21st-Century Document Management Systems

Future systems start with documentation hierarchies but focus on electronic process documentation

Tue, 12/03/2019 - 12:03

With the advent of the internet, cloud, and electronic workflows, what is the future of documented management systems? Do we continue with a structure of quality manual, processes, work instructions, and forms and checklists? How do we imagine the future of documented management systems?

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For enterprise and site documentation, there’s a need for all entities, from site to department to individuals, to have their own documented management system structure. The documented management system should be a repository of organizational knowledge, in the form of documentation, records, projects, audits, dashboards, customer and/or interested party needs and expectations, calibration data, and much more. How is this possible?

Furthermore, documented flows should give way to virtual electronic workflows that help implement and sustain an integrated management system.

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Comments

Hi Chad.

The ISO Task Force commissioned us to revise the Integrated Use of Management System Standards handbook and published in November 2018, captured many of the aspects you raised. "https://www.iso.org/publication/PUB100435.html"

For Fig B, we had over 100 international case studies that had Cases in Point that had their 'Management System' called that with only a few calling it an Intergated Mgt System. Many were electronic and showed in the Handbook as One Page.

The usual Document Hierarchy was Business Policy Manual (with quality, envioronment, OH&S for the most part) and others (like ISO 27001, 50001, 55001 etc) if the cases demonstraed to us.

As Annex SL and now Annex L, clause state in clause "5.1 .....integrate XXX requiremens into the organizations business process" and hence the IUMSS Cases in Point documentation, electronic, soft or in the cloud or hard copy, were to support the procedures for respective processes under the consolidated 'Policies' in the Business Policy Manual, Business Operating System etc.

Since the use of ERP's, and other electronic documentation software as you mentioned, including OMNEX's. it should be easier for organizations to integrate ISO and non-ISO management system requirements within their processes.

We had no ISO IUMSS Cases in Point with their 'policy manuls' / 'IMS Manuals' documented by the ISO Annex SL "High Level Structure". 

Thank you for your article - just caught up with it.

See you at the next ISO TC176 SC1,2, or 3 meeting in 2020.

Mike

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