What is Document Lifecycle Management?
Document lifecycle management is the series of processes that a document goes through from creation through archiving or destruction.
For example, you’ve stumbled onto a document and aren’t sure if it’s the most recent version. Inquiring minds want to know if the document you’ve stumbled onto is valid and up to date. In this blog post, I detail the process that goes into managing that.
What is the Document Lifecycle?
The steps that a document travels through when it is published, disseminated, and used in a document, from the time it is created to the time it is archived or removed.
Document Management Lifecycle Stages
The document’s lifespan may be divided into seven distinct stages:
- Creation
- Approval
- Storage
- Distribution
- Retrieval
- Change control
- Obsolescence
Here are the seven stages of the document management lifecycle in detail:
1. Creation
If you don’t control who may upload documents to your system, you risk losing responsibility and traceability around your processes and projects.
Who wrote and signed off on your Quality Manual? Who created the standard operating procedures (SOPs) stated in your QMS? Are these documents created, signed off on, and held by persons with the necessary authority and qualifications? Effective document lifecycle management offers you and future auditors confidence in the origin and authority of every document in your system. It guarantees the dependability of the documents you use daily to develop, manufacture, test, and distribute your goods.
2. Approval
You must have the tools to approve documents before they are used so that errors may be identified and remedied.
If you are unable to choose persons to examine and approve material for finalization, you risk publishing incomplete or inaccurate documents, which can harm your business or lead to harmful errors.
3. Storage
You must safeguard critical consumer data, goods, and business insight from loss or misuse.
Security concerns are all too typical in organizations that handle sensitive information, from the three billion Yahoo users harmed by data leaks in 2014 to the unexpected appearance of a stockpile of top-secret MOD documents at a bus stop in 2020, inadequate document management affects many bodies and millions of individuals every year.
Protect your employees, customers, and intellectual property by protecting your systems and creating protocols to limit human error.
4. Distribution
To maintain your organization’s efficiency and productivity, you need the tools to publish and distribute the correct documents at the right time.
You can’t properly regulate the flow of data and information in your organization if you can’t strategically publish and share documents with colleagues and third parties. You risk a shambles in project management, security, and other areas.
Controlling document flow is critical to a lean and successful product development process. Releasing the appropriate documents to the proper individuals at the relevant time saves time and effort. It keeps teams focused on reducing unnecessary and confusing paperwork and delivering what is required at every stage of the development cycle.
5. Retrieval
You must guarantee that data and information are retrieved quickly and efficiently.
ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 require documents to be easily accessible to stakeholders at the point of usage.
If you can’t swiftly and readily get information from a document system when needed, hours and days can be wasted on projects and key business knowledge can be neglected.
Ensuring that your company is indexing documents with metadata will assist your staff in finding the documents they require when they require them. It helps avoid the loss of organizational knowledge and data in a large system’s black hole. It can save you from having to duplicate labor or forward with projects without the necessary data or proof to make important decisions.
6. Change Control
If you can’t monitor who and how documents are changed, mistakes will go unnoticed, unauthorized work will occur, and projects will spiral out of control.
Who made alterations to a document? Is it possible that developers are working in silos, creating new features without an authorization? Is it possible that a potentially harmful update to a medical device was authorized without the input and approval of a cross-functional team? Control mechanisms for engineering updates and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) guarantee that essential modifications are scrutinized and authorized by the appropriate personnel before they can be implemented.
Adequate change controls are the commercial and regulatory circuit breakers that safeguard your company from waste and errors.
7. Obsolescence
If you can’t regulate when and how documents become obsolete, you risk inadvertent document loss, which might result in regulatory fines or a system clogged with unnecessary paperwork.
ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 require you to recognize the difference between an old document and the most recent version of the documents in your system. This saves time, confusion, and blunders. Simultaneously, you must be able to preserve your documents and keep them accessible for as long as the law allows (without slowing down your system’s performance or costing the earth in storage fees).
Choosing a document management system (DMS) that includes capabilities for controlling the full document lifecycle will assist you in developing a quality system that will fulfill your organizational objectives and regulatory responsibilities.
FAQs
Here are some FAQs related to document lifecycle management:
What tools are required for efficient document lifecycle management?
Document controls are the methods and technologies required to manage each step of a document’s lifecycle. Tools to do this include Squibler.io, Confluence, Notion, and ClickUp.
What is document management, and how does it support document creation and version control?
A document management system (DMS) is a technology solution designed to organize, store, and manage documents electronically throughout their lifecycle. It supports document creation by providing templates and tools that help maintain consistency and efficiency in generating new documents. Furthermore, DMS is crucial for version control, ensuring that all document modifications are tracked and recorded. This feature allows multiple users to collaborate seamlessly, with the system managing updates and keeping an authoritative copy of the latest version while preserving previous versions for reference or auditing purposes.
How do document management processes enhance document storage and protect sensitive data?
Document management processes streamline professionals’ handling, storing, and retrieving a document lifecycle. These processes, integral to document management software, are designed to safeguard sensitive data through robust security measures such as encrypted storage and secure access pathways. The DMS provides organized repositories for document storage that can be easily navigated and searched, reducing the risk of data loss and unauthorized access. Additionally, access controls are implemented to ensure that only authorized personnel can view or alter sensitive information, thereby protecting the integrity and confidentiality of the data.
Why is document lifecycle management important?
Document lifecycle management is essential for enhancing operational efficiency. It streamlines the creation, storage, retrieval, and sharing of existing documents, significantly reducing the time spent on manual tasks. It also bolsters security by implementing stringent measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or breaches. Additionally, it ensures compliance with legal and regulatory standards by systematically controlling document retention and destruction processes. Overall, effective lifecycle management is crucial for optimizing document handling and safeguarding data integrity within an organization.
What role does access control play in a document management system?
Access control is a critical security layer that dictates who can view, modify, or distribute documents based on their roles or security clearance. This functionality is vital for managing data, preventing unauthorized access and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. By setting permissions, the system can control the flow of information and restrict access to the document lifecycle based on specific criteria, such as job function or department. Effective access control is fundamental to maintaining the security and privacy of information managed within a DMS.
How does version control contribute to the effectiveness of document management software?
Version control is a key feature of document management software that manages different document versions as they are revised and updated. This feature allows users to track changes over time, revert to previous versions if necessary, and understand the evolution of document approval. Version control is important in environments where documents undergo frequent changes, and multiple stakeholders are involved in document management. By ensuring that all participants are working from the latest version, version control helps avoid conflicts and inconsistencies, thus enhancing the overall reliability and accuracy of the document management system.
What is the link between document lifecycle management and quality standards compliance?
Document lifecycle management is a significant component of the ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 quality management criteria. These standards maintain the integrity of data and information as a product matures through the stages of ideation, design, production, and maintenance. They are the guidelines that govern the consistency and quality of your work. They ensure the safety and effectiveness of the things you provide.
If you are new to understanding the document lifecycle and looking to learn more, we recommend taking our Technical Writing Certification Course, where you will learn the fundamentals of managing technical documentation.
