In It simplest acceptance, document control refers to a series of practices to ensure that document are created, reviewed distributed and disposed of in a systematic verifiable manner. The term is most widely known in the context of ISO standard and particularly within ISO 9001;2015 standards.

For example, the ISO 9001:2015 standard requires organization to establish a documented procedure to control several aspect of documenting, including:

• Identification
• Storage
• Protection
• Retrieval
• Retention
• Review
• Approval
• Disposition
• Legibility
• Change tracking

These procedures can help a company stay organized and nimble, particularly as it grows. in addition, document control practices are instrumental to maintain document integrity and traceability, aspects that are key for countless business out there.

What is a document control system?

Formally speaking, a document control system is a group of interrelated processes work flows and software product used in the production and management of documentation within an organization. However, the term is often used interchangeably  for electronic  document management system which represent the system employed to store, organize, manage share and track an organization files and document.

To complicate things a bit further, document management systems tend to be storage systems at their care. examples are:

• Google drive
• Microsoft one drive
• Docuware
• Dropbox
• Egnyte
• Citrix sharefile
• Microsoft sharepoint
• efile cabinet

Why do you need document control ?

There are many possible answers to this question, so let us go step by step.

The first one is quite simple, because it makes sense. Documentation is key in every single organization and having apps and procedure to manage it will likely improve the quality of it, as well as the organizations productivity and performance.

The second answer is related to what an organization requires on a constant basis or on a case sensitive scenario. for example, a company merger is a scenario that demands extensive document control.

The third answer touches upon specific and unavoidable requirement, such as ISO standards. in such cases, document control must be in place in order to attain the desired certification

What is a document controller?

Also known as a document control specialist, the document controller is responsible for ensuring document control procedures.

The role can be internal or external; more often than not, document controllers work for external certification bodies, helping companies comply with ISO standards and attain the corresponding certification.

However, it is not rare for mid-sized and large organizations to hire document controllers. In these cases, the role often demands technical expertise in one or more areas, which is deemed key to understanding the processes that will be covered by documentation.

It’s also important to note that software products do not replace the need for document controllers, since the role is about identifying, tracking, and establishing procedures for information dealing happening within a company.

In case you are interested in learning about the document controller’s career progression, I recommend this article.

How do you maintain document control?

Generally speaking, maintaining document control requires the organization to adhere to the procedures established for that purpose. Hence the importance of traceability and clear access points for documentation — if it can’t be accessed, traced, or demonstrated, you are witnessing a procedural failure.

This said, there are five initiatives that can facilitate the task of maintaining document control:

1. Hire proper document controllers
2. Establish clear procedures
3. Train teams to follow the procedures
4. Pick the right software tools for document control
5. Review the results on a periodic basis, and adjust

Maintaining document control is particularly relevant for ISO-certified companies since all ISO standards need to be reviewed every three years.