Yes—Zebsoft Supports Controlled Document Workflows
Zebsoft supports document control through configured
review, approval, version and access arrangements.
These help your organisation maintain approved
information and make it available to the people
who need it.
The controls should reflect your documents,
responsibilities and operating requirements.
During configuration, agree who can create, review,
approve, publish and access the relevant information.
What Does Document Control Involve?
Document control establishes how information is
prepared, checked, approved, issued and maintained.
For a procedure, policy or work instruction,
this means being able to establish:
- What the document covers and where it applies.
- Who owns it and who can approve it.
- Which version is current and approved.
- Who needs access to it.
- When it requires review.
- How changes are communicated.
- How superseded information is handled.
These arrangements help prevent conflicting
instructions and make changes easier to trace.
Give Each Document a Clear Owner and Approval Route
Assign responsibility for maintaining the document
and deciding whether it remains suitable for use.
Define a review and approval route appropriate
to its subject. A technical work instruction may
need different reviewers from a company policy.
- Create or revise the information.
- Check its accuracy, completeness and intended use.
- Resolve comments and required changes.
- Obtain approval from the authorised person.
- Issue the approved version through the agreed route.
- Retain the relevant revision and approval history.
Zebsoft can support these activities through
configured responsibilities and workflows.
Reviewers and approvers remain responsible for
the decisions they make.
Make the Current Approved Version Available
Employees need to know where to find the information
governing their work and whether it is current.
Establish a controlled source for approved documents
and decide how superseded versions will be retained
or withdrawn.
- Use clear document identification and version information.
- Distinguish approved information from drafts.
- Make current information available at the point of use.
- Control the use of downloaded or printed copies where necessary.
- Retain previous versions according to defined requirements.
A controlled electronic source does not automatically
prevent an old printed copy from being used.
Include practical arrangements for those copies
where they form part of your operations.
Communicate Changes to the People Affected
Publishing a revision is one step. Consider what
people need to understand or do differently
because of the change.
Depending on its significance, the response
may include notification, acknowledgement,
briefing, training or a competence assessment.
- Identify the roles, locations and processes affected.
- Explain what changed and when it takes effect.
- Assign any required communication or training.
- Retain appropriate evidence of completion.
- Check implementation where the change affects important controls.
A recorded acknowledgement can show that someone
acknowledged the information. It does not, by itself,
prove understanding or competent performance.
Example: Revising a Work Instruction
A process owner changes a work instruction
following an audit finding.
- The revised instruction explains the updated control.
- A suitable reviewer checks the technical content.
- The authorised approver accepts the revision.
- The approved version is issued and the previous
version is handled through the agreed controls. - Affected employees receive the required information
and any necessary briefing or training. - A follow-up check examines whether the revised
control is being used effectively.
This connects the document change with the
reason for it, the approval decision and evidence
of implementation.
Maintain Reviews and External Information
Define review intervals and events that trigger
an earlier review, such as a process change,
incident, audit finding or changed requirement.
External information also needs attention where
it governs your work. This might include customer
specifications, supplier instructions or reference
documents.
Identify who checks that external information
remains applicable and current, and how relevant
changes are assessed and communicated.
Review reminders help coordinate the work.
The review itself should determine whether
the information is still accurate and suitable.
Keep Documents and Records Distinct
A procedure describes an arrangement or instruction.
A completed record provides evidence of an activity,
result or decision.
Both need appropriate controls, but the arrangements
may differ. Define how records are protected,
retrieved, retained and disposed of, including
how authorised corrections are handled.
Configure these controls according to the
information involved and your organisational,
contractual and applicable legal requirements.
Use Document History as Part of Audit Evidence
Document-control evidence can help an auditor
trace which instruction applied, who approved
it and how a change was managed.
Combine that history with evidence from the
process itself. An approved procedure should
be examined alongside the work and records
demonstrating its implementation.
- Was the applicable version available to employees?
- Were required approvals completed?
- Were changes communicated appropriately?
- Did the work follow the approved arrangement?
- Were exceptions identified and addressed?
Common Questions
Can we retain our existing documents?
Existing documents can provide the starting point.
Review their quality, ownership and required history,
then agree the configuration and migration scope.
Can different documents have different approval routes?
Review and approval arrangements can be configured
around the responsibilities involved. Confirm the
required routes during configuration.
Can we restrict who sees or changes documents?
Access arrangements can be configured around
agreed roles and permissions. Reading information
and editing or approving it should be considered
separately.
Does document control guarantee compliance?
No. Document control supports a management system.
Your organisation still needs suitable content,
effective implementation and evidence that its
requirements are being met.
What Do You Need to Bring Under Control?
If documents are duplicated across shared drives,
approvals rely on email or employees struggle
to identify the current version, tell us what
you are trying to improve.
Use the floating Request more information
button to ask a question, or book a demonstration
to discuss your document-control needs.
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