What is Documented Information?
Document control refers to the requirements from ISO 9001:2026, ISO 14001, and ISO 27001 placed on the documentation of a quality management system or an information security management system (ISMS). The goal is to ensure that fundamental documents—such as work instructions, descriptions of business processes, or safety notes—are stored in clearly designated documents that are protected against accidental changes and/or deletion and can be found at any time.
The Goal of Document Control
The requirements of ISO 9001 for document control are essentially very logical. What good is the best work instruction if it can be changed by anyone? What is the point of a safety note that no one can find at the right moment? And what would you say if you were using an older product from a manufacturer and received the following answer regarding a quality defect: “The product is quite old; we no longer have any documentation on it.” The principles of document control described in ISO 9001 are intended to prevent such situations from occurring. In doing so, they support one of the most important goals that companies pursue by establishing quality management systems: guaranteeing high reliability for customers and thus continuously increasing customer focus.
What are the Document Control Requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 27001?
The requirements of ISO 9001 for document control are essentially very logical. What good is the best work instruction if it can be changed by anyone? What is the point of a safety note that no one can find at the right moment? And what would you say if you were using an older product from a manufacturer and received the following answer regarding a quality defect: “The product is quite old; we no longer have any documentation on it.” The principles of document control described in ISO 9001 are intended to prevent such situations from occurring. In doing so, they support one of the most important goals that companies pursue by establishing quality management systems: guaranteeing high reliability for customers and thus continuously increasing customer focus.
