Who Is This For?
Authors / Template Owners – Send CRs for review and manage review flow.
Reviewers – Assess CR content and request updates.
QA / Approvers – Awareness when skipping to approval or closing reviews early.
Change Control Coordinators / Managers – Oversee progress and resolve review bottlenecks.
How to Do It?
Step 1: Access the Review Task
Open your assignment. Go to Home > My Work Dashboard, select the CR, then click Go to Document.
💡Tip: Check the Properties card for context (Type, Process, and Effective Date) and the controlled items, attachments, actions, or relations before you begin.
Step 2: Check out the file to review (Reviewer)
Click Check Out and open the file in Microsoft Word (or the originating application). Then, click Enable Editing to start drafting.
💡Tip: If macros or protected view warnings appear, enable editing for this trusted file to use the add-in.
Sign in to the SimplerQMS Add-in (Optional)
Sign in to the SimplerQMS Add-in (Optional)
If not yet signed in, go to SimplerQMS Add-ins and log in with your account.
📎 Reference: About SimplerQMS Word Add-In
Step 3: Review and provide feedback (Reviewer)
Review for completeness, accuracy, formatting, and compliance. Add comments or suggested changes as needed per your organization’s standards.
💡Tip: Use track changes and clear, actionable comments to speed up Author updates.
Step 4: Check in your reviewed version (Reviewer)
From the SimplerQMS add-in, choose Check In to upload your changes. Then Save and Close the file.
❗ Version control: Always use Check In from the add-in to preserve full audit trail.
📎 Reference: About SimplerQMS Word Add-In
Step 5: Mark your review as completed (Reviewer)
Back in SimplerQMS, click Mark Review as Completed at the bottom of the Properties card. Once all reviewers complete their review, the CR state changes to Review Closed and returns to the Author.
Secondary actions (three-dots icon)
Secondary actions (three-dots icon)
Send back to Planning/Draft – Returns the CR to Draft for additional analysis or scope/timeline/resource adjustments; reassigns to the Author.
📎 Reference: Planning a Change Request
Send back to Execution – Available if the CR review is after the Execution phase. Returns the CR to Execution if implementation updates are required before approval.
📎 Reference: Executing a Change Request
Close Review – CR Owners can close without waiting for all reviewers; state changes to Review Closed and reassigns to the Author for final drafting before approval.
📎 Reference: Approving a Change Request
Tips
💡 Set clear reviewers. Assign the right SMEs up front to reduce back-and-forth.
💡 Bundle edits. Make and check in all edits before sending for review to avoid version churn.
💡 Use comments in the document. Inline comments help reviewers pinpoint what changed and why.