What are lifecycle documents?
Lifecycle documents are documents which – in contrast to a correspondence document – have unlimited validity and can change over time.
If adjustments are made to a document during its lifetime, the adjustment must be documented in a way that is comprehensible to the reader of the document.
In many cases, these are binding or even legal documents that are prescribed by management, an authority or a regulator.
Examples are decrees, instructions, guidelines, tariffs, employee profiles, product descriptions, catalogues, etc.
Documents that serve as a binding or even legal basis for correct business transactions in a company.
It is therefore extremely important when adjusting such a document that adjustments are fully and transparently traceable and documented: Who changed a document when, why and where?
In the case of decrees, adjustments are often documented in their own decrees, the so-called amendment decree, as well as in so-called synopses and systematically published in chronological lists.
The versions before and after an adjustment must remain individually available and referenced, i.e. remain linkable.
In addition, any foreign language version needs to be 100% consistent with the main language.
Challenges in referencing
Business documents, such as contracts, often refer to such underlying documents (underpinning contracts).
If a referenced basis changes, it must be checked whether the contract also needs to be adjusted as a result of this change or not. This in turn requires a systematic change process for contracts.
Lifecycle documents are documents which – in contrast to a correspondence document – have unlimited validity and can change over time.
If adjustments are made to a document during its lifetime, the adjustment must be documented in a way that is comprehensible to the reader of the document.
In many cases, these are binding or even legal documents that are prescribed by management, an authority or a regulator.
Examples are decrees, instructions, guidelines, tariffs, employee profiles, product descriptions, catalogues, etc.
Documents that serve as a binding or even legal basis for correct business transactions in a company.
It is therefore extremely important when adjusting such a document that adjustments are fully and transparently traceable and documented: Who changed a document when, why and where?
In the case of decrees, adjustments are often documented in their own decrees, the so-called amendment decree, as well as in so-called synopses and systematically published in chronological lists.
The versions before and after an adjustment must remain individually available and referenced, i.e. remain linkable.
In addition, any foreign language version needs to be 100% consistent with the main language.
Challenges in referencing
Business documents, such as contracts, often refer to such underlying documents (underpinning contracts).
If a referenced basis changes, it must be checked whether the contract also needs to be adjusted as a result of this change or not. This in turn requires a systematic change process for contracts.