Document control: proving the version at the workstation is the approved one

Control means the superseded copy is unreachable

A repository holding every version with the current one marked is not control if the previous one can still be opened, printed or emailed by anyone browsing. Effective systems present only the effective version to ordinary users, restrict historical access to those who need it, and make the act of retrieving a superseded document deliberate and logged. That single behaviour prevents most of what document control exists to prevent. It also creates an argument with engineers who legitimately need history, which is resolved by role rather than by relaxing the rule for everybody.

Approval routing that does not become the bottleneck

Routing rules are usually designed for the ideal case and then meet holidays, secondments and resignations. If an approver is unavailable and no delegation exists, urgent changes get made outside the system and reconciled later, which is precisely the loss of control the process was built to stop. Define delegation up front, distinguish approvals that genuinely require a specific role from those requiring any competent reviewer, and keep the approver list short. A document routed through many signatures is not more controlled; it is slower and each signatory reads it less carefully.

The point of use is where control is actually lost

Between an approved file and an operator following it lies a printer, a plastic wallet and a supervisor in a hurry. Screens at the workstation remove most of the problem because they show what is current without anyone reprinting. Where paper is unavoidable — wet processes, hazardous areas, machines without power for a terminal — the workable pattern is a job-specific controlled print, marked so its validity is obvious, destroyed at completion, with a periodic floor walk looking for uncontrolled copies. That walk finds them every time, which is the point of doing it.

Documents, records and how long each must be kept

A document instructs; a record evidences. They need different handling and are frequently held in the same system, which confuses retention. A work instruction is superseded and its old version becomes historical reference. A completed inspection sheet is a record and may have to be retrievable for the life of the product plus a contractual period. Retention schedules should be driven by the obligation rather than by storage cost, and the schedule needs a hold mechanism, because a dispute or investigation can freeze disposal of material that routine rules would otherwise remove.

Access limits and the drawings you would rather not lose

Controlled documents include process detail, tooling designs and specifications that represent genuine commercial value, and legal protection for confidential business information generally depends on demonstrating that reasonable steps were taken to keep it confidential. An access log, defined permission groups, watermarked distribution and a removal process when people or suppliers leave are those steps. The World Intellectual Property Organization treats undisclosed information as a recognised category of protection, and a document system that cannot show who could see what undermines any later claim that something was kept secret.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a document and a record?

A document tells somebody what to do and is expected to change over time: procedures, drawings, work instructions, specifications. A record captures what happened once and does not change: an inspection result, a training assessment, a batch sheet. Documents need version control and withdrawal of superseded copies. Records need retention, integrity and retrievability. Systems that treat both identically usually handle one of them badly, most often records, which are the ones an auditor asks to see.

How do we control documents at machines with no screen?

Use controlled printing tied to the job rather than a permanent posted copy. The print carries the revision and an obvious indication that it is valid for that job only, and it is removed at completion. Where a permanent posted instruction is genuinely necessary, put it under a scheduled verification so somebody physically confirms the posted revision against the system on a defined cycle, and record that check. Unverified posted copies are the most common source of a superseded instruction in daily use.

Should suppliers have access to our document system?

Direct access is convenient and hard to withdraw cleanly. A controlled distribution to a named supplier contact, with a record of what was sent and when, is usually easier to manage and easier to prove afterwards. If direct access is granted, restrict it to the specific documents that supplier needs, tie account removal to the end of the relationship, and keep drawings under a confidentiality agreement that names them. Orphaned supplier accounts are a recurring finding in access reviews.