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ToggleDuring reviews and approvals, the struggle with multiple document versions is all too real. Stakeholders provide feedback, edits are made, and suddenly you’re juggling a confusing mess of “Report_Final_v3” and “Design_Prototype_v2.” This chaos can derail project timelines and lead to frustration across your team. The good news? Document versioning helps you deal with this.
Document versioning, also known as document version control or documentation version control, simply means creating and managing different versions of a document as it evolves.
It’s worth noting that document version control goes beyond simply saving multiple copies with different names. Document versioning offers a systematic approach to tracking changes, maintaining a clear history, and ensuring everyone works on the latest version.
By reading this article, you’ll understand document versioning, why it’s important, and how it helps you achieve your project goals.
Note: While you’ll see document version control in the article, note that by document, we mean documents and other digital assets like images, zip files, live websites and apps (URLs), audio, videos, and so much more.
Now, let’s get to it.
Tracking and managing changes made to documents is crucial for efficient document management and collaboration.
Document version control eliminates the struggle of managing multiple copies or conflicting edits. Owing to this, team members can work simultaneously on the latest version, ensuring everyone stays on the same page.
Additionally, version control systems often provide tools to merge changes from different edits seamlessly. This minimizes the risk of conflicts and wasted effort.
Document versioning allows you to revert to a previous version if errors are introduced during editing. This provides a safety net and saves time by avoiding the need to completely redo your work.
Document versioning allows you to meticulously track all changes made to a document. You can see who edited what, when, and the specific modifications made. This provides a clear audit trail and fosters accountability within your team.
More so, version control allows you to see how a document has progressed over time. This can be valuable for understanding the decision-making process and referencing past iterations.
By eliminating confusion about document versions and facilitating rollback options, document version control minimizes errors and the need for rework. This saves time and resources.
Version control systems often offer access control features, restricting editing permissions and ensuring only authorized users can modify documents.
When you use a document version control software or system, all document versions are stored in a central repository. This makes it easier to find the latest version and eliminates the need to search for scattered copies.
Document version control isn’t limited to just one area – it offers significant advantages across various fields:
Design versioning allows graphic designers, architects, and web designers to track design iterations seamlessly.
Document versioning helps writers, editors, video producers, and learning & development specialists manage content revisions effectively.
Tracking code changes is a core use case for version control. Developers can track changes made to code, collaborate on different functionalities, revert to previous bug-free versions, and maintain a clear history of code development.
It’s worth noting that beyond these three use cases, document version control can be valuable in any industry that relies on collaborative document creation and revision control. Examples of such industries include marketing & sales, legal & finance, research & academia, and so much more.
Dedicated version control systems offer a robust feature set and granular control over document revisions. They excel at managing complex projects with frequent changes and extensive collaboration. Key examples include Git and Subversion.
For many users in industries like AEC, creative design, and L&D, a dedicated VCS might be overkill. Currently, there’s a growing trend with the integration of version control features within existing platforms you already use for document management, project management, and content management. These solutions offer a user-friendly experience for non-technical users while still providing core version control functionalities. They include:
Document management and visual collaboration platform – zipBoard (with built-in version control)
The best VCS for your team depends on your needs and technical expertise. Here’s a quick guideline to help you decide:
Even with its benefits, document version control systems can face some challenges. Here are some common ones to be aware of:
Once you’ve implemented a document version control system, here are some best practices to ensure its smooth operation and maximize its benefits:
Decide on a policy for older versions. While keeping all versions indefinitely might seem ideal, it can clutter your system. So archiving inactive versions or deleting them after a set period can ensure you have a balance of accessibility and storage efficiency.
To ensure consistency and avoid confusion, set clear retention periods for different document types based on legal or compliance requirements.
Use automation features offered by your document versioning systems to streamline your workflows. This can include automatic backups, version numbering, and triggers for notifications when changes are made.
Establish clear and consistent naming conventions for your documents and versions. This makes it easier to identify and locate the right version. You can also Implement a logical version numbering scheme (e.g., major version for significant changes, minor version for smaller edits).
Use document version control systems that are intuitive and integrate seamlessly with your existing software suite. This reduces the learning curve for users and encourages adoption.
Furthermore, ensure your VCS offers a centralized location for document versions and their history. This eliminates the need to search for scattered copies and keeps everything organized.
Looking for a document version control software that provides both? Try zipBoard.
Use document version control tools that allow you to set appropriate access permissions so reviewers can easily access relevant document versions without being overwhelmed by the entire version history.
Whether you’re working in design, software development, content creation, learning & design, or any field that relies on collaborative document creation, document versioning is a valuable tool that can empower your team and keep your projects on track.
Try zipBoard today.
zipBoard is a cloud-based document management and collaboration software that seamlessly integrates with your cloud store or ERPs via APIs, thereby giving you access to document markup, task management, and workflows to review and approve documents in one place – without moving your documents.
zipBoard features a document versioning solution that allows you to keep track of different versions of your digital assets in one place. This built-in version control feature allows you to:
Learn more here.
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Dorcas Kpabitey is a Content Marketing Specialist at zipBoard. She began her content marketing journey alongside her BA in Political Science and Spanish at the University of Ghana. If she is not tapping away at her keyboard or spending time on Twitter and LinkedIn, she spends her day reading articles, newsletters and books.
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