar with reference ID or title
• Check if filters are hiding it (type, locality)
• Look in archived territories
• Verify spelling of reference ID

"Two territories have the same reference ID but shouldn't"

• If intentional: Feature group, no action needed
• If accidental: Select one and change its reference ID to make unique
• Check if territories should be linked

"Locality list is getting too long"

• Merge similar localities
• Use broader geographic areas
• Consider zone-based system instead

"Reference IDs are inconsistent"

• Plan standardization approach
• Document new standard
• Update territories gradually

"Can't delete a territory"

• Check if territory is assigned (must unassign first)
• Verify you have administrator permissions
• Try archiving instead of deleting
• Ensure territory is published (drafts may behave differently)

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Next: Learn about Address Management for maintaining address records within territories.