A revisable document is created, modified, released, and revised for further modification in a controlled process that can be summarized as follows:
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Creation |
The document master, revision, and version database objects are created and related to each other and optionally files are attached. The document state is RESERVED. The revision state is WORKING. |
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Modification |
The properties and relationships of both the master and revision can be modified. The version can be checked out, which creates a new version of the document and relates it to the latest version and brings a copy of any related electronic files to a client machine for editing. The version is checked in when the file editing is complete, and the new version supersedes the previous one. |
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Sign-off |
The document is signed off for release. The document state is set to ISSUED. The revision of state is set to CURRENT. The previous current revision, if there is one, is set to SUPERCEDED. The properties and relationships of both a master and revision can no longer be modified except by users of sufficient privileges. This depends on the security model, and in some installations, no one can edit a released document. |
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Revise |
A duplicate revision and version of the document are created and related to the master. The identification sequence of the revision is incremented according to the revision scheme, or a different revision scheme can be associated with the new version. The document state is set to ISSUED_WKG. The revision status of the new version is set to WORKING. The previous revision is still CURRENT but is marked as under change. The properties and relationships of the document revision can be modified, but not those of the document master. |
The modification, sign-off, and revise process can be continually repeated.