Hello All
I've just started to write procedures surrounding 4.2.3 - Control of Documents.
4.2.3c - Ensure that changes and
the current revision status of documents are identified.
First bit, fine. Current revision status?? Now, is this just ISO speak for verision control?? Or is it saying I need something additional in place to identify if the document in question is still WIP or finalised until next review/revision etc????
Ta Muchly
I would ask - what do you do now? If you have a system - document this - remember - you are writing up
YOUR system,
not what the auditors
would like to see, or what you
wish you had in place.
If you dont have a system, set it up first, then document it. It doesnt work the other way around - I promise.
I would further suggest that you issue documents to locations rather than individual staff. It keeps the distribution network smaller and more manageable. We use a Lotus Notes system with workstations. This will always reflect the current revisions and offer the history - but this is elaborate and the capital outlay is high. But it makes life easier for sure!!
We used to use a distribution sheet with 3 signatories - for issue and retrieval. This worked quite well.
Documents in work - unapproved - these are WIP documents and should be "issued" and controlled too - their whereabouts known and should not be approved prior to acceptance by stakeholders. Comments on these working documents should be recorded as jusification for change (we keep this record on the same document). Keeping the obsolete documents - good practise anyway - but I suggest they are kept seperate to the current documents. Funny things happen with documents - old ones pop up from nowhere, and unapproved documents tend to find their way to files as approved etc...
4.2.4b talks about re-approval. This means that even if you have an approved document, you need to review it for continued use - is it still valid and working? We do this annually, but spread the load over the whole year.
In terms of the document numbering system - we use an alpha numeric code by area, by point of use, unique identifier number and status. eg GDHP001A
The G is the factory code, DH is the department, P is for procedure, 001 is the procedure number, A is approved. Next to this we have a last approved date, and due to the annual review system, this date will not be pre-date more than 12 months. If it does - we know we have a potential problem with it being current.
Hope this helps.....
But it keeps fighting back -never say die...
