Is Document Control Training Right For You?

Unleash Your Potential with a Document Control Course

Are you wondering if you should invest your valuable time in document control training? Allow me to guide you through this decision-making process toward an informed choice; either leap forward into the game-changing world of effective document management or tread along your current path of document control chaos.

Your time and resources are invaluable, and therefore, the decision to improve your day with skill training and upgraded workflows deserves to be invested in something transformative.

Document control training could very well be that instrumental step in your professional journey.

Table of Contents

What is Document Control?

First, the basics. I’ve written an entire article on What is Document Control, so I won’t dive too deep into the details here. Document Control (which is a subset of Information Management) is a carefully designed system of standard operating procedures and practices put in place to help you achieve regulatory compliance and avoid document chaos.

Here's what it's not:

Wasted time searching for hard-to-find documents
Wasted money spent re-creating lost documents
Duplication of documents
Lack of version and revision control (are you looking at the latest and greatest?)
Inconsistent documentation creation, modification, distribution, or storage

An effective document control system ensures
that the right person has access to the right document at the right time.

Time and time again!

Why Your Document Control is Struggling

Ineffective, lacklustre document control is typically a result of one of three things:

A document control strategy doesn't exist; therefore, document management is a free-for-all and managed by each user at their own discretion, thereby creating silos and inconsistent workflows.
A document control system does exist, but it was created by someone unfamiliar with document control best practices, so it's either too complex and rigid or too simple, rendering itself useless.
The chosen document controller was appointed at whim without any previous experience or knowledge, nor were they provided proper training because it simply wasn't available. This typically happens when smaller companies start to expand. You'll often see office administrators transferred into the role and then expected to figure it out on their own with little to no mentorship.

All three are a recipe for disaster, but that is exactly where online document management courses come to the rescue.

If your organization lacks in-house training, then providing your team members with a comprehensive online course to satisfy your company's training needs is the best (and easiest) solution to get everyone on the same page about document control best practices.

Whether you're an end-user frustrated by the lack of structure, an administrative assistant looking to expand your skill set, or a document controller seeking new ways to improve your existing strategies, document control training is your first step in achieving operational excellence and taking control of your career.

Top 6 Reasons to Enroll in Document Control Training

Document Control training isn't just for document controllers. No, no. It's for anyone who participates in the creation, modification, filing, sending, or receiving of controlled documents because it takes a team united in the implementation of the overall strategy to achieve document control success.

Whether you’re a seasoned document controller, brand-new to the game, or someone who participates in document control activities, there are several reasons why investing in a document control course could be the right move for you (see our courses here!).

1 - Establish Yourself As A Subject Matter Expert (SME)

In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, it’s important to stay relevant and updated with industry trends and best practices. Document control training can equip you with the latest knowledge and skills necessary to excel in your role to ensure that you're well-equipped to handle any challenge that comes your way.

Your newly acquired skills will help you move through your day with ease because tasks become easier, you're more productive, you're inventing new solutions to old problems, and you're answering technical questions that used to elude you. This is how you become a master problem solver - AKA, a Subject Matter Expert!

I like to see complex document control problems as puzzles needing to be solved! Everything is solvable to me, but that's because I have the experience, time, exposure, and ever-expanding skillset that allows me to troubleshoot and get creative with my approach.

Courses can help build your skills and knowledge; time and exposure to out-of-the-box situations... well, takes time and exposure. You can't expedite that. But you can expedite learning how to solve those problems so you can tackle more difficult issues faster and sooner so they don't compound into massive projects that need correction.

Because there's a HUGE difference between following a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) step-by-step to accomplish a task, and knowing what to do when the SOP goes right out the window because a variation of it has presented itself.

This is where a lot of people can get hung up. Once you can problem-solve and effortlessly answer all the tough questions that come at you from all directions (like your project manager, quality representatives, EPCs, vendors, construction crews, and management), you'll earn the well-deserved title of Subject Matter Expert.

Curious which skills all great document controllers possess?

Check out the top 10 skills for document controllers to find out now!

2 - Expand Your Career Opportunities

As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, having additional training and certifications under your belt can give you a significant edge over other candidates. Document control training not only adds tools to your toolkit but it also showcases your commitment to your personal and professional growth.

Document control training opens the doors to a wide range of career opportunities that will expose you to different industries and job roles, which can lead to greater job satisfaction and career advancement.

3 - Improve Business Operations

One of the key benefits of document control training is its ability to improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace by improving your business processes. Proper training will show you how to manage documents effectively, streamline your processes, and avoid errors and delays.

This not only benefits your own performance but also contributes to the overall success of your organization. A major culprit of workplace frustration is often a direct result of inconsistent business processes. Incorporating uniform, well-defined processes fosters consistency amongst your team by developing internal best practices that follow industry standards from industry experts.

4 - Boost Your Confidence

Investing in continuing education is an investment in yourself that leads to boosted confidence and improved self-esteem. With a deeper understanding of document control processes, regulations, and standards, you'll feel confident in your ability to perform tasks accurately and efficiently and answer the most difficult of DC questions.

I've managed and trained many people in my day, and one of the most common and unfortunate practices I've noticed is letting errors slide. This typically happens when someone isn't confident in the task they're performing. Instead of asking for help, they let mistakes happen (intentionally or unintentionally) because they didn't know what to look for, weren't properly trained on the task, or were a little nervous asking for help (or maybe had no one to ask).

So they carry on missing steps or letting mistakes slide, hoping no one will notice. Well, someone always notices. And if it takes too long to detect, it becomes harder and more time-consuming to correct and ultimately snowballs into a much bigger issue.

An online course gives you the tools you need to build confidence in your role so you can ask better questions and dramatically reduce errors.

5 - Save Time, Money, and Energy

How many hours have you spent venturing down the Internet rabbit hole, hunting for reliable answers to your document control questions? Or perhaps you've invested too much time asking colleagues about DC processes who are just as confused about DC as you are?

If you're anything like me back in the day, probably a lot! I challenge you to put a dollar amount to this wasted time. That can be as simple as multiplying your hourly rate by the number of hours you spend each week searching for answers, which, FYI, can be up to half of your work week! According to an IDC Study...

It's not just about money, though. Peace of mind plays a role here, too.

Are you often frustrated by your inability to answer tough questions, or do you find yourself irritated by the lack of structure and document control procedures? What else could you be doing with that time?

Well, for starters, you would be more productive and could focus your time on completing tasks instead of just researching how to complete them, freeing up your time to focus on the work you actually enjoy doing. Not only that, but online courses offer the flexibility to learn at your own pace, so you don’t have to sacrifice time away from your family, friends, or work for the sake of education and career development.

6 - You Don't Know What You Don't Know

This is probably my #1 reason for enrolling in any type of training, and it piggybacks off of #6.

Sure, you can use Google and research how to perform a task - but that only works if you know what you're supposed to be researching in the first place. I'm not mechanically inclined by any means; if I decided to rebuild an old, classic car, I would have no idea where to start or what questions to ask. I would simply ask Google the vague question of "how to rebuild a car," and down the rabbit hole I would go. I would end up with too much information, unsure how to structure it or where to start.

The same is true for Googling "How do I do document control?"

Document control has a lot of moving pieces, best practices, industry standards, plus company-specific needs that need to be understood, and learning this on your own (which is how I learned document control) is a cumbersome, tedious, LONG process that results in years of mistakes, wasted time, and rework. Fifteen years later, I'm happy to say I've finally mastered document control.

But I can tell you that it did NOT need to take that long. I just didn't know what to look for and didn't have anyone to ask. Training mitigates the pain of doing it on your own, as it gives you the information you need in the correct order so you know what to do and when, thereby removing all guesswork from learning a new skill.

Competency Check

Here’s a quick way to check your comprehension of common document control tasks, skills, and processes.

Can you easily define or describe each of the following?

What is controlled revision tracking?
What are the benefits (and risks of not having) a document control strategy?
Effortlessly define Document Control.
What is a Document Management System, and what is its purpose?
What is version control, and how does it differ from controlled revision tracking?
Can you name the various Document Control Processes used to manage your controlled documents?
What’s the difference between a controlled document and an uncontrolled document?
What is a Quality Control and Compliance Check, and how do you perform it?
Can you answer document control questions from your peers without seeking advice?

If any of those questions were challenging for you, then document control training is perfect for you, which is great news!

Like I said, you don’t know what you don’t know. But now you know 😉

Expert-Led Document Control Training Program

I'd now like to introduce you to my Document Control Mastery (DCM) Signature Program!

DCM is the most comprehensive program out there for turning your document chaos into document control by learning how to create standardized processes, effective naming conventions, effortless document organization, and formalized SOPs for the consistent execution of tasks.

It’s now the fastest way to unleash productivity by developing an efficient and highly-skilled workforce without the massive time and cost commitment of formal education or sacrificing time away from the office.

DCM is the ONLY 'Process-Driven' program of its kind for industry game-changers (that's you!) looking to:

Put an end to document chaos and hard-to-find files
Standardize their naming and filing systems
Create SOPs for common tasks
Trust the accuracy of their documents through version control
Become a subject matter expert in document control
Speak intelligently about DC and spread its awareness throughout the organization
Turn theory into action
Take control of their day and career

Our completely redesigned DCM program not only shows you exactly how to create an audit-proof document control system like a seasoned pro - but also delivers my signature framework and resources to you on a silver platter so you can focus on execution instead of just learning > led by me, your personal document control expert and training specialist.

Upon completion of this course, you will have:

Learned the fundamentals of document control and how it integrates with your quality management systems
Training materials and customizable templates you can implement right away
Identified your industry standards and regulatory compliance needs
Performed a guided and comprehensive audit of your existing DC system
Defined roles and responsibilities
Developed an effective Document Control Strategy from start to finish
All of which results in a quality system built by you, for you.

DCM will show you everything you need in order to turn your document chaos into document control.

Here's how:

If you're ready to master document control, click here to find out more!

DISCLAIMER: This program is only for those who are ready to get serious about document control, dig their heels in, do the work, and design the document management system of their dreams.

Alternatives

The alternative? Well, just keep doing what you’ve been doing!

Maybe that includes finding a mentor, asking for additional training from your supervisor (if you have one), or burning out your keyboard typing keyword searches into Google and YouTube trying to learn it on your own.

The latter will cost you a lot of time, money, frustration, and a ton of rework, correcting mistakes after you’ve discovered how to perform a task properly.

So the decision is up to you...

How much longer are you willing to keep working the way you've been working?
Is the length of training more or less time than it would take you to figure it out on your own?
What's your time worth? Either your hourly rate or freedom of time, and how much of it are you willing to keep giving up?

So, Are You Ready to Invest In Your Future?

If you're tired of beating your head against the wall searching for answers so you can fix the state of your filing management system, and you're ready to:

build a system that allows you to increase collaboration
improve consistency, and
get everyone on the same page about how to name and file your documents…

Then you're ready to level up and enroll in our hands-on course, the Document Control Mastery Program!

Regardless of your experience, you're in the right place, and by the end of this course, you'll have the skills, tools, and inspiration required on your journey toward implementing an audit-proof document control system.

Trust me, the time and effort spent learning something new is far better than spending the same amount of time frustrated, stuck, and in the same position a year from now as you're in today.