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There are sometimes comments by a PNR which may include SFU - suitable for upgrade.
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There may be many reasons for this though.
Do you know what sort of reasons they might be?
I've had a few upgrades in my time, mostly when I have been on a higher tier of a frequent flyer scheme and the flight has been pretty busy. I do remember flying QR from LGW-HKG via DOH once. A management looking type was going up to smartly dressed people in the check in queue and asking to see their frequent flyer details (if any), presumably to upgrade the right person. Unfortunately I never got asked (though I did get upgraded from DOH-HKG).
I dont expect an upgrade when I fly but it would be interesting to know how airlines decide who to give them to when they have to...
Well, it would take a lot of forum space to go into it in detail, and in some cases it may be commercially confidential, but basically those at the front of the queue in terms of upgrades are, as bealine says, those with the shiniest cards. If there are not enough, and upgrades are necessary because Y is overbooked, the reservations people would normally (but not exclusively) look at the fare basis. Another case might be where a booking was made by agency with whom the airline has a close relationship, i.e. they supply a lot of pax.
To summarise, it can be a lottery, because no two flights are the same, as shown by your experience LGW-DOH-HKG. Hope this helps.