Document coding system

[FRA 2 FDA]

I'm with these guys. Make the goal easy retrieval. When you have 63 record files saved in a folder and you need to go back 6 months and find one specific one, how will it be easiest? We do "code" our documents: SYS for SOPs FRM for forms TMP for templates, etc. then each gets a 3 digit #. SYS-001 is Document Control Procedure. The files are titled with the name SYS-001 Document Control Procedure. Easy to find what you're looking for. The "codes" merely help separate categories and the numbers merely help make things searchable, always in the same order, and easy to group together. For records, we do whatever makes sense and makes finding what we need easy. We generate a lot of receiving inspection records, for instance. When I need to find one, I'm probably most interested in which part/material it was. And of course, things are received more than once so we add the date. My receiving inspection records are titled FRM-052 C01-003 11 30. Every one gets a unique title that helps me find what I'm looking for. If I had to search through a year's worth of FTTRFF03, FTTRFF04, FTTRFF05...... I'd quit!

 

[kkamp]

Agreed with Jen. Systemic, consistent, and expandable, right the first time you name SOPs, WIs, Forms... Take it simple. A form can be named, for example, F004/WI007/SOP002 - 015 meaning Form#4 to roll out the WI#7 under the SOP#2, ver. 15

@SeanN, thanks for your answer. I'm new to issues related to the standard, can I ask you why a form would be related to a WI?

 

[SeanN]

why a form would be related to a WI?

Form(s) may be required to capture and record different types of data as you adhere to a Work Instruction.

 

[Quality-Nation]

Still trying to comprehend why anyone thinks this complexity brings anything to the QMS. Will any user have a clue?

 

[SeanN]

why anyone thinks this complexity brings anything to the QMS

This complexity may bring no incorrectness to the QMS, but ... (unnecessary) complexity. And complexity in turn may create incorrectness in the implementation.

 

[Bev D]

Complexity is the root of most errors. It is evil. WHY are you coding? What is wrong with the English (or your native) language. NO ONE but you and maybe a database will know what these documents are for. I know because I’ve lived in this hell for decades.

No one understands codes. They understand words. Words that accurately describe the document. Then the user can find the document they need. Your job is to make it easy for the user.

 

[John Broomfield]

Still trying to comprehend why anyone thinks this complexity brings anything to the QMS. Will any user have a clue?

Document coding provides a short and unique means of linking internal documents comprising the documented and interacting parts of the system

It predates hyperlinking.

But the maintenance of hyperlinks may be less than perfect so some of folk still use document coding schemes.

 

[Bev D]

What kind of linking? What is the purpose of linking? Who benefits from it? When someone can’t answer these questions I am left with the conclusion that they are doing it because it is cool. Or they are so caught up in the database computer storage filing and search that they have forgotten the purpose of documents.

In my experience coding only benefits the doc control admin. No one else gets it or uses it.

I suppose this might be a tad useful if the primary tag of the document is the descriptive name so others can find it and know what it is about.

 

[SeanN]

the primary tag of the document is the descriptive name so others can find it and know what it is about.

Agreed. And I am doing this in our heavily paper-based system. But I assume it's the same in a more computerized system with visible "treemap" because you said earlier...

No one understands codes. They understand words.

some descriptive words would be helpful.

 

[John Broomfield]

What kind of linking? What is the purpose of linking? Who benefits from it? When someone can’t answer these questions I am left with the conclusion that they are doing it because it is cool. Or they are so caught up in the database computer storage filing and search that they have forgotten the purpose of documents.

In my experience coding only benefits the doc control admin. No one else gets it or uses it.

I suppose this might be a tad useful if the primary tag of the document is the descriptive name so others can find it and know what it is about.

Documented procedures link to forms (where dats are to be collected) and to how to instructions as required. They also link to each other where their corresponding processes interact.

They may also link to documented specifications and drawings (which in my experience have always been coded or numbered including their revision or issue status.

After all, a system is parts that work together documented as necessary to fulfill its purpose.