How to create a controlled document
Create a controlled document with a stable ID, owner, scope, revision, review and approval evidence, effective date and current-copy location.
A controlled document is an approved instruction with a stable identity, a known effective revision and a defined route for changing or retiring it.
The short version
- Give the document one persistent ID and show its current revision and owner.
- State scope, roles, instructions, exceptions and related records in usable terms.
- Bind review and approval to the exact issue that will be published.
Build the document before routing it
A polished procedure is still a draft if readers cannot tell who owns it, which issue applies and when it takes effect. Put those details in the document itself, not only in a file name, because printed and forwarded copies lose their folder context.
Write the steps with the people who perform them. Name decisions and exceptions, then send the candidate revision for technical review and authorized approval. /guides/how-to-create-a-document-approval-workflow explains the routing; this page focuses on the artifact the routing must identify.
Turn a draft into a controlled issue
The chart shows the gates that a new document passes before it becomes the current instruction.
Author an identified draft
A request starts the work; the author gives the draft an ID, owner, scope and steps before asking for technical review.
Resolve review and approval
Reviewer comments return to the author, and the approver decides whether this precise candidate is suitable for issue.
Issue the controlled copy
The controller assigns the effective revision, updates the register and publishes a single current copy where users can find it.
How it works
Complete the identity block
Record title, stable ID, owner, candidate revision, intended effective date and review trigger. Keep issue history with the document or its register entry.
Test the instructions with a real case
Check scope, responsibilities, decisions, exceptions, forms and records against work as performed, then resolve gaps in the draft.
Approve and issue one revision
Save the reviewed candidate, capture the authorized decision against it, assign the effective date and publish it from the controlled location.
Mistakes to avoid
Approval without a fixed candidate
If the draft changes after sign-off, the approval no longer identifies the content issued. Route the changed candidate back through the needed review.
Related QueryChart feature
Create a controlled issue
Start with the document control chart and label the author, reviewer, approver and publication steps.
Frequently asked questions
Does a document become controlled when it is numbered?
No. Its issue also needs suitable review, authorized approval, current-copy access and a way to withdraw or revise it.
Should the revision appear on each page?
For documents likely to be printed or extracted, repeating the ID and revision helps a user recognize a detached or obsolete page.
Can the first draft be version 1?
Use your documented numbering convention. The essential distinction is between a draft candidate and an approved effective issue.