Setting up a document control system is an important part of a quality management system.
It ensures everyone is working with the most current and relevant version of a document. This can protect a business from costly errors.
Document control is also a important aspect of ISO 9001 compliance.
A document control system helps businesses ensure that they’re always working with the correct and most current version of a document.
It enables strict access control, archiving of obsolete documents and version approval.
These factors are increasingly important with regards to privacy regulations and product safety.
Document control also ensures important documentation is stored and archived correctly. This can be important for tax and compliance purposes.
These are the basic steps for creating a document control system for your business.
Identify all the documents to be managed within the control system.
Control is vital for documents that contain sensitive or private information, those with legal significance or that need strict version control.
Establish the standard operating procedure relating to the document and what standards need to be met.
Determine who is responsible for each document in terms of approval and oversight.
Give your documents unique but easy to understand identifiers. Documents should be classified according to their purpose or department.
This will be important for retrieving documents using search functions in the event of an audit.
Part of document control is establishing a procedure for periodic revisions of your documents. This should include who is allowed to make revisions.
Keep a spreadsheet that includes the document name, responsible staff members, review dates and descriptions of the changes.
An important part of document control is security, especially when it comes to sensitive or personal information.
Your document control system should include access control so only authorized people can access documentation. It should also have a backup system.
To ensure accurate version control, obsolete files must be archived or, in some cases, destroyed.
Establish procedures to make this happen. Part of your naming convention should include being able to label documents as archived or obsolete.
These are the instructions for document creation, approval and integration within your document control system. They should include detailed procedures for each of the following steps.
The procedure for creating a new document. Include who is responsible for the creation of each document. This should include naming conventions.
These procedures should include which documents require review and by whom. Include how reviews are documented and signed off.
Procedures for revisions after initial review of a document should include who is responsible, and how they’re carried out and recorded.
After revision, older versions of the document become obsolete/archived.
Replacement may become necessary when a document needs to be updated or renewed.
Specify who is responsible for renewing and replacing the document, and disposal procedures for the old version.
External documents being introduced into the system will need their own procedures for integration.
This should include how they’re identified, labeled, reviewed, revised, and who has access.
Implementing a document control system has clear advantages for small businesses:
Document control software makes it possible to manage a document control system digitally.
It streamlines and automates processes and ensures central control and record-keeping.
Ideally, a document control system should be managed using centralized, cloud-based software.
This prevents miscommunication, improper access, data breaches and version errors. It also ensures that the system is accessible from anywhere, at any time.
isoTracker offers modular, cloud-based quality management software, including document control software.
The software provides cloud-based document control, with features such as:
The software can stand alone or integrate seamlessly with other isoTracker quality management modules.
If you’re setting up a document control system, we recommend signing up for a full access free 60-day trial– or contact us to discuss your needs.
