Document Control

Keeping Your QMS Reliable

Document control ensures that everyone in the service organization is working from the same, correct, and current playbook. It is governed by two essential practices:

Version Control

Every document in your Quality Management System (QMS) must have a unique version number. This clearly tells practitioners which document is current and which is obsolete.

Required History: Maintaining a version history (or audit trail) is mandatory. It shows what specific changes were made between any two versions, providing traceability for policy and process evolution.

Change Control

Change Control is the disciplined approval process that governs when and how a process document changes, unlike Version Control, which only tracks the results.

Formal Request: Any proposed change requires a formal Change Request (CR) that clearly documents the rationale and reason for the revision.
Review and Approval: This request undergoes a formal review process before it can be approved or rejected. The grounds for the decision (including who approved it) must be documented and archived.
Authorized Release: Once a change is accepted, the revised document must undergo a full cycle of review and correction (e.g., peer review) before it is officially authorized and released to the practitioners for use and training.

Maintaining a policy and procedure for this rigor ensures all documents in your Services QMS are trustworthy. These activities are core requirements of the Configuration Management (CM) process area.

Availability and Storage

Document control isn't just about change; it's also about making sure the right people can find and use the correct version easily.

Securing the Baseline

Once a document is formally authorized and released, it becomes part of the organizational process baseline. It must be stored in a controlled repository (like a document management system) where:

It is secure from unauthorized or accidental changes. Only the designated Process Owner should have the authority to edit or replace the official version.
Access is clear. Practitioners must know exactly where to find the single, current version of the process document to ensure they aren't using an obsolete local copy.
Obsolete documents are clearly marked as such and archived, preventing confusion during service delivery.

These steps ensure your organization is always working from a verified, controlled, and protected set of standards.

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