e rstan din g

Und
t C ontrol
oc u me n
D
a short guide

By Adanma Kadiri
 TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Introduction

Document Control-
the Profession

Document Control is
a requirement

Why implement
Document Control?

Scenarios that
demonstrate the
need for document
control

Document Control
myths

About the Author

2021 Adanma Kadiri

 Understanding Document Control

INTRODUCTION

I’m often asked what I do for a living and when I

respond that I am a Document Controller, a now

familiar look appears in the eyes of the person

asking me the question. It is a look that clearly

says, “What is that?...”

I find this quite understandable because it’s not

one of the typical professions they are used to, so

they have no idea what it involves or what it is

about. I then go through the process of trying to

enlighten them as quickly and as simply as I can.

You can then imagine my excitement when I meet

someone that identifies with my profession. This

lack of awareness about document control, extends

to not only my colleagues but the management of

many organizations.

We document controllers, have to literally

demonstrate what value we bring to our workplaces

and make significant impact for our profession to

be known.

As for me, I absolutely love what I do, so much so I

decided to create this brief and concise guidebook

that explains what document control is all about.

Enjoy!

2021 Adanma Kadiri

Understanding Document Control

DOCUMENT CONTROL-
THE PROFESSION
When we say something is controlled, we are implying the

following – Order, Structure, Efficiency, Effective

management and Processes are in place. Just as the name

suggests, document control is a profession that guides the

control of documents using well laid down systems and

processes. It refers to the set of measures for management

of documents on a project or organization in a systematic

and verifiable manner. These processes covers the entire life

cycle of a document from its creation, review, approval,

distribution, storage and disposal. All the documents being

used within the project or organization can therefore be

trusted because they are the most current, reliable, and

integrity is maintained thereby protecting the organization’s

interests.

Document control has the intent and purpose of ensuring a

seamless organization of documents. It is central and dare I

say, crucial to every organization that uses its documents,

data or information to stay organized and effectively grow

as a business. It is especially important for businesses that

rely on documents that change frequently and industries

where precision and accuracy are of utmost importance.

2021 Adanma Kadiri

 Understanding Document Control

DOCUMENT CONTROL IS
A REQUIREMENT
The control of documents is a key aspect of the

International Organization for Standardization’s - ISO

9001:2015 Quality Management systems Requirements.

This Standard requires an organization to maintain

complete control of its documents. This requirement

is necessary for organizations wanting to

demonstrate their ability to consistently provide

products and services that meet customer and

regulatory requirements.

2021 Adanma Kadiri

Organizations must establish a documented procedure

to manage documents throughout its various stages. The

procedure should cover:

Review and approve

01
documents for adequacy prior
to issuance

02 Update documents as
necessary and re-approve.

Identify the changes and

03
current document revision
status

04
Make relevant documents
available at points of use

Ensure the documents remain

legible and readily identifiable 05

06 Identify external documents

and control their distribution

Prevent obsolete
documents from unintended
07
use

08
Apply suitable
identification if obsolete
documents are retained

2021 Adanma Kadiri

 Understanding Document Control

WHY IMPLEMENT
DOCUMENT CONTROL?
The importance of documentation to any organization or an
individual cannot be overemphasized!

Every organization uses documents or data in one way or the

other to support its operations, it therefore makes perfect sense

to ensure they are well managed and can be relied upon.

Implementing document control ensures the following:

Integrity of Documents: Since there will be a seamless

control of documents, the most current documents are

always in circulation and available for use.

Collaboration. All parties needed to have an input into a

document, receive them at the appropriate time and make

their reviews. This helps to ensure a good collaboration

across various departments within an organization.

Security of Document: Sensitive company documents are

protected from getting into the wrong hands as a user

access control system will be implemented.

Document Traceability. The document trail (history) of every

document is maintained. Who created the document, what

comments were made, what prevision revisions exists etc are

some of the historical data that will exist with document

control implemented.

2021 Adanma Kadiri

 Understanding Document Control

WHY IMPLEMENT
DOCUMENT CONTROL?

Document Accessibility and Retrieval. There will be a

significant reduction in the amount of time spent searching

for documents. There will be easy and fast access and

retrieval of documents.

Safety. The mismanagement of documents can lead to a

safety incident. Therefore, the use of up-to-date documents

is relevant to ensure the safety of lives and property.

Organizations are protected from legal claims

Consistency. Within the organization or project, consistency

is achieved with the use of uniform templates, standard

processes and documents. Quality is guaranteed

Compliance: Document control supports the compliance to

regulatory requirements since the documents go through

certain processes before they are available for use

Having a good document control system will protect an

organization's interest and bring about needed change and

transformation.

2021 Adanma Kadiri

 Understanding Document Control

SCENARIOS THAT
DEMONSTRATE THE NEED
FOR DOCUMENT CONTROL
Scenario 1: A pipe burst on a platform and in order to fix it, the most

current drawing is required. The engineer cannot determine which is

the most recent since there are about 5 drawings existing in the

folder. An effective document control process would make available

the most current drawing needed to solve this problem;

Scenario 2: A Contractor has just completed a Contract. One of the

requirements for payment by the Client, is the handover of all the

documents generated during the project to the Client. Document

control implementation can provide evidence of work done since

there is adequate control existing for the documents. Payment is

therefore not delayed;

Scenario 3: At a Construction site, pipes are being welded using a

drawing given by the Engineer. After completion, the Construction

Manager realizes that the wrong drawing has been used. The use of

this wrong drawing will lead to safety being compromised, cost

impact due to the rework to be done, jobs will be lost, and the

project will take longer due to schedule impact.

2021 Adanma Kadiri

 Understanding Document Control

Scenario 4: Legal claims have been made against a Company for

millions of dollars during the execution of a project. The Company

now needs to provide evidence to refute these claims. The availability

of a good document management system will provide all the

documentation the Company will need to win.

Scenario 5: A Company is about to be audited by an external team.

Without proper document control, the Company will have trouble in

providing the necessary information to the auditors.

Scenario 6: Within an organization, job roles do not have their work

processes documented. A resignation will mean that the staff will

leave with vital information needed for the role since there is no

documentation whatsoever. Implementing , document control will

ensure that work processes are written down as procedures or work

manuals and approved for every job role. Every staff will know the

company’s expectation for job roles.

Scenario 7: A hospital has hard copy patients records in files stored

in a room. The room is currently full of records which makes locating a

patients file a difficult task. This has led to longer waiting times at the

hospital. Applying efficient document control to this situation will

assist healthcare professionals assist their patients promptly.

The above are typical in the running of a business. A good document

control system would be able to resolve the issues arising and any

attendant conflicts. Document control is indeed critical for any business

to thrive!

2021 Adanma Kadiri

 Understanding Document Control

DOCUMENT CONTROL
MYTHS

Document Control is responsible for the

creating, editing, printing, photocopying and

scanning of documents in the organization.

Document Control is not relevant in the

scheme of things within an organization

since its just a support function. It is

therefore not necessary to have in other to

save cost.

There are no guidelines for document

control. No pre-requisite knowledge is

needed for document control, work

instructions is typically given by the Boss or

Manager.

Anyone can get into the document control

profession as no skills are required.

2021 Adanma Kadiri

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adanma
Kadiri

Adanma Kadiri is a Certified Document Control Professional who has

managed million-dollar projects and teams in almost all the

International Oil Companies (IOC) in Nigeria spanning over 20 years.

She is an expert in solving the document control and management

needs of businesses willing to maintain safety, reduce cost and

protect their interests. Her strong passion for document control led

her to establish Doc Master Limited (The Document Control Experts)

where she intends to transform and create visibility for document

control in Nigeria.

Adanma is a Senior Profession Member of the International Institute

of Information Management (IIM). She is also Chartered Librarian in

Nigeria. She is an expert in setting up document control systems for

Businesses, providing Consultancy and Training in Document Control.

Adanma volunteers in various Associations and plays an active role.

She has a passion for nurturing and styling natural hair, she loves to

cook, watch movies, help organize events, and spend time with her

family.