Version control is a way of identifying and recording each step in the life of a document. If you are not using SharePoint or OneDrive, there some important things to keep in mind.
If you are using SharePoint or OneDrive versioning is automatically built in. We will discuss how this works in another post.
Each time a content or formatting change is made to the document, the original copy is preserved, and a new copy created.
This new copy is given a slightly varied name than the original, usually by appending numbers, dots, or letters to the end of the name that will differentiate it from earlier versions.
If you think the document you are making is likely to have updates in the future, it is a clever idea to start with a naming convention to allow for new versions. As versions become older, they can be archived in .zip files to take up less space.
How is Version Control Useful?
Version control gives us a historical record, or audit trail for the existence and characteristics of a document at different points in time.
Business documents often require changes, prompted by both internal and external influences. Examples of these might include :
Updates or new legislation
Cultural or societal changes
Branding improvements
New services added or ceased
Version control enables us to review what has been approved in the past, exactly when, and by whom. It clearly shows previous content, instructions, and approaches, in place during specific time periods, and can be particularly important during an auditing process, or if legal evidence is needed.
It also helps in the future. New staff members can view the full life cycle of the document and use past versions as a reference point for improvement moving forward.
Version control is used by lawyers, coders, writers, project managers and many other professions in situations where it is vital to know precisely what changes have been made to prevent mistakes. This means, at any given time, a team member can assess the true current document for reference, especially before adding their own contribution and starting an updated version.
Examples
Document Drafts
First Draft
Document Name 0.1
Second Draft
Document Name 0.2
Third Draft
Document Name 0.3 etc. *
Full Version
Final Approved Document
Document Name 1.0
Using “.” in a file name can be problematic. It can cause a file to be unreadable. If you are using this format, we would recommend you use a hyphen “-” or and underscore “_”.
Document Version Control
Version control is a way of identifying and recording each step in the life of a document. If you are not using SharePoint or OneDrive, there some important things to keep in mind.
If you are using SharePoint or OneDrive versioning is automatically built in. We will discuss how this works in another post.
Each time a content or formatting change is made to the document, the original copy is preserved, and a new copy created.
This new copy is given a slightly varied name than the original, usually by appending numbers, dots, or letters to the end of the name that will differentiate it from earlier versions.
If you think the document you are making is likely to have updates in the future, it is a clever idea to start with a naming convention to allow for new versions. As versions become older, they can be archived in .zip files to take up less space.
How is Version Control Useful?
Version control gives us a historical record, or audit trail for the existence and characteristics of a document at different points in time.
Business documents often require changes, prompted by both internal and external influences. Examples of these might include :
Version control enables us to review what has been approved in the past, exactly when, and by whom. It clearly shows previous content, instructions, and approaches, in place during specific time periods, and can be particularly important during an auditing process, or if legal evidence is needed.
It also helps in the future. New staff members can view the full life cycle of the document and use past versions as a reference point for improvement moving forward.
Version control is used by lawyers, coders, writers, project managers and many other professions in situations where it is vital to know precisely what changes have been made to prevent mistakes. This means, at any given time, a team member can assess the true current document for reference, especially before adding their own contribution and starting an updated version.
Examples
Document Drafts
Full Version
Using “.” in a file name can be problematic. It can cause a file to be unreadable. If you are using this format, we would recommend you use a hyphen “-” or and underscore “_”.
So, a better format would look like this.
Drafts of the Full Version
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