Step 1 – Set up approval workflows

You can set up optional approval workflows so every SOP is reviewed and approved before it goes live on the shop floor.

• Changes don’t reach operators until they’re signed off
• Reviewers check the content before release
• Your approval process lines up with ISO 9001 document control requirements

Step 2 – Track revision history

Every SOP has a detailed change history built in.

You can see:

• What changed
• When it changed

This gives you a clear audit trail across the full life of the document, without keeping a separate change log.

Step 3 – Control distribution with QR codes and digital links

This is where GembaDocs saves you the most time.

Your QR codes and digital links always take users to the latest approved version of the SOP.

When you update an SOP:

• You don’t need to replace QR codes on the shop floor
• You don’t need to redistribute digital copies
• Once the new revision is approved, users are automatically served the latest version

For printed copies, you can choose to watermark them as an uncontrolled document. This makes it clear that the controlled, live version sits in GembaDocs and the paper copy is for reference only.

Step 4 – Access previous approved versions

On advanced plans, GembaDocs retains the previous approved versions of your SOPs.

This gives you full traceability back through the history of each document.

If an auditor asks what the approved version of an SOP was six months ago, you can go straight back and see exactly what your team was working to at that time.

Quick recap

GembaDocs covers four parts of document control:

• Approvals before SOPs go live
• Revision history for every change
• Controlled distribution through QR codes and digital links
• Full historical traceability with previous approved versions