Creating a Global Document Control System

L

Linda W

#1
I am involved in a project to move our document control system from a local based one to a global system using one tool. What we struggle with at this point is how to structure the roles of review and approval for Global Documents (those that affect more than one legal entity within the company). Currently these are just issued without anyone in each business entity looking at them beforehand. What happens is that they make "shall" statements some units cannot follow and then what they do is just not implement them into their system. We want to get away from that. Our team is proposing that the QA department is at least in the review process of all the "Corporate" or "Global" documents if not the approval process. Could anyone that has worked with or has a Global Document Control System in place give me some "best practice" ideas to take back to the team?

Appreciate your feedback!
Linda
 
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K

KimLoree

#2
Linda W said:
Our team is proposing that the QA department is at least in the review process of all the "Corporate" or "Global" documents if not the approval process. Could anyone that has worked with or has a Global Document Control System in place give me some "best practice" ideas to take back to the team?

Appreciate your feedback!
Linda
Hi Linda,
I have worked with (been the victim of) a global documentation system. I don't know if I can really be of much help, because the system that we had was a nightmare. I can tell you how ours worked (or didn't work).
I worked for a major aerospace manufacturing company, with many individual business units. One of the sites was primarily responsible for all of the documentation. All other sites would submit new documents or change requests to the primary site, who would then consolidate changes and coordinate with focals from each of the affected sites. (The site focals were almost always QA people). Each site focal would then review the documents to determine what internal organizations or processes were affected and coordinate the document internally. Of course each of the sites would make changes to suit their needs and resubmit the document...which would trigger another coordination cycle from the top down. It wasn't uncommon for documents to remain in this continuous loop for months.
We got a little better at moving documents thru this process, once someone from the primary site discovered conference calls. We would get all focals on the line and try to come to some agreement. One of the main issues that we had, is even though we all worked for the same company, our processes could be completely different...and some much more critical than others. So a procedure that was developed to tightly control a critical process at one site, would be non-value added at another.
Eventually the documents were nearly impossible to follow, because they were so loaded with exemption statements and descriptions of how the process varied for each site.
A couple of years ago, the mother company sold our site and I was tasked with developing our own (AS9100) documentation system. Quite an undertaking...but I was thrilled to be out from under the old system and able to write documents that were meaningful and easily understood.
I guess if you have to go there (Global), I would recommend that you document a "loophole" for the individual sites...maybe allowing them to supersede the Global document (with a management approved addendum or something) for variations on processes.
 
L

Linda W

#3
Thanks Kim for telling me about your experience. I welcome horror stories and potential pitfalls as we move forward with this initiative. The one thing that we are doing differently is using a web based document control software that will help facilitate the process but even that won't help if "Corporate" documents are not structed to allow as you say a "loophole". I liked the idea of having the possibility of allowing a local procedure supersede or account for unit specific variations on the processes. This could easily be built in to the Corporate Document Control procedures allowing this with say VP of Global QA approval.

Thanks!
Linda
 
K

KimLoree

#4
Hi Linda,
Glad I could provide a little help. I like building in loopholes. For instance, in my document control procedure, I allow myself (as document administrator) to revise documents without formal revision and coordination, for the following types of changes;
1) Spelling corrections
2) Grammar corrections
3) Updating a Related Document title
4) Adding or updating definitions (for standardization)
5) Correction of formatting
6) Organization title or name changes

If you did something similar, you wouldn't have to coordinate simple changes with the masses.
May I ask what document control software you selected? I have recently become a reseller of the software that my company chose and am always curious about the competition.
 

pbojsen

Involved In Discussions
#5
What I've normally seen with global doc control systems is that there is a "corporate" or "primary" SOP that contains the rules that everyone will follow, and each site has it's own particular SOP that maps to the primary one.

As for change approvals, you may want to develop an approval matrix (perhaps contained as a page in your change order document) that includes an approval checklsit for each site (by department or job title), effectivity for each site (applies to London, Seattle, New York - check where it applies), and a signoff sheet for each site. Everone would have to use the same change order document.

If I read your post correctly, collaboration is the primary problem you seem to be having. If you have an EDMS there may be a way to allow collaboration on the document(s) in question, but creating the matrix would be your first step, i.e. who signs what. You will certainly have to get buy in on the final matrix.

Good luck!
 
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