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Lean Tools, Training, and Systems

Document Author

What is the role of the Author?

The Author is the only person (or rarely... team) that has authority and responsibility to edit a document.

Anyone can suggest changes, but only the Author has authority and responsibility to accept, reject, or revise suggested changes.

How to communicate with the Author?

Who is the Author?

On every document created from a Systems2win template, the Author is clearly identified in the header fields near the top of the document

Usually there is one (and only one) Author

Rarely, the Author might be identified as being a team of people — each with authority to edit the document.

If there are multiple authors, then you will want to establish policies and training for how to use your SharePoint server and/or other document control systems.

How to suggest changes?

Option 1) Low tech

Hand write your suggested changes on a print-out of the document.

Describe your suggested changes to the Author (face-to-face or email).

Option 2) For PDF documents

Most PDF writing software allows you to edit the PDF, which you then email to the Author with your suggested changes.

Option 3) For Word documents

you can use Track Changes.

Option 4) For Excel documents

Do NOT use Track Changes or Compare and Merge Workbooks in Excel.

Those features are full of bugs.

Perhaps use colored text to communicate your suggested changes.

Do not delete anything in a document that you don't author.

Instead, perhaps use strikethrough.

Font Settings (CTRL+Shift+F) > Strikethrough

Perhaps copy the pre-formatted Team Communication Text Box from Systems2win menu > Copy Shapes

Team Communication Textbox