How to use Manuals organizer

This article is intended for the manager or administrator of the company's policies

Manual management software

This organizer helps you manage manual and other product- related documentation. Serves as a central library of manuals, product instructions, guides, guidebooks, handbooks and other documentation for your devices, machines, equipment, or products. It allows you to keep your documentation up-to-date and also allows you to train and familiarize your staff with this documentation. 

You can either use it on its own to keep track of current documentation or as a resource for training your staff (training and familiarization with documentation and manuals). You have basic documentation types set up in the organizer, which can be easily changed. For each document, you then keep information about its issue and validity.  

• Manuals
• Guides, Guidbooks, Handbooks
• Product instructions
  
• Manufacturer's recommendations 
• more

Attach specific documents as attachments (pdf, word, or other document types). In the manuals record, attachments are kept as controlled documentation, which means that individual documents are subject to a controlled life cycle and can therefore take on the status (Draft > Valid > Archived). In the case you use training and familiarization in your organization, only documents that are in the Valid status are offered to employees. 

Manual/Instruction records work in a controlled documentation mode. This means that all documents maintained here are subject to a life cycle. You, therefore, have a clear overview of which documents are valid and which are no longer valid. 

Resource for staff training

This organizer is a resource for training and familiarization with documents. Documents maintained here are offered in distribution sheets and then to staff on the portal in the policies and documents overview. 

How to Manage Manuals and Instructions

Attach specific files (PDF, Word, or other document types) as attachments. In the manual records, attachments are managed as controlled documents, meaning each file has a controlled lifecycle with statuses (Draft > Active > Retired). If your company uses training and familiarization programs, only documents in the Active state are presented to employees. 

Manual records operate in controlled document mode, ensuring all documents have a lifecycle. This provides a clear view of document validity. 

1. First, define your manual types and distribution. Use categories to organize them (e.g., by equipment type or user role).
2. Add individual manuals and assign them to categories.
3. Attach specific manual versions, including publication and expiration dates.
4. If you have multiple versions, attach them and manage their lifecycle (Draft > Active > Archived).

How to Attach Individual Documents

Attach specific documents (PDF, Word, or another document type). This is useful when the records in your internal policy registry remain relatively constant over time (for example, the Travel Policy), but the specific version (e.g., the Travel Policy for 2023) is only valid for a certain period. You control this validity using the status of each attachment.

• A newly added document is always in "Draft" status. You set the publication start date, or the effective date, for each document separately.
• Within the policy registry, attachments are managed as managed documents. This means each document has a managed lifecycle and can have different statuses (Draft > Published > Retired). If you use a Policy Portal, employees will only see documents with a "Published" status