Clause 7.5.2: Creating and updating documented information
When the organization creates or updates documented information it has to make sure it is identified and described, for example by a title, date, author or reference number; that its format and media are suitable, including language, software version and graphics, and whether it is paper or electronic; and that it is reviewed and approved for suitability and adequacy.
What clause 7.5.2 asks
When the organization creates or updates documented information it has to make sure it is identified and described, for example by a title, date, author or reference number; that its format and media are suitable, including language, software version and graphics, and whether it is paper or electronic; and that it is reviewed and approved for suitability and adequacy. In a records system this clause is where version control starts, because a record whose identity, format or approval is unclear cannot be relied on later.
This is where version control starts. A record whose identity, format or approval is unclear cannot be relied on later, and a controlled document changed without a new approval loses its authority.
Reading it in practice
The practical test is simple: open a controlled document and ask who wrote it, when, which version it is and who approved it. If any answer is missing, the clause is not met for that document. A file name that says final is not an identification system.
The third edition is at stage 50.00 and its clause text is not public. No public draft wording. This clause is new in the 2019 edition and mirrors the harmonized requirements for identification, format and approval.
Status: not shown in the public record. The 2019 requirement above is the one a certificate is issued against. No draft requirement is asserted.
Evidence for clause 7.5.2
Expect identification and description (title, date, author, reference), a suitable format and media, and review and approval evidence. The auditor will pick one document and follow its versions.
- Version control Document control procedure or system rules covering identification, format and approval
- Version control Metadata captured at creation, including title, date, author and reference
- Version control Approval evidence for a controlled document and its later versions
Where clause 7.5.2 commonly fails
- Files named final, final2 and latest with no author or date
- A controlled document changed without a new approval
What to do about clause 7.5.2 before the revision
Fix the file-naming and metadata rules for the ten most important documents. Add author and date. Re-approve the one document that changed without approval.
Read across from clause 7.5.2
← Clause 7.5.1 | Clause 7.5.3 →
Open the full index. The revision record shows the public stage record and the proven 2011 to 2019 changes.
Source for clause 7.5.2: ISO 30301:2019, ISO 30301:2019, Clause 7.5.2, retrieved 22 October 2026. The requirement, evidence and gaps are written from our clause record; the draft status rests on the ISO/PRF 30301 page 89772. Every source.