How to better track document version history in the policymaking process

“I’m often sharing a Microsoft Word document with over a dozen people for feedback and edits. By the time everyone shares their input, I’ve lost track of the right policy version and we’re way behind schedule.” This is a real quote from a Policymaking Coordinator we recently met with, and we have hundreds of other painful document version history control examples just like this. Policymaking requires a lot of input from stakeholders, whether they are subject matter experts or general counsel reviewing documents for legal efficacy. Trying to effectively collect feedback on policy changes in a timely manner from multiple team members can be an impossible task. That’s why Esper’s Policy Builder is designed to make policy version history control and collaboration effortless. Here are the four key ways Esper’s Policy Builder makes policy management and document collaboration easier for government agencies:

1. Role-based permissioning for improved policy version control

The biggest drawback of document editing products like Microsoft Office is that they offer the same level of access to a document across stakeholders. But, let’s face it. Government agencies need more specific controls on an individual level for policy collaboration. For example, you may want Subject Matter Experts to have comment-only access, while General Counsel should have full edit permissions. The Esper platform offers robust permissioning to help you control the level of access team members have to a document. These permissions can be set up on an individual basis, and are easy to modify and update as team members come and go. By implementing more specific document editing controls, you’re able to control the level of noise in a document and ensure that no critical information is altered or deleted.