What is Document control?

Document control (or managing documents) is an important element of management systems. It typically describes all points occurring in the lifecycle of a document, such as distributing, invalidating, archiving, destroying, publishing, withdrawing, creating, reviewing, releasing. More recently, as relevant information has come in forms other than “document,” the term “governance of documented information” has emerged to address the same principles.

Document control should not be confused with a document management system:

The term document management refers to the database-supported management and archiving of electronic documents. By digitizing all paper documents, such as invoices, document security is ensured.

For better differentiation, the term electronic document management (EDM) is often used. Document management systems are used as software.

Document control ensures the correct distribution of documents in an organization. It is used to e.g. Provide all employees with uniformly up-to-date documents, or provide approval when a new document is created.