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CtrlDocs for Elements

Add controlled documents to Elements

Elements.cloud has a URL library for the documents behind a process step, and no document control of its own. CtrlDocs for Elements adds it. A procedure is written, reviewed and approved in M‑Files, and the approved PDF replaces the old link in Elements.

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Diagram of the publishing route. In M-Files a document is drafted from a template, reviewed and approved, and its master version is published as a PDF. The PDF lands in the Elements.cloud URL library, and a step in a process diagram links to the current approved version.

Everyone knows which version counts

Those who write and approve the documents do it in M‑Files. Those who follow the process stay in Elements.

Readers open the approved version

A reader opens the document from its activity in Elements, or finds it in the URL library, and there is only one version to find.

Editors see what is waiting for them

Each document is written in Word. Editors, reviewers and approvers each see the documents they are working on and the tasks waiting for them.

Process owners can show the history

Every past version is kept with a log of what changed, for the day someone asks.

Follow one procedure from draft to Elements

  1. Started from the right template

    Editor

    The editor picks one of the controlled templates, so a new document begins in the proper one.

  2. Reviewed, then approved

    Reviewer and approver

    The workflows hand out the tasks and send the reminders. Approval is signed electronically.

  3. Published to Elements as a PDF

    CtrlDocs for Elements

    The approved version becomes a PDF in the Elements URL library, tagged and ready to attach to activities.

  4. Replaced or retired

    Process owner

    A new publication replaces the old link. Retiring a document has its own workflow, and the document is retired everywhere it was published.

  5. The link leads to the current version

    Readers in Elements no longer have to check whether a newer version exists somewhere else. Retired documents stay in the archive, out of everyday view but still searchable.

Watch an approved procedure arrive in Elements

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Works with the storage and workflows you run

The files sit where your readers can reach them

The published files go to a storage location you choose, such as network folders, SharePoint or Dropbox.

Attachments updated from one place

CtrlDocs for Elements can attach the document links to the activities you select. That lets you update the attachments on many process diagrams at once, with automation if you want it.

Your own steps in the workflow

When the pre-configured workflows do not cover your procedure, you add steps and automation to them, or create a new workflow from scratch.

Audits and changes handled the same way

Add-on modules cover audits, changes and knowledge management, so changes to process diagrams, controlled documents and ISO requirements follow a workflow too. For a complete quality management system, Solution Management makes VisualQMS on M‑Files and Elements, using several of our apps.

What you need to start

  • An Elements.cloud Pro Space. If you already have one, we can start planning the implementation.
  • The base package, with a minimum of five document editor seats.
  • Nothing else: the solution comes pre-configured, so you start from a working procedure, and the workflows are adjusted where your procedure is different.

Show us how a procedure reaches Elements today

We'll show you the same procedure written from a controlled template, reviewed, signed and published, with a link that is replaced when the document changes.

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Questions about CtrlDocs for Elements

We already attach documents in Elements. What does this add?
It adds a controlled procedure behind every link. Elements.cloud has a URL library today, and no controlled documents. With CtrlDocs for Elements a document starts from a controlled template, is reviewed, and is approved with an electronic signature before it is published. When it changes, the new publication replaces the old link, and the earlier versions stay in the history with a log of changes and events.
Where do readers open the documents?
In Elements. Published documents are links to PDF files in the Elements URL library, tagged so people can find them, and available as attachments on activities and other Elements content. The published files themselves can sit in network folders, SharePoint, Dropbox or anywhere the application and your readers can reach, with the appropriate tags and metadata.
Where do editors, reviewers and approvers work?
In the M‑Files solution. A template manager offers the controlled templates, documents are written in Word, and the master version is created as a PDF on publication. Views, and a search across content and metadata, show each person the documents they are working on and their active and upcoming tasks.
Can many activities be updated at once?
Yes. Document links can be published directly as attachments to selected activities and other Elements content, so the attachments and other properties of many process diagrams and activities can be updated at once from within CtrlDocs, with automation if you want it.
What happens when a document is retired?
Retiring has its own process and workflow. The document is retired at the other locations it was published to as well, and the archived document is kept out of the way of ordinary use but can still be found by searching the archive.
What does it give us when an auditor asks?
A controlled document procedure with roles, approvals and a history you can show. Every approval is signed electronically, and every past version is kept with a log of what changed.
How does it relate to CtrlProcesses?
They run in opposite directions. CtrlDocs for Elements publishes approved PDFs from M‑Files into the Elements URL library. CtrlProcesses brings Elements process diagrams into M‑Files and draws them there. The two are complementary.
How do we start?
With a personal demo based on your needs, and after that we can set up a trial for your team. The solution is delivered as a base package with a minimum of five document editor seats, and it needs an Elements.cloud Pro Space. Write to sales@ctrldocs.com or call +45 32 74 65 44. We answer the same working day.