--- title: "Build a document library that stays under control · VisualQMS" url: "https://visualqms.com/blog/setting-up-a-controlled-document-library/" language: "en" description: "The steps from a shared drive full of files to a library where people open the approved version every time." dateModified: "2020-01-16" --- [Getting started](https://visualqms.com/blog/) # Build a document library that stays under control The steps from a shared drive full of files to a library where people open the approved version every time. 16 January 2020 Steen D. Madsen, CEO 3 min read ![Close-up of the process step Assess severity and contain, with a side panel listing its attachments: the procedure QP-08 Complaint handling procedure, a note on severity and a saved view of open complaints](https://visualqms.com/img/j8kHepMYKP-200.webp) In this article 1. [Get a grip on your existing content](#get-a-grip-on-your-existing-content) 2. [Set up the flows for writing and approving](#set-up-the-flows-for-writing-and-approving) 3. [Fill the library](#fill-the-library) Someone asks for the current revision of a procedure, and three versions come back from three people. Controlled **documents** are the part of the quality management system that settles that, and they are the next stop in the _Getting started_ series. This part covers taking stock of what you have, templates, and the flows for writing and approving documents. ## Get a grip on your existing content[#](#get-a-grip-on-your-existing-content) An early task is to understand the documentation you have today and plan how to prepare it for the QMS. What you find shapes the framework of the library. ### Plan the details each document carries[#](#plan-the-details-each-document-carries) Most document collections, even ones kept by hand, sort their documents somehow. Ask: - How many types of guiding document are there, from policies to work instructions? - Are they tied to particular process areas or departments? - What else matters when someone looks for a document? Because VisualQMS bases many functions on **metadata**, the details you give each document decide how people find it and how it is sorted. Most of it can be changed later, so it does not have to be perfect on day one. ### Clean up before you move[#](#clean-up-before-you-move) It often pays to tidy the collection first, so only useful content moves into the QMS. Process owners and their staff are well placed to do this. It is also a good moment to look over your document **templates** and update the ones that need it. If most of your files sit in network folders with no metadata, list them in Excel with the details each one should get. The list keeps track of them during the move. ## Set up the flows for writing and approving[#](#set-up-the-flows-for-writing-and-approving) Setting up how documents are written, reviewed and approved is an important milestone. It can be straightforward, or it may take some thought. That depends on who works on the documents, what you have to comply with and how many people have to sign off on a change. Give a flow enough steps and approvers to meet your requirements, and no more, because a flow that is too complex becomes a chore. There are example flows for writing and approving documents that you can use as they are or adapt, and other flows for tasks such as retiring a document or GDPR. Once the flows are in place, people who are not editing a document see only its latest published version. ## Fill the library[#](#fill-the-library) Once the structure is set up, upload your vetted documents and give them their metadata in one go by hand. For very large volumes, an automatic import can be set up. Your existing document numbers can stay as they are. Next: [what goes into a visual QMS, and how to start one](https://visualqms.com/blog/what-is-a-visual-qms/). If you have a document library to move, [book a demo](https://visualqms.com/book-a-demo/?message=Demo%20request%3A%20moving%20our%20documents%20into%20VisualQMS) and we show you how the move and the approval flows are set up. If you are still choosing a system, our help while you find and select a QMS is free of charge. Write to [sales@solutionmanagement.eu](mailto:sales@solutionmanagement.eu) and we answer the same working day. [← All articles](https://visualqms.com/blog/) In this article 1. [Get a grip on your existing content](#get-a-grip-on-your-existing-content) 2. [Set up the flows for writing and approving](#set-up-the-flows-for-writing-and-approving) 3. [Fill the library](#fill-the-library) [Book a demo](https://visualqms.com/book-a-demo/) ## See it on a process map you can click Book a personal demo and we show you VisualQMS with your standards and modules in mind. [Book a demo](https://visualqms.com/book-a-demo/)