Introducing Procedure Revision Control & Approval

Introducing Procedure Revision Control & Approval — a powerful new feature that adds visibility and oversight to how procedures are updated and approved. All customers now have access to version history and checklist change tracking.

For Enterprise customers, this feature also includes a draft and approval process, ensuring review of all edits before publication. This is specifically beneficial for regulated industries such as manufacturing and food production, aiding in compliance with audit standards, preventing unauthorized changes, and preserving historical data integrity.

This guide will walk you through how to track changes, manage versions, and submit or approve procedural updates (if applicable).

Why this feature?

Procedure Revision Control & Approval brings transparency and structure to every update. It ensures users always work from the correct version, provides an audit-ready history of all changes, and (for Enterprise users) enforces proper separation of duties through formal approvals.

Features at a Glance

Feature Description
Version History See a full list of previous procedure versions, including submitters, timestamps, and revision notes.
Comparison Tool Visually highlight changes between versions — for both checklist steps and procedure instructions.
Approval Workflow (Enterprise Only) Submit drafts for approval and assign decision-making to authorized users.
Version-Aware Work Orders Technicians automatically receive the correct procedure version tied to their work order’s start date.
New Finder Columns (Enterprise Only) Track version numbers, approval status, and approval dates directly from the Procedure Finder.

Navigating to Revision History

  1. Go to Recurring Work > View Procedures.
  2. Locate the procedure you want to edit.

NEW! We’ve added three new columns to the Procedure Finder related to revision history: Version, Requires Approval, and Date Approved. (Enterprise Only)

  1. Select the procedure and click View.
  2. Click on the General tab.
  3. Open the Revisions dropdown menu to see the full history of changes made to the procedure.

Understanding the Revisions Tab

Review the key fields available under the Revisions tab:

Action Description
Version Displays the version number for each saved or approved procedure update. Clicking the version number or "Draft" (Enterprise Only) will take you to the procedure page for that version.
Date Shows the date and time when the version was submitted or approved.
Submitted By User who submitted the draft.
Reason for Revision Records the submitter’s notes explaining why the procedure was updated.
Approved by (Enterprise Only) Name of the approver (or blank if pending).
Details View a read-only snapshot of the procedure.
Show Checklist Changes See how checklist steps have changed between versions.
Show Detail Changes See edits to instructions, fields, and configuration values.

Using the Revisions Tab

Once you open the Revisions tab, you can interact with different versions for review.

Viewing a Previous Version

  1. In the Revisions grid, find the version you want to view.
  2. Click the version link (e.g., "Version 3" or "Draft") to open the full procedure.
  3. Review the procedure, including fields and checklist steps, as they existed at that version.
  4. At the top of the screen, the page will display the Status of the version you are currently viewing, including if you are viewing the draft version of the procedure.

Viewing Procedure Details

  1. In the Revisions grid, click the View button under the Details column.
  2. A read-only snapshot of the procedure opens.
  3. Close the window when done.

Viewing Checklist Changes

Quickly see how checklist steps have changed from one version to the next, with no guesswork required.

  1. In the Revisions grid, locate the version you want to review.
  2. Click Show Checklist Changes.

You’ll see a side-by-side comparison that highlights:

  • 🟩 Added steps in green
  • 🟥 Removed steps in red
  • Modified steps with in-line changes

This gives you a quick view of exactly how the checklist evolved from one version to the next.

Viewing Procedure Detail Changes

The comparison tool doesn’t just track checklist changes, it also captures updates to the procedure’s core instructions and fields.

  1. Click Show Detail Changes in the Revisions grid.
  2. The Comparison Results screen will appear, highlighting insertions, removals, or edits in the procedure details (such as descriptions or custom instructions).

This lets you track administrative updates separately from checklist changes.

Making Changes to a Procedure

  1. Open the procedure you want to update.
  2. In the General tab, update the Instructions section.
  3. In the Data Collection tab, update checklist steps as needed.
  4. Click Save.
  5. A popup will prompt for a reason for the change.

NOTE: Drafts are separate from the active version. Technicians continue using the last approved version until a new one is approved. (Enterprise Only)

  1. A new Draft version appears in the Revisions tab.
  2. Click Draft to open the draft version.
  3. Click Submit for Approval at the bottom of the screen.
  4. This sends a notification to users with Approve permission via email.

Approving, Rejecting, or Deleting a Draft (Enterprise Only)

After a draft is submitted, users with Procedure > Approve permission can approve, reject, or reset the changes.

Approving a Draft

  1. Open the procedure with the pending draft.
  2. Click the Draft version link from the Revisions tab.
  3. Review changes using the Show Checklist Changes and Show Detail Changes buttons.
  4. Click Approve.
  5. Confirm approval in the popup.
  6. The system will alert you to any unstarted work orders associated with this procedure and ask if you’d like to continue, as shown below.

Once approved, the system:

  • Creates a new approved version
  • Automatically upgrades any open (not started) work orders to use the new version.
  • Keeps currently started work orders using the original version.

The procedure status updates to reflect the newly approved version.

Rejecting a Draft

  1. Open the pending Draft.
  2. Click on the Draft version link from the Revisions tab to open the draft.
  3. Review the proposed changes. 
  4. Click Reject.
  5. A popup will appear asking you to enter a reason for the rejection.
  6. Enter your rejection notes (for example, what needs to be corrected) and click Send.

Once rejected:

  • The draft remains editable
  • The submitter is notified by email
  • No changes are published

Resetting (Deleting) a Draft

  1. Open the pending draft.
  2. Click on the Draft version link from the Revisions tab to open the draft.
  3. Click Delete Changes.
  4. A warning popup will appear confirming that you want to delete the draft.
  5. Clicking Yes permanently deletes the draft.

After resetting the draft:

  • The procedure continue to use the most recently approved version.

  • The draft version is deleted. No changes are saved.

Important: Resetting permanently deletes the draft and cannot be undone.

Finder and Filtering

The updated Procedure Finder includes new columns and filters (Enterprise Only):

Field Purpose
Version Shows the current version of each procedure.
Requires Approval Indicates if a procedure draft is pending approval.
Date Approved Displays the date the version was approved.

This makes it easy to locate procedures needing attention or track recent approvals.

 

Work Order Integration

Automatic Version Stamping: Each Work Order stores the procedure version in use at the time of creation.

 

Settings and Configurations

Procedure Revision Control & Approval is automatically enabled for all customers. Approval is Enterprise Only.

  • UseRevisionControl setting must be enabled.
  • Approvers must have Procedure Approve permission.
  • Email notifications are sent based on security roles.

This workflow is available to Enterprise customers only. All customers can view version history and compare changes.

Need Help?

Visit our Support Center or contact support@llumin.com.