Task

Documents from other people that quietly expire

A document about somebody else, with a date on it.

Some of the documents a business depends on belong to somebody else, and each one has an end date.

Not every business has this problem, and some should leave it alone.

Most of these can be handled better. Whether it's worth doing is a separate question. What follows is one common form of the problem, described in general terms, because your version will differ. These are possible challenges, not a description of your business, and some should be left exactly as they are. If it sounds like your week, that's worth a conversation.

Watch: Dates Somebody Has to Watch

Sound familiar?

A certificate on file expired months ago, and nobody noticed.
Checking dates means opening each file one at a time.
A new copy was requested, but nobody knows if it arrived.
The dates live in one person's calendar.

What it looks like

A business keeps documents that other people own: an insurance certificate from a subcontractor, a supplier's registration, a vendor's certification. Each one has an end date. The business decides which of these it needs, and when, and keeps a current copy on file.

The document arrives as an attachment, gets saved to a folder, and the date inside it is never written down anywhere else. The folder shows that a file exists. It does not show whether the file is still current.

What it costs

An expired document looks the same as a current one. The file is there. Only reading the date inside it tells you it ran out.

The gap is found when it matters most. Usually when something has gone wrong and somebody goes looking for proof of cover, or when an audit asks for it.

Chasing a renewal takes several rounds. Ask, wait, ask again, receive, check that the new one covers what it should. Each round is small. Across many outside parties, it adds up to a standing job nobody was assigned.

Where it goes wrong

The date is inside the document only. Nothing lists the end dates side by side.
Requests go out from somebody's inbox. If that person is away, the chasing stops.
A new document is filed but not checked. It may be the old one sent again, or cover less than before.
Work gets scheduled without looking. The person booking the job does not see that the paperwork has lapsed.

What a better version looks like

Every outside document is logged with its owner, what it covers, and its end date. A list shows what expires in the coming weeks, with time to ask for the renewal before it lapses. Requests go out on a schedule and the reply is tracked.

When a new copy arrives, somebody checks it against the old one before the date is updated. Nothing is marked current just because a file arrived.

What still needs a person

A person decides what a document needs to cover, and whether a new one is good enough. A person decides what happens when an outside party will not send a current copy. The list only makes sure the question is asked in time.

Questions worth asking about your own operation

Which documents do you keep that belong to somebody else?
Where are their end dates written down?
Who asks for the renewal, and who checks it when it arrives?
Could anybody book work with a party whose paperwork has lapsed?

If this sounds familiar

Bring me the version you actually have. I'll learn how the process really works before I suggest anything. If it isn't worth changing, or isn't a fit for me, I'll say so. Talk through a problem