Obsolete Uncontrolled Electronic Documents

We have gone to an internet based document management system. There is a Viewer where documents be seen/printed out without logging on, but we've set it up so they can only view current documentation. However if someone logs on, with their passsword, they can search for and bring up Obsolete documents. I know there is value in this but I'm concerned about clause 4.2.3g in ISO:

to prevent the unintended use of obsolete documents, and to apply suitable identification to them if they
are retained for any purpose.

If we have the generic "uncontrolled document" statement at the bottom of each document, no matter if it's current or obsolete, does that fulfill the intent of the clause? Or do we have to somehow stamp or watermark obsolete documents for viewing or printing?

Re: Obsolete documents

Good morning,

In my opinion the clause is not much more than a :ca: effort, and it does not address the obsolescence issue.

But if your documents are moved from the library where they are called up for work, yet searchable using a special process, that does indeed sound to me like a good, sound practice. If anyone cared enough to press for it, you could even put an "Obsolete" watermark across the first page on older documents, or if you are using Word 2007:

On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, click Watermark.

Click Custom Watermark, click Text watermark and then select or type the text that you want. You can also format the text.

To view a watermark as it will appear on the printed page, use Print Layout view.

Re: Obsolete documents

For any electronic document control system, I would at least expect there is an answer to the following questions:

• How do you know which version of a document should be used?
• How do you know when a document is obsolete (or has been superceded) and should not be used?
• Can multiple versions of a document be valid in your system at the same time? (as in the example of two different versions of a piece of equipment that each have a valid operating / repair procedure at different revision levels) Some document control systems I have seen give users the option to allow or not allow multiple versions of a document to be valid at the same time. Even if you do allow multiple versions to be valid, you should still have a means of identifying when a particular version is not to be used...

Is your system strictly an intranet document control system? or is it based on another software with intranet capability? Is it one database? or do you have multiple databases that are interconnected? (for example, one database for doing the work, a second database for only finding the current approved - to be used - documents, a third database for the archive?).

Re: Obsolete documents

I have done in the past much of what Jennifer Kirley has talked about. To ensure everyone knows it is obsolete, I put a watermark on it, then using a .pdf printer (I like PDF ReDirect) pdf it and post that one in the searchable files. My auditor liked that approach!

Re: Obsolete documents

jdtrixler said:

I have done in the past much of what Jennifer Kirley has talked about. To ensure everyone knows it is obsolete, I put a watermark on it, then using a .pdf printer (I like PDF ReDirect) pdf it and post that one in the searchable files. My auditor liked that approach!

Click to expand...

Hi, I have a doubt, for ISO TS 16949 is correct to save the documents electronically instead of hard copies?

Where I see if is legal to do it?

Thanks in advanced.

Re: Obsolete documents

RONQUILLO said:

Hi, I have a doubt, for ISO TS 16949 is correct to save the documents electronically instead of hard copies?

Where I see if is legal to do it?

Thanks in advanced.

Click to expand...

Note 3 under 4.2.1 (both ISO/TS 16949:2009 and ISO 9001:2008) says that "Documents may be in any form or type of medium."