Periodic Review
Review is a scheduled re-examination of a document after it has been published. Its purpose is to stop documents from silently going stale: somebody is asked, on a defined cycle, whether the document is still correct.
Review is not the same as the opinion stage. Opinion happens before publication and is part of getting the document approved. Review happens after publication and is part of keeping it current.
Enabling review
Review is configured in two places:
- On the document folder — the review period and the default responsibles for documents in that branch.
- On the document itself — an review enabled switch, the review period in months, and the resulting last review date and next review date.
The first review date is calculated automatically the first time the document is published.
The review cycle
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Planned date | When the review is due. |
| Responsibles | The identities asked to perform the review. |
| Description | The reviewer's findings. |
| Completed by / Completed date | Stamped when the review is closed. |
A recurring background job scans for documents whose next review date has arrived and opens a review cycle for each one, creating tasks for the responsibles.
Completing a review
- Open the review task from your task inbox.
- Read the document and record your finding in the description.
- Complete the review.
The system stamps the completion, sets the last review date, and calculates the next one from the review period.
If the document needs to change
Completing a review does not change the document. If the review concludes that the content is wrong or outdated, open a revision — the review record documents why the revision was raised.
When review cycles are cancelled
Active review cycles are cancelled automatically when the containing folder is deactivated. Deactivating a branch of the tree therefore stops generating review tasks for the documents inside it, without those documents losing their review configuration.
Set the review period from the document's real rate of change, not from the audit calendar. A procedure that genuinely changes once every three years does not become more correct by being reviewed every six months — it just trains reviewers to click through the task.