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SOP Document Control — User Guide
Overview
This module manages controlled procedures end to end: writing the document, routing it through sign-off in a fixed order, publishing it automatically once approved, and re-routing it for approval again if it's ever edited afterward. Everything happens on this page and the document's own page — nothing requires the WordPress admin dashboard.
Creating a document
- Click "+ Add New" above the register.
- Fill in the header details: Title, Standard, Subject, Department(s), Document Number, Procedure Title, Issue Date, Review Date, and Revision Number.
- Write the Purpose, Scope, and Responsibility sections — each line numbers itself automatically.
- Build the Activities / Procedure Table. Use the ↑ ↓ buttons to reorder rows, the + button to insert a row directly below any row, and mark a row as a "Section" heading if it should span the full width instead of being a normal step.
- Add any Related Documents this procedure references.
- In the sidebar, add your Sign-off / Approval Workflow assignees, in the exact order they must sign — see "The approval workflow" below.
- Click "Create Document." It saves as a Draft, and the first signer is emailed automatically if you added anyone.
Department(s) accepts more than one department, separated by commas (e.g. "Quality, Operations") — the register's Department filter understands this and lists each one separately.
Importing from Word
"Import Word" (next to "+ Add New") reads an existing procedure document and tries to match its header fields and numbered activity rows automatically. This is a best-effort starting point, not a guarantee — always open the resulting draft and check it over before adding signers or publishing.
Both modern .docx files and older .doc (Word 97–2003) files are accepted. .docx files are read directly, including tables and bold/italic formatting. Older .doc files are read as plain text instead, so table layout and formatting aren't preserved as reliably — check the imported draft over carefully before publishing.
The approval workflow
- Signers sign strictly in order — the second signer can't sign before the first one has.
- Each signer is emailed a personal signing link automatically once it becomes their turn. Reminder emails go out on a schedule set in SOP Settings (see below).
- Workflow Status and Approval Status are both fully automatic — there's nothing to set by hand. The document moves through Draft → Under Review → Approved on its own as signatures come in, and Published the instant the last person signs.
- Editing an already-signed document restarts the whole approval cycle. Saving changes resets every signature back to pending and emails the first signer again — because a signature against the old wording doesn't mean anything once the wording has changed. If the document was already Published, it goes back to Draft-level visibility until it's re-approved.
- For a genuinely minor edit (a typo fix, for example) that doesn't need everyone to re-sign, the document's Administrator or original creator will see a "This is a minor edit — do not restart the approval workflow" checkbox when saving. It only appears for them; other signers editing the document don't get this option, since letting everyone decide their own edit is "minor" would defeat the point of the signatures.
Signing a document
Each signer receives a link that's unique to them — it shouldn't be forwarded. On the signing page they can:
- Type their name in a signature-style font,
- Draw a signature by hand (mouse, trackpad, or touchscreen), or
- Upload an image of their signature (PNG or JPEG, under 2MB).
Uploaded or drawn signature images can't be right-clicked or dragged out from the document view, and are stamped with whoever is currently viewing them — a deterrent and an audit trail, not a technical guarantee (no website can truly stop a screenshot).
Editing & who can see what
- Only Administrators, the document's original creator, and the people named in its own sign-off list can edit it — not just anyone with editing rights on the site.
- A document that hasn't reached Published status yet is only visible to that same group. Everyone else simply won't see it until it's fully approved.
- The 👁 View icon in the register only appears once a document is Approved — there's nothing to view yet while it's still in progress.
- The 🗑 Delete button next to Edit is governed by the exact same rule as editing: only Administrators, the document's creator, and its named signers can see it. Deleting moves the procedure to Trash rather than removing it outright, so an Administrator can still restore it from wp-admin if it was removed by mistake.
Review comments
Each row in the Activities table has a small speech-bubble icon (with a count badge once there's discussion). Click it to open a comment thread for that specific step — useful for flagging a concern during review without editing the wording yourself. Anyone who can view the document can comment; once a point is addressed, whoever raised it (or anyone who can edit the document) can mark it resolved.
Using the register
- The strip of numbers at the top is a live count: Total, Draft, Under Review, Approved, Superseded, and Overdue for Review — all reflecting your current filters.
- Filter by Department, and choose how many rows to show per page.
- "Columns" lets you show or hide any of the register's columns — your choice is remembered on this device.
- The Review Date column shows the date only -- overdue procedures are still counted in the "Overdue for Review" tile in the strip above.
Settings & permissions
- SOP Documents → Settings (wp-admin) sets how often reminder emails go out to whoever's turn it currently is to sign.
- ISO Dashboard → Module Permissions (wp-admin) controls which roles can Manage (create/edit/delete/import) versus only View this module, site-wide.
- ISO Dashboard → SOP Form Fields (wp-admin, Administrators only) controls what appears on this create/edit form and on the document view -- reorder fields, hide ones you don't need, or add your own.