Hi

Seems to work for us, but it does take time and lots of it.  With EDRMS
being installed all we do to promote good metadata will not be wasted as
it's use will be mandatory soon (for electronic records anyway).  Just
don't let em grind you down.

Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Records Management mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan
Mansfield
Sent: 06 April 2006 13:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Version Control Standards

Hi All,

We need to track versions manually and are doing so through our naming
convention, adding a version number to the document name. We think we've
come up with as simple a process as possible. I know that simplicity
does compromise the finer nuances of version control but is the
compromise we wanted to make.

My comment is that NOBODY GETS IT!

We are training Records Management Champions in person on this (to
cascade it on). They are possibly more inclined towards records
management. Yet I am met with a  sea of blank faces each time I
introduce the version control topic. I wish I had just used single,
whole incremental numbers, v1, v2, v3 etc.

If anyone is introducing any form of version control the lessons we have
learnt are to give a great deal of though to how you will introduce it
and how you will explain it to people whatever format it actually takes.

Regards,

Susan

Susan Mansfield
Records Manager
Strategy Directorate
Scottish Enterprise
150 Broomielaw
5 Atlantic Quay
Glasgow
G2 8LU

Direct Line: 0141 228 2485
Fax 0141 221 3217
E-mail: [log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Records Management mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Dodgson
Sent: 06 April 2006 12:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Version Control Standards

Dear All

It appears my nice standards went hay wire!

I attach a verswion in free text below.  A pdf version is avail on
request

Version Control at Leicestershire County Council

Background
This piece of work has been developed because of a need to identify
versions of documents held by Leicestershire County Council in a
consistent way to support administrative use and the standards of BIP
0008 and ISO
15489 (and possibly some impact with ISO 9000).  There is also a need to
be compliant with EGMS and this work may well inform the custodians of
EGMS in relation to a new element. For reasons of legislative compliance
(FOI, DPA
etc) and other legal requirements we need to be able to evidence
decisions relating to versions of documents/records.  Information
sharing with other organisations requires a consistent framework for
version control.  What is a draft in one organisation may well be
published in another if version control is not consistent with commonly
understood and adhered to standards.

Version Control Options

There is very little advice and guidance in the UK relating to Version
Control Standards.  Indeed Google yielded only two pages with a specific
search for "Version Control Standards"  It is well acknowledged that
control is required to provide evidence of what is the latest version
and what makes it different from its predecessor. 

I have seen many variations of version control, for example:-

Draft version 1

Version 0.1

Draft

Draft 1.0

Draft 1

0.01

The latter is my description of the first version control for a piece of
work.

We need to evidence the validity of a document/record as it moves
through its lifecycle or its existence in a records continuum.

Whilst we can have a version control number with clear rules, as version
move through iterations, we need to understand what changes were made
from its earlier version.  This provides some tangible relevance to the
document/record value.





Version Control at Leicestershire County Council 

At Leicestershire County Council we are starting to develop better
records management practices as we move into EDRMS.  In scope but not
dependent upon a move to EDRMS is version control.  EDRMS provides a far
more comprehensive set of version control management tools.  However, we
are not dominated by EDRMS and will not be for sometime to come.  Even
when we are, we need to ensure our values remain consistent relating to
version control.

We have experimented with many of the above and have now come upon a
standard which we believe works well and is sustainable over time.

Version Control Standards

The first prepared/saved content is valued as 0.01, if not complete.  We
choose not to use 0.1 for the following reason.  A first final version 
would benefit from the following mark 1.0.   A minor release update 
following on from this would be 1.1, thus the first number after the
decimal is reserved for release minor updates.  For example, the
following represents a typical document standard of version control:

Version Control Standards 0.01 (still draft) Version Control Standards
0.02 (still draft)

Version Control Standards 0.03 (still draft) Version Control Standards
1.0 (First final version - i.e. put to its designed use) Version Control
Standards 1.01 (an update draft of version 1.0, not yet
released)
Version Control Standards 1.02 (still an update draft, not yet released)
Version Control Standards 1.1 (a minor update in final format released
for
use)
Version Control Standards 1.11 (a draft update to version 1.1) Version
Control Standards 2.0 (a major update - final version released for
use)

Conclusion

This paper has been released for use/comment.  Please provide any views
to [log in to unmask] .



This paper is copyright LCC (c) and may be used as recipients see fit
without 
licence.


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