Levels of Quality Organisational Document Management

Recently, I was asked to define what goes into each level of a document management strategy to ensure a quality result.

Levels of documents range from:

•  the high-level overview of the organisation document management policy
• to increasingly detailed and specific requirement for the way an organisation operates (such as where organisations are dispersed into different geographic locations, languages, or operational focus).  

Although the levels below are my general suggestions, there is, as of yet, no formal standard for document levels.  Each organisation will tailor their levels as is appropriate for their requirements.

Level	What may go into it
Level 1	POLICY - the over-arching, document policy that outlines the organisation’s commitment to the management and storage of information      FRAMEWORK - frameworks and manuals that provide an actionable overview of how the policy will unfold within the organisation.
Level 2	PROCESSES - visual illustrations of how work activity takes place internally (within departments, within office locations)     PROCEDURES - source process work flows to 'flesh out' the directions illustrated by departmental or overall, workflow process instructions and procedures that provide detailed instructions on how to perform specific tasks or processe       REPORTS, records and databases that substantiate use and effectiveness of the document management strategy.
Level 3	Work instructions for individual tasks that provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform specific tasks.
Standard Forms	Templates - blank, branded, pre-formatted forms used as the base for the way information is organised in any of the documents.   Templates standardise what must be included, how it is presented, who authorises/ signs off the document and how frequently it must be reviewed and updated.
Level 4	Process maps used to document, analyse and improve business processes - typically they have three levels: ·       Level 1: Process workflow charts ·       Level 2: Process maps ·       Level 3: Work instructions
Level 5	Standard operating procedures (SOPs) Process automation Training documents

 

Resources

·       BABOK

·       The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) defines three levels of documents in a Quality Management System (QMS)

·       18+ ways to manage your documents like a boss