Re: document control basics
Anyone can copy a document, we aren't disagreeing with that. However, somewhere in your system there is an updated (i.e., controlled) document, right? And, as part of your document control process, are the protocols for ensuring that the document is available to the right people in the right spot at the right time.
Think of the control document as your master document. If we are using a drawing as the example, would your company allow different versions to circulate on the floor and in the system? No. There is one drawing that is updated, revisions recorded in the table and approvals received. The document is then circulated appropriately.
Some people are issued a controlled copy. This means that with the master drawing is a list of some sorts that says "The following people are to receive a copy of the revised drawing once it is approved" (or something to that effect).
Traditionally, there is a means by which a controlled copy is identified (for hard copy documents). My own company has taken the approach of a "non black ink stamp stating 'controlled copy'".
Ideally, only the electronic document is the controlled copy and all hard copies are uncontrolled. But this approach only works if the organization's culture recognizes that every time they wish to use the document, they need to go online to find it instead of rifling through the stack of paper on their desk to the copy they printed off last week.