Controlled Documents

A controlled document carries a title, version, effective date, attachment and status. The Document Controller prepares a revision in draft and sends it for review. The release workflow verifies its title and approves the revision so it becomes effective. Review and approved lists help the team separate revisions waiting for a decision from those released for use.

Training acknowledgments link a person to a controlled document and record the acknowledgment date. A Quality Manager or Document Controller can inspect that relationship when a property team needs to see who received the document. A document may later become obsolete; its status makes its place in the revision history visible.

• Prepare the revision. Give the document a clear title and version, attach the file and record its effective date.
• Review release. Check title and revision before moving it into the approved state.
• Record acknowledgment. Link each person’s acknowledgment to the document being used.

Decide how versions are named and who may submit a revision. Agree when the effective date is set and who verifies that the attachment matches the title and version. Define which people need to acknowledge which documents, especially when standards vary by property or operating role. The acknowledgment record refers to a person and document, so the owner should choose the exact revision rather than a general training topic.

If documents originate in another file store, agree how attachments and version decisions are brought into the controlled record. External distribution or signature services are connections to set up. The quality decision remains the document’s review and approval state.

A property standard changes. The Document Controller creates a new version with title, attachment and effective date, then sends it for review. The reviewer checks the revision and approves release. The approved revisions list now shows the version staff should consult. As staff acknowledge it, the Document Controller records each person and acknowledgment date against that document.

Rehearse a revision whose title does not match the attachment. Keep it in review until corrected. Inspect the acknowledgment report to ensure people are linked to the approved document rather than an older version. An obsolete revision should remain identifiable for audit history.

• Pending release — Revisions waiting for a release decision, with title and version.
• Approved revisions — Released revisions with their attachment and date.
• Open audits — Active audit scope where a standard revision may be examined.

Read document release and audit reporting.