Insert and manage captions

I have a 60‑page manual with diagrams and tables. Insert captions for each table and figure using continuous numbering for the whole document, place captions below figures and above tables, and ensure the captions use the 'Caption' style. Then update the table of figures so the page numbers and labels match. Do this before I deliver the draft to procurement next Monday.

Before I deliver the draft to procurement, make the captions easiest to verify: apply consistent numbering and wording, surface any figures missing captions, put a visible note where captions refer to non‑existent figures, and make caption numbering restart per chapter only if that’s how procurement wants it. Flag captions that have manual numbering or plain text instead of fields so reviewers know which ones need rework.

I pulled a 60‑page manual together and the table of figures shows wrong numbers because a few captions were typed in instead of inserted. I’m nervous the reviewers will not notice and the numbering will be off in the signed PDF. What caused manual captions to creep in, how can I find and convert them quickly to live captions, and what sequence of steps guarantees the table of figures regenerates correctly before Monday?

Across several documents I keep finding typed captions mixed with live captions, which breaks indexing and costs hours to fix before release. Where does this breakdown usually happen in authoring or handoff, and what three habits or checks should I adopt so captions are created correctly from the start and the table of figures always updates without emergency fixes?