Document Control under 7.5
how a small company controls specification documents and records so that everyone finds the valid version, old versions disappear and the auditor sees everything in two minutes – digital, with templates and a practice company
- 50–75 min
- 12 modules
- Free certificate
- No account needed
- Updated November 2026
👥 Target group: Quality managers and managing directors in companies with 1 to 50 employees, Office and administrative staff who maintain the filing system
Which legal duty or standard requirement does this training cover?
About this training
“Document control” sounds like administration – what is meant is something simple: everyone in the company works with the valid version, old versions are gone, records can be found and are kept for as long as they are needed. Clause 7.5 of ISO 9001 requires exactly that, in four points: identification, approval, availability, protection. This course shows how a company with 1 to 50 employees does this with a folder structure, a naming rule, a document list and a retention list – in one afternoon, without a document management system.
You will learn the difference between specification documents and records (and why the 2026 edition calls both “documented information”), the status rule YYYY-MM, approval without a signature folder, cloud filing with rights and backup, external documents (standards, drawings, manufacturer instructions), handling notices and paper, retention periods from commercial law, tax and product liability, the change in three steps – and the ten audit questions on 7.5. At the practice company Waldner Joinery you tidy up a grown filing system. 12 modules, final test, certificate of participation with a verifiable number.
What this course covers — and what it does not: The course covers the control of documented information under ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.5 (and 2026) in companies with 1 to 50 employees using ordinary means (file storage, cloud, office software). It does not replace the introduction of a document management system, legal advice on retention periods (the periods named are typical values – they differ by country; check your national commercial, tax and liability law) or the rules of sector standards (medical devices, aerospace, food) with their own documentation requirements. Data protection (deletion periods for personal data) is only touched on. The practice company is fictitious. This is a translation of the German course for readers worldwide — in case of doubt the German edition applies.
Contents at a glance
- What clause 7.5 requires: four points, no bureaucracyThe requirements of 7.5.2 (identification, format, approval) and 7.5.3 (available, protected; distribution, access, retention, change, period, disposal; external documents; records unalterable) in everyday language; specification document vs. record; what ISO 9001:2026 changes (“available as documented information”, digital media); what is not required (DMS, signatures, distribution lists, change history per document)
- Folder structure and naming rule: a filing system that explains itselfThe five-folder structure (01 manual and processes, 02 instructions and templates, 03 records by year, 04 external documents, 05 archive); naming rule number_title_status (YYYY-MM) for specifications, date-event-customer for records; one storage location (cloud or server), no copies; read access for all, write access for quality manager/management; examples; what happens with e-mails and chats
- Status and approval: footer, initials, no signature folderMandatory details in header/footer (number, title, status, approval initials, page x of y); who approves (process owner, management for manual and policy); approval without signature: initials + date, or approval note in the document list; marking of drafts; forms: status on the form, date in the completed record; version number vs. date
- The document list: the only register — and what belongs in itColumns (no., title, type, status, approval, location, notice/distribution, last review, changed on/what); replaces distribution lists and change histories; maintenance with every change; the deletion list; forms and checklists included; external documents with source and review date; Excel template; how the auditor works with it
- External documents: standards, drawings, customer specifications, manufacturer instructions, lawsWhat is external and why it must be identified (7.5.3.2); the four groups (standards, customer specifications/drawings, supplier/manufacturer documents, laws and rules) with source, status and currency check; the licensed copy of ISO 9001; customers' drawing revisions; list of standards/legal register as part of the list; annual check in 30 minutes
- Paper, notices, tablets, cloud: distribution and protection in practiceDigital as the rule (cloud/server, rights, backup, versioning by status); notices and folders as “controlled copies” with the column “displayed at”; tablets and QR codes at the workplace; private copies and downloads; protection against loss (3-2-1 backup), confidentiality (customer drawings, personnel records), integrity (PDF for records, write protection); home office (ISO 9001:2026 7.1.3); what to consider when changing software
- The change in three steps: copy, approve, swapStep 1 copy the file, new status in the name, change, describe the change in one line; step 2 approval by the owner, entry in the document list (“changed on/what”); step 3 old version to the archive, swap notices, inform those affected (briefing for work instructions); who may change; urgent change (“red pen rule”); changes due to ISO 9001:2026 as an example
- Retention and disposal: periods from commercial law, tax, liability — the retention listWhy periods do not come from ISO (it only requires that there are some); typical periods: accounting records, business correspondence (quotation, order confirmation, delivery note), annual accounts, product liability up to 10 years after placing on the market, personnel/training records, measuring equipment, audit documents (audit programme, audit plans, audit reports) at least 3 years, management review and certificates 10 years; data protection deletion periods as the counterpart; disposal with a note; retention list template
- Document control in the audit: the ten questions — and the answers in two minutesThe ten typical audit questions on 7.5 (valid version, approval, old version at the workplace, external drawing, backup, retention, private copies, form status, change traceable, disposal) with the record that answers the question in two minutes; the three most frequent findings; the five-minute check before the audit; the manual text on 7.5 on one page (text module)
- Case study: Waldner Joinery — tidying up a grown filing system in two hoursPractice company Waldner Joinery (14 employees, fictitious): filing system with 37 files in seven folders, three manual versions, drawing rev. A at the workplace, inspection records as Word, backup unclear; task: apply the five-folder structure, sort every file (valid / archive / record / external / delete), create the document list and retention list, answer three audit questions; model solution
- Records and annual maintenance: what the auditor sees, what to do once a yearThe five records for 7.5 (document list, retention list, archive folder, backup test, disposal note); the annual maintenance in one hour before the internal audit (go through the list, check notices, check external documents, periods expired → dispose, test backup); checklist with 15 criteria
- Procedure in our companyProcedure in our company: contact person for quality questions, location of the manual, templates and records, approvals, fixed dates and next steps in the company
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a document management system?
No. For 1 to 50 employees a fixed folder structure, the naming rule with status, a document list and read access for all, write access for few are enough. A DMS pays off only with many editors or regulations that require signatures.
What is the difference between a specification document and a record?
Specification documents say how it should be (manual, instructions, form templates) – they are maintained and have a status. Records demonstrate what was (completed inspection record, complaint form, audit report) – they are no longer changed and have a retention period. ISO 9001:2026 calls both “documented information”; the distinction remains useful in practice.
Do documents have to be signed?
The standard requires approval, not a signature. Approval initials with date in the header or in the document list are enough. Signatures are needed only where law or customer require them (contracts, acceptances).
For how long do I have to retain inspection records?
At least as long as liability lasts – for products up to 10 years after delivery. Business correspondence, accounting records and annual accounts follow the commercial and tax law of your country (typically 6 to 10 years). The course provides a retention list; when in doubt have it checked by your accountant or lawyer.
What does ISO 9001:2026 change in 7.5?
The wording (“available as documented information” instead of maintain/retain) and notes on digital media: access rights, versioning, backup, legibility over the retention period. The content stays the same; the course is aligned with it.
Is the course free?
Yes, like all courses of the QM-Guru Academy. No registration; the e-mail address is used only to deliver the certificate.
Which edition is this?
The English-language edition of our German course "Dokumentenlenkung nach ISO 9001 Kap. 7.5", written for readers worldwide. The downloadable templates are currently in German; English versions will follow. In case of doubt the German edition applies.