What is the role of version control and change tracking in compliance documentation using DITA?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Version control and change tracking play a crucial role in managing compliance documentation using DITA. They ensure that compliance documents are kept up-to-date, accurate, and that any changes made are well-documented. Here’s how version control and change tracking are essential in this context:

1. Documenting Revisions: Compliance documentation often needs to undergo revisions to address changing regulations or organizational requirements. DITA allows for version control, which keeps a historical record of changes made to documents. This history is essential for auditing purposes and helps in demonstrating compliance with evolving standards.

2. Tracking Modifications: Change tracking within DITA enables organizations to track and identify modifications made to compliance documents. This feature is especially critical when multiple authors or teams collaborate on a document. It ensures that any changes are reviewed, approved, and documented to maintain the document’s integrity.

3. Ensuring Compliance: Compliance regulations require organizations to have controls in place for document management. Version control and change tracking help in ensuring that compliance documentation adheres to these controls by preserving the integrity of the document over time and providing a clear audit trail.

Example:

Here’s an example of version control and change tracking within DITA:


<!-- Compliance Document - PCI DSS Revision 1 -->
<topic id="pci-dss-compliance-rev1">
  <title>PCI DSS Compliance (Revision 1)</title>
  <body>
    <p>This document details our organization's compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) as of January 1, 2022.</p>
    <!-- Additional content here. -->
  </body>
</topic>

<!-- Compliance Document - PCI DSS Revision 2 -->
<topic id="pci-dss-compliance-rev2">
  <title>PCI DSS Compliance (Revision 2)</title>
  <body>
    <p>This document details our organization's compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) as of July 1, 2022.</p>
    <!-- Changes and modifications here, with change tracking attributes. -->
  </body>

In this example, two revisions of the “PCI DSS Compliance” document are maintained, each with a clear record of when the changes were made and what modifications were implemented, ensuring compliance with version control and change tracking requirements.