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Making a Quality Document effective

Enable document Owners to activate a document before its scheduled Effective Date when business needs require it—using a controlled, e-signature–backed action.

Updated over a week ago

Who Is This For?

  • Document Owners — activating documents set to For Training

  • QA / Document Controllers — overseeing state changes and compliance

  • Managers — ensuring timely availability of controlled documents

📝Note: This is only needed if the Effective Date is later than the last approval date. If the Effective Date is the same as the Approval Date, the system makes it Effective automatically - no additional action is required.

How to Do It?

Step 1: Open Documents

From the sidebar, go to Documents. Use the dropdown and select Effective & Retired to view released copies. Open the effective copy whose current state is For Training.

💡Tip: You can also use the search bar to find the template quickly.

Step 2: Make the Document effective

At the bottom of the Properties card, click Make Effective. Enter a clear Version Description, then Submit.
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Step 3: Approve and sign

Choose Approve and Sign and enter your SimplerQMS login + password to apply the compliant e-signature. The template state then changes to Effective.

Documents with a Change Request

If the document is linked to a Change Request, it may remain in Awaiting Release after approval.

The Change Request must be fully approved and released before the document becomes Effective. The Effective Date is transferred from the Change Request upon closure.

📎 Reference: Executing a Change Request

Why is my document in “For Training”?

Documents approved with a future Effective Date have a 'For Training' state so teams can complete training before use.

When ready (and if business needs require), the Owner can use the Make Effective option to activate early which requires an e-signature.

❗ Compliance Reminder: Confirm that training/communication needs are met before early release.

Tips

  • 💡 Confirm the document is Approved and currently For Training before making it effective.

  • 💡 Use clear Version Descriptions to strengthen traceability during audits.

  • 💡 If the document is linked to a Change Request, verify its status—some releases are controlled by the CR workflow.

What’s Next?

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