Document Control

Denise Robitaille

Sep 2011 · Paton Professional

About this ebook

They’re supposed to be useful tools, but whether they’re printouts, computer files, flowcharts, or forms, documents can often give more headaches than help. And yet without them, most organizations couldn’t function. ISO 9001 and other quality management systems place great emphasis on documents, and for good reason. Documents aren’t individual, stand-alone elements of the management process. They’re interrelated, formatted in different media, and controlled by various and distinct functions. Keeping critical information current and in the right hands requires more than just signing off on procedures. Document control is essential, but where should you begin?

Inside you’ll find clear explanations about the document control process as well as practical solutions for creating, organizing, and maintaining documents, including:

• A discussion of different kinds of documents, including electronic media and QMS requirements
• Identifying and defining responsibility
• Understanding the relationship between documents and records
• Tips for document writers
• Managing and maintaining documents
• Issues of accessibility
• Handling revisions and deviations
• Writing document control procedures

Ratings and reviews

AAA

About the author

Denise Robitaille is the author of numerous books on various quality topics. She is an internationally recognized speaker who brings years of experience in business and industry to her work in the quality profession. Denise is an active member of the U.S. TAG to ISO/TC 176, the committee responsible for updating the ISO 9000 family of standards. She is also a RABQSA-certified lead assessor, an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor, and a fellow of ASQ.

As the principal of Robitaille Associates she has helped numerous companies in diverse fields to achieve ISO 9001 registration and to improve their quality management systems. She has conducted training courses for thousands of individuals on such topics as corrective action, management review, auditing, document control, and implementing ISO 9001.

Denise’s books include: The Corrective Action Handbook, The Management Review Handbook, The Preventive Action Handbook, Root Cause Analysis: Basic Tools and Techniques, Document Control, and Managing Supplier-Related Processes. She is a regular columnist for The Auditor newsletter and is the author of numerous articles.