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Document Control Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why do we need to document control?
A. Effective document control helps the Council staff ensure that they are working from the
most up-to-date and formally approved document. It also helps ensure that the organisation
has an understanding of how documents might have changed over time if we are ever
questioned about why certain actions were taken in the past (e.g. a member of the public
asking us why certain standards were adhered to at a particular time and the impact this had
on the service they received).
Q. How will document control help me do my job?
A. Document control will help you reassure you that you are working from the most recent
version of a document with the most up-to-date information and it will also help ensure that
old and superseded information is not relied upon to support decisions. It will also be a
useful point of reference if a member of staff is speaking with a customer or colleague when
they mention a particular document to ensure they are both looking at the same version.
Q. What is version control?
A. Version control is the process which allows staff to differentiate between drafts and
previous versions of documents. When used correctly it can allow people to understand how
a document has developed over time. Detailed information on version control can be found
in the Document and Record Control Procedures at: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/data
Q. How do you determine what documents need version control?
A. If you have relied on a document to base decision or actions on then it’s these sort of
documents which would benefit from being able to determine how earlier versions differed
from the most recent.
Q. What documents must have version control applied to them?
A. If documents contain information, or will contain information, that could ever be re-issued
or sent out again then it should have version information. At a minimum the following
documents must have version control applied to them (please note this is not an exhaustive
list): policies, procedures, plans, strategies, regulations, guidance (including memoranda),
rules, blank forms and templates, minutes.
Q. Where on a document should I put version control?
A. Version control should appear on every page of a document (this is particularly important
if pages found within appendices of documents are used separately). It is recommended that
the version number should feature in the footer of a document. It is also recommended that a
version control table be included in documents that you create (see page 3 of the Document
and Record Control Procedure).
Q. When I have created a new version of a document how should I make people aware of
this?
A. When a new version of document which is widely used by a number of people (i.e. a
policy or procedural document) then all appropriate departmental managers should be
informed and then asked to cascade this to their teams.
Q. How can I make sure that people won’t use previous versions of documents?
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A. It is important, when informing staff of the existence of a new version of a document, to
also instruct them to destroy any previous versions of the documents. If it is clear that a
document will be revised or changed at regular intervals in the future it is also useful to
include a statement in a document which indicated when the document will no longer be
valid (i.e. a statement such as ‘Do not use after Jan 2015).
Q. How long should I retain old versions of documents?
A. For the vast majority of documents once a new version has been created then the old
version will be retained for whatever retention period is applied to that document (starting
from the date the version was superseded) Guidance on retention periods can be found at:
http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/working_for_us/data/how_to_dispose_of_confidential_informati
on_safely/records_retention_schedules/default.asp. In some cases of documents such as
blank forms there may not be a requirement to retain previous versions. More specific
information can be obtained by contacting records.management@derbyshire.gov.uk
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