Control of templates (ISO9001) - Should templates be controlled documents or not?

J

John Mann

#1
I see that the question of “what is a template” has been debated here before so firstly let me explain that when I talk about “templates” I mean Microsoft document or spreadsheet templates.

Should templates be controlled documents or not? I cannot agree with my boss on this but he has some valid points and I am genuinely unsure of the answer.

We use a document template to generate a document that records the connector wiring on the equipment we build. The document template lists the “standard” wiring configuration but we accept that this will inevitably be deviated from as each customer’s requirements are different. The completed document is then filed as a record of the equipment build.

BOSSES VIEW
The documents created from the template are not controlled documents and may be changed in format from the original template to reflect each individual situation. Because the individual documents are not controlled documents, the template cannot be a controlled document either. Document history and issue number are used to track changes on the documents created from the template. The boss does regularly change the format of the templates without use of the change process.

After the equipment is built and shipped, the wiring document becomes a controlled document and can only be altered through the change process.

MY VIEW
The template defines what information we record and also defines our “standard” wiring even though we accept this is just a guideline. Therefore the template should be a controlled document. The documents created from the template are not controlled documents at any stage. They are however “records” and as such will not be changed once build is complete. If customer’s equipment is modified in the future then these records will be updated, but we have procedures for this. It does not seem appropriate to me to use the change process to change a record, even if it needs to be updated.

The one area I am not happy with is the document history which on the template is a “history of the template”. Obviously this appears on any documents generated from the template and then has to be changed to be a history of the document.


So, should our Microsoft templates be controlled documents, or not? What is the best way of dealing with the document history and issue number of the template given that this information will appear on any documents generated from the template?

John.
 
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Wes Bucey

Quite Involved in Discussions
#2
In my opinion, until the template is filled in and approved by whatever process your organization uses, it has no more standing than a blank sheet of paper OR the starting Microsoft Normal Template, which may have font, type size, margins, even headers or footers preset.

By your own description
The document template lists the “standard” wiring configuration but we accept that this will inevitably be deviated from as each customer’s requirements are different.
there is no real reason to control the template since each user is allowed, even expected, to alter it from the get go.

That said, "back in the day" there were many anal organizations which punished employees for deviating from things like margins, paper grade, etc. for documents ranging from customer correspondence to resignation letters where the general tone was, "Take this job and . . . ."

Would you really be happier working for such an organization?;)
 
D

ddunn

#3
If the template defines required content of the final document (the template is a form) then the template should be controlled. There should also be an instruction on completing the template (what can and cannot be altered).

If the template is simply a guide then I see no reason to control it.
 

Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#4
ddunn said:
If the template defines required content of the final document (the template is a form) then the template should be controlled. There should also be an instruction on completing the template (what can and cannot be altered).

If the template is simply a guide then I see no reason to control it.
I think this is a good answer, but I also agree with Wes. A distinction should be made as to what is being controlled. In this instance, it's expected that the final document will include certain information, and there are two ways to assure that: Control the template, so that the required information must be entered, or control the content by way of a work instruction that describes the information to be conveyed. There are good reasons for each use. In the former instance, it might be desired that only certain information is recorded so that there is no ambiguity or ad-libbing in the final document. Such might be the case for certain test reports that might be subject to subsequent legal scrutiny. In the latter case, it could be that the format of the final record just isnt' important, but the information conveyed is, and there might be instances where allowing people some latitude in creating a record is useful, as in cases where there might be significant disparity in the nature of the information recorded from instance to instance, but there is still generic information that must be entered.

In short, the decision should be whether the information or its container should be controlled.
 
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