Working with Documents in Conformio

Updated on June 26, 2024

Conformio has the Document Wizard feature to help you work on your documents. The Document Wizard guides you through all the mandatory and most relevant documents by navigating you with specific questions through the sections that need to be customized.

By having all that is needed in the process of creating and approving the document, the Document Wizard will:

  • Reduce the time needed to complete all of the documents;
  • Allow you to distribute documents to all the relevant people;
  • Allow you to prepare for the certification audit fully.

Note: Conformio itself will not certify a company – certification has to be done by a dedicated Certification body.

CONFORMIO in the English Language

  • the following section only applies to Conformio users who are using the English language;
  • for German, scroll to the end of the English section;

Document Wizard

To start working on the document using the Document Wizard, you need to have the role of Project Manager, or Step Performer and follow the steps described in the continuation of the article.

1. To start using the Document Wizard, click the Open Document Wizard button.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

2. By opening the Document Wizard, you are presented with:

  • The main document template on the right side of the screen;
  • The wizard on the left side of the screen.
    The wizard will guide you to the sections that need to be edited by highlighting them and offering suggestions for the most optimal process for your company.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

3. While filling out the document, you can see the Want to learn more? info button. By clicking it, you can see and access the links to useful materials next to the relevant sections in the documents.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

4. In the Wizard, you can see:

  • Guidelines on editing document sections that are progressing by clicking the Next button;
  • Requirements that might be relevant to that document (synced from the Register of Legal, Regulatory, and Contractual Requirements);
  • Help & Support section with multiple assistance options in case you need it.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

5. In the document, you can add Custom Paragraphs under every title and subtitle. To enable this, click the switch button next to the Custom Paragraphs selection. This is available only in the Advanced and Professional Conformio plans.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

By clicking the switch button, the Custom Paragraphs menu opens, and you can see the description on the left side – how it works and what to expect from this feature. On the right side (in the document), you see buttons under each title and subtitle, where you can add custom paragraphs by clicking the Add Custom Paragraph button.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

By clicking on the button, a small window opens where you can input the text of the custom paragraph and save the inputs by clicking on the Save button.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

After the custom paragraph is saved, the Edit button becomes available to edit or delete the paragraph.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

The Update button will be disabled until you make any changes to the text. By clicking Cancel, you will leave the editing mode.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Any change in the document is automatically saved, even if you exit the wizard before finishing it and then come back later.

6. Once you finish the document, click the Go To Properties button in the wizard to be directed to the Properties section.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

In the Properties section, you can define the following:

  • Document Reviewers – Each document can have multiple reviewers, and the reviewer does not have to be a part of Conformio;
    To add an external user, you need to type the user’s email under the “Other” option in the list of users displayed ;
  • Document Approver – There is only one Approver of the document and the Approver can only be an active user within Conformio;
  • Person in charge of updating this document – Only one person can be in charge of updating the document. Depending on the update frequency, this person receives a task to review and, if necessary, update the document one month before the deadline. This person can also only be an active user within Conformio.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

  • Update Interval – A numeric value that shows the frequency at which the document should be updated. Based on the update interval and the approval date of the document, the task is generated for reviewing and, if necessary, updating the document;
  • Document Readers – Active or inactive users in Conformio or external users that you manually defined as those who should read the document. When the document is approved, the readers will receive a task through email and the My Work section to read the document.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

7. Once you’ve defined the Properties, you can switch to Discussions. Here, you can add comments to other users and leave comments on specific paragraphs or the document as a whole.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

CONFORMIO in the German Language

  • the following section applies ONLY to users of the German Language

To start working on the document using the Document Wizard, you need to have the role of Project Manager, or Step Performer and follow the steps described in the continuation of the article.

1. To start using the Document Wizard, click the ÖFFNEN SIE DEN DOKUMENTENASSISTENTEN button.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

2. By opening the German Document Wizard, you are presented with:

  • an option to start with the Conformio templates;
  • or to upload your own document (if you already have one prepared);
    • it will allow you to upload documents in .doc, .docx, or .pdf file format (if under 10MB in size)

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

3. By clicking AUS VORLAGE ERSTELLEN you will be transfered into the document wizard.

Here you have to provide the first inputs into the document that will be reflected on the front page of the document:

  • Logo of your company (if you have already uploaded it under Settings or with another document, it will be already displayed here);
  • Name of the responsible person, for updating this document;
  • Classification of the document (who has access to it);

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

By clicking NÄCHTER SCHRITT you will be taken to the next step.

4. In the following step, you will have to input the name of the person who will be responsible for document approval (usually this is the CEO or another member of the executive team)

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

When you are ready, you can proceed to the next step by clicking NÄCHTER SCHRITT or your can also move to the previous step by clicking the VORHERIGER SCHRITT.

5. The next steps involve an additional selection of users.

  • most of the inputs consider the job title of the user who will be responsible for either updating the document or informing users about the changes made to the document;
    • not every document will have this process, some will need additional information;

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

When you are ready, you can proceed to the next step by clicking NÄCHTER SCHRITT or your can also move to the previous step by clicking the VORHERIGER SCHRITT.

6. Every document will end with the requirement that the document’s validity and handling is assigned to a job title.

  • Typically, this is the primary person responsible for managing internal or compliance processes – for example, the office manager, compliance officer, legal counsel, or perhaps the chief information security officer (CISO).

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

When you are ready, you can proceed to the generation/approval and review step by clicking VORLAGE BEENDEN or you can also move to the previous step by clicking the VORHERIGER SCHRITT.

7. After clicking VORLAGE BEENDEN the document will be provisionally generated and displayed in the initial window. Here you can:

  • see the status of the document;
  • download the document;
  • the version of the document;
  • submit document for review;
  • submit document for approval;

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

You can also click on “Eingeshaften” to see the properties of the document, such as:

  • the owner;
  • the approver;
  • the reviewer;
  • how often does the document need to be reviewed;
  • the changes that were made to this document;

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

You also have the option to click MIT VORLAGE STARTEN, however, this is not needed if you followed this process, as we already created the initial template.

If you click on “Diskussion” you are able to post and reply to comments made by other members of the company (most often these will be the reviewers or the approvers of the document in case something must be changed, etc.);

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

8. The next step is to download the document and edit it on your local computer. You can download the .pdf or the .docx version. Opening the document will allow you to make changes to the document and save it.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

9. When you are done with the changes, go back to Conformio and open the Document Wizard for the step you were editing the document for. Click on NEUE VERSION HOCHLADEN and upload the document.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

10. When the new document is uploaded, the preview will contain all the changes. The document is now ready to be sent for review and approval. First, send it for review by clicking ZUR UBERPRÜFUND EINREICHEN. You will have to:

  • confirm the person you designated as the reviewer who will receive the task to review the document;
  • you will be able to see the document version change when the document is in review;
  • the reviewer has the option to select VOLLSTÄNDIGE ÜBERPRÜFUNG or ÜBERPRÜFUNG STOPPEN
    • one completes the review, and the other stops it;

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

By clicking VOLLSTÄNDIGE ÜBERPRÜFUNG or ÜBERPRÜFUNG STOPPEN the document will return to the “In Bearbeitung” (in progress) status and will be ready to be approved.

11. After the document is reviewed, the next step is its approval.  Proceed by clicking on ZUR GENEHMIGUNG EINREICHEN. You will have to:

  • confirm the person you designated as the approver who will receive the task to review the document;
  • you will be able to see the document version change when the document is in approval;
  • the approver has the option to select GENEHMIGEN SIE, KORREKTUREN ERFORDERLICH, or GENEHMIGUNG UNTERBRECHEN;
    • first approves the document, second allows the approver to suggest changes and the latter stops the approval and returns the document to the “In Bearbeitung” status;

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

By clicking GENEHMIGEN SIE, the document will be approved and you will be transferred to the next step, where your options are again limited to, downloading the current document, uploading a new version of the document, or withdrawing the document if you no longer need it or it is no longer relevant.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

The document version will also become a full number and jump from the minor version to a major version (more on this is available below).

11.1 By clicking KOREKTUREN ERFORDERLICH you will proceed to the “optional” step where your only two options are to download the current document, edit it, and then provide the updated document by uploading it.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

When the updated document is uploaded, it will again be put in “In Bearbeitung” status and you will have to start the approval process from the start.

SECTIONS BELOW APPLY TO BOTH LANGUAGE OPTIONS – ENGLISH AND GERMAN

Document Statuses in Conformio

Conformio uses 6 statuses of documents:

  1. In Progress
  2. In Review
  3. For approval
  4. Correction needed
  5. Approved
  6. Withdrawn

Document status “In Progress”

The In Progress is the status a document has:

  • Once it is started,
  • While it is being edited.

When the document is in this status, the document Owner can edit the sections highlighted by the wizard.

Before the document is approved for the first time, nothing will be shown in the Documents Explorer. If a document has already been approved and is now being edited, then the previously approved version will be shown in the Documents Explorer until the new version is approved.

This is the only document status in which the document is editable (i.e., answers to questions can be changed)The Step Performer (the author of the document) and the Admin can edit the document at any time. 

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Sending the Document for Review

To send the written document for review, please follow the steps:

  1. Select reviewers in the Properties section;
  2. Click the Submit For Review button;
  3. Input the required data (what changed and how long can they review this);
  4. Click Submit for Review in the pop-up window.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

In case the document Owner does not define a timeframe, the default deadline set for reviewing the document is 3 days (this also includes weekends, i.e., if a document is submitted for review on Friday, the deadline will be Monday).

Document status “In Review”

When the document is submitted for review, the status will change to In Review. At this stage, the document will not be shown in the Documents Explorer.

In case the document was approved previously and later edited and sent for another review, only the previously approved version is accessible in Documents Explorer.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

The reviewers can’t edit the document, but they can comment on a specific paragraph in the Discussion section. The Owner of the document, the Admin, and the reviewers will have access to this document with different permissions:

  • The Owner and the Admin will have the option to stop the review at any point in time. The option to stop the review exists so that the document does not get stuck in the review or approval cycle in case one of the reviewers or the Approver no longer works for the company or is removed from the project;
  • The reviewers will have the option to Complete the Review.

When the document is sent for review, all reviewers receive an email with an external link to that document. This link expires once the review is completed.

If a reviewer is an active or inactive member of Conformio, a task is created and visible under My Work for active users. The tasks and their status can be followed under the Responsibility Matrix for all other Reviewers, including the external Reviewers. The document can be reviewed directly by clicking the Mark as Done button.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

When the review is completed, the document’s status will switch back to In Progress, but the version will be increased by one.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Document status “For Approval”

The document Owner can review comments made during the review in the Discussions section, make changes, and send the document for approval by clicking the Submit For Approval button.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

After submitting for approval, the document status will be changed to For Approval.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

The document under the For Approval status is not editable, but the Approver can add comments under the Discussions section for a specific paragraph.

Other permissions set when the document is in this status are:

  1. The Owner of the document and the Admin can stop the approval at any time;
  2. The Approver of the document has 2 options:
    • Approve the document. When the Approve button is clicked, the document is officially approved and stored in the Documents Explorer;
    • Send the document for corrections by clicking the Corrections Needed button. If the Approver sends the document back for corrections, the status of the document is changed to Correction needed.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Document status “Correction needed”

If corrections are needed, the Approver needs to state that in the comment under the Discussions section, click the Corrections Needed button, and the status will change to Correction Needed.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

The document under the Corrections Needed status can’t be edited, and commenting under specific paragraphs is not possible. This is a transitional state. The document is rejected (not approved), and waiting for the Owner to start editing it and correcting mistakes by clicking the Edit Document button.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

 

To make the corrections, the document will need to change status from Corrections Needed to In Progress and only then be sent again to Review or For Approval and then to Approved.

Document in status “Approved”

When the Approver approves the document, the Document status will be approved. Approved documents are not editable, and you can’t comment on a specific paragraph.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

The approved document can be downloaded as a PDF via the Documents Explorer if you are on a paid plan and can be viewed from the Document Wizard.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Document in status “Withdrawn”

The Owner of the document and the Admin can withdraw the document at any time.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

When the document is withdrawn, its status is changed, and this version of the document is no longer valid. The status of the document is visible in the status identifier.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

CAUTION: There is a possibility that the document is withdrawn automatically. This happens if the document was added via the Statement of Applicability as an additional step, then approved, and later removed from the Statement of Applicability. Then, the status of that document is automatically changed to Withdrawn, and this step is removed from the Implementation steps.

To re-approve the document, you will need to change the status from Withdrawn to In Progress by clicking the Edit Document button, and only then will you be able to approve it again by following the usual process.

Working with Documents in Conformio - Advisera Help Center

Versioning of documents in Conformio

There are 2 types of versioning in Cofnormio:

  1. Minor version – e.g., 0.1, 0.2, 1.3
  2. Major version – e.g., 1.0, 2.0, 3.0

Conformio will automatically update the document version when the following occurs:

  • At every change from the document draft status, Conformio will increase the minor version (0.3 -> 0.4);
  • At every change to the Approved status, Conformio will increase the major version (1.3 -> 2.0).

Conformio will offer to upgrade the document to the new version when the document status is changed from Corrections Needed to In Progress.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. I want to send the document for review and approval, but the buttons are not available. How to resolve this?

Please make sure you selected at least one reviewer and the correct Approver in the “Properties” section of the document and that every single input field in the document is filled. If there are empty fields, the document can be sent for review but not for approval.

2. Can the user responsible for the step also be the Approver and the reviewer of the document?

That is possible if that is the requirement in line with how the company is set up inside Conformio.

3. Can I edit the documents from Conformio offline in the PDF editor and then upload them back?

Yes, this is possible. However, you will lose the automation Conformio offers as this will be registered as uploading a custom document. More on this in this help article.

Was this article helpful?