What’s Hiding in your Document Register?

Two sets of eyes are always valuable when reviewing documents.

At Business Monitor we constantly update the resources available to clients through Business Monitor Central – our storehouse of knowledge.  We do not provide templates, but we review, and curate policies, procedures, checklists, and forms to ensure they reflect the client’s business and are current with changing regulations and legal obligations.

In our recent projects with clients, we have discovered so many documents that have been downloaded from websites, had a logo and a title change and then added to the company’s Document Register as a reference – never to be looked at again.

This past week I reviewed a suite of documents that I recognised from my time at an Association more than 25 years ago. The documents still had my initial in the footer! This business, in the auto industry, had been purchased by a compliance driven client was seeking an ISO accreditation and came to us for a Business Monitor Review – which opened a huge can of worms!

Lots of work to be done, but, with our Monitor Catalogue of more than 200 documents across multiple sectors, we are getting to work to ensure this business will have confidence in delivering and managing quality service and legally sound support to their customers well into the future.

But we don’t leave it there.

A folder of documents on a dusty shelf, a suite of documents on a website or on a company’s system are meaningless unless they are connected to a robust management system and risk management strategy that is followed through during induction, training, Toolbox Talks, discussions with clients, presentation of tenders and, most important of all, has a review timetable that is evidenced and adhered to.

The Business Monitor Support Service is now working with a number of clients on a quarterly program to oversee their Document Register, Risk Register and Legislation Register, along with key compliance areas, to ensure currency, identify new risks, and monitor reports and reviews for timeliness and accuracy.

Is your Document Register current and reflective of your business? Contact us to discuss how we can monitor your Documents to minimise risk and maximise success!