Version Control…

Have you ever looked at a document and wondered what version you’re on? Have you ever approved a document you thought was complete and it wasn’t? When you look at all of the features of the EDMS, version control is paramount to the risk management program of the enterprise.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia on versioning:

” Versioning is a process by which documents are checked in or out of the document management system, allowing users to retrieve previous versions and to continue work from a selected point. Versioning is useful for documents that change over time and require updating, but it may be necessary to go back to a previous copy”.

Some EDMS providers offer version review allowing users to look back at previous versions including an audit trail of those who made changes, some allow versions to be compared with one another. A few EDMS providers allow users to “update” or “stamp” final on the final version and lock it down so others can’t change the document again.

Tomorrow…document audit!