Is a stamp necessary to control a paper document?

Sidney Vianna

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#11
Old habits die hard....
Especially if they serve as job protection.

This issue of document control is one of those I always used in Executive Management Overviews about ISO 9001. The importance of senior management being involved, engaged and participating in the ISO 9001 implementation phases.

Some of us know that ISO 9001 implementation will affect (sometimes significantly) how business processes are structured and how critical it is for business process (re)engineering to be kept in check for efficiency purposes. Document control in ISO-ese is translated as information dissemination in business lingo.

I have seen (more than once) misguided document control process owners intentionally creating monstrous, resource-intensive doc. control process, just in order to justify their overly inflated department and budget. Stamping (in each page!:mg:), color-paper, doc-cops, etc... are a few examples of mind-numbing, non value added process checks, put in place because someone believes that that is all required by ISO 9001. Since top management does not know any better, they too believe that they must have that incredible bureaucracy, in order to be ISO 9001 certified.

A clear example of how costly ignorance can be. And the subsequent misperception that ISO 9001 made us so bureaucratic, slower and added costs to our operation.
 
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SteelMaiden

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#12
Or....sometimes management doesn't listen to their own and wants something implemented because the "heard someone say that documents need to be stamped". There are a whole lot of reasons why obsolete and inefficient methods refuse to die.
 
D

dswit

#13
Very good responses! There's a lot of misperception out there and this is a great forum to dispel much of it!

At the previous company I spoke of before, we increased productivity by ~48% and turn around time increased by ~60%, actually reducing risk as we eliminated some of the human error elements.

I hate wasting time and money!
 
J

JQuality

#15
It's all about understanding the actual document control requirements rather than the perceived requirements.

When I changed jobs my new company had a very slow document control process. With a few minor changes, we were able to take a top heavy bureaucratic system that took upwards of 8 weeks for a document to navigate the maze of self-imposed requirements to a turnaround of as little as two hours.

It took quite a bit of convincing to even get anyone to consider changing the process because "that's the way we have always done it" was the mantra.
 
W

wwcanoer

#16
Ok, so no stamps. But then how do you differentiate between the current controlled copy, uncontrolled copies and obsolete copies... both in paper and electronic form?

Also, what identifying text do you place on you electronic copies?

Discussion:
I am developing my process. So far it seems cumbersome.
1. Print the document for wet ink signature with no text to identify status.
2. Scan signed doc and add "Uncontrolled Copy When Printed" watermark to the electronic copy on the file server.
3. To distribute an electronic controlled copy, use the same file as (2) (but there is nothing on it that states "controlled copy.")
4. To distribute a paper controlled copy I was going to stamp it as "controlled copy", otherwise how does someone know that it is a copy that is being controlled (tracked)?
5. To distribute a paper uncontrolled copy, can simply print from the file server.
6. To distribute an uncontrolled electronic copy, then doc control needs to provide an electronic copy with "Uncontrolled Copy" watermark.

For (2), I had though about "Controlled copy only when viewed on the server (eDMS)" but then I need to change the watermark when emailing a controlled copy.

What do you do?
 
J

Jeff Frost

#17
Ok, so no stamps. But then how do you differentiate between the current controlled copy, uncontrolled copies and obsolete copies... both in paper and electronic form?

Also, what identifying text do you place on you electronic copies?

Discussion:
I am developing my process. So far it seems cumbersome.
1. Print the document for wet ink signature with no text to identify status.
2. Scan signed doc and add "Uncontrolled Copy When Printed" watermark to the electronic copy on the file server.
3. To distribute an electronic controlled copy, use the same file as (2) (but there is nothing on it that states "controlled copy.")
4. To distribute a paper controlled copy I was going to stamp it as "controlled copy", otherwise how does someone know that it is a copy that is being controlled (tracked)?
5. To distribute a paper uncontrolled copy, can simply print from the file server.
6. To distribute an uncontrolled electronic copy, then doc control needs to provide an electronic copy with "Uncontrolled Copy" watermark.

For (2), I had though about "Controlled copy only when viewed on the server (eDMS)" but then I need to change the watermark when emailing a controlled copy.

What do you do?
Why not make your job as easy as possible. All document on server are controlled copies with approvals on file in document control. Watermark document in about the center with the word copy in large type and place in the footer as statement that all copies are uncontrolled along with an automatic date and time fields. If you must release controlled printed copies of these documents use security paper and remove the watermark and footer notes. Security paper can be ordered from Staples or Office Max and when a copy is made form this type of paper the actual printed image will contain the word "copy" all over the page.
 
W

wwcanoer

#18
Jeff,

How do you implement the "automatic date" in a simple file server?

I plan to use pdf for all controlled docs online (to ensure everyone can read the docs). When using NitroPDF I could not find a method to have an automatic date field. (There is a option for placing the current date but when I open the file again in NitoPDF or Acrobat reader, the date does not update.) Plus, if someone downloads the file and prints it a few days later... not much of a control.

Thanks for your suggestions but I don't see your plan as any diferent. Still needs diferent watermark for the online and distributed controlled copies.

Why do you place a "copy" watermark on the server file? (Everything is a copy.)

~Brian
 
J

Jeff Frost

#19
I don't use pdf files because of compatibility issues with Microsoft programs. On the server is a password protected word documented that allows printing by user if needed. The use of the watermark is to identify that it was printed from the server and the date and time stamp is a feature of the footer setting in word.
 
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