Customer story
How the University of Basel kept validation document approvals traceable in Confluence
The University of Basel’s Department of Clinical Research needed a dependable way to review critical computer system validation documentation and retain evidence of approval decisions. With Approvals for Confluence, its IT Services team introduced structured sign-offs, clearer approval records and a way to preserve important approval information alongside its documents.
Key outcomes
- Structured document approvalsCritical computer system validation documents reviewed and approved in Confluence
- Traceable sign-offsClear records of approval decisions and the people responsible
- Approval information retainedApproval information could also be saved as comments on Confluence documents
Supporting critical documentation in clinical research
The University of Basel is one of Switzerland’s oldest universities, with research and education spanning a wide range of disciplines, including medicine and life sciences.
Its Department of Clinical Research supports medical research in an environment where documentation, accountability and regulatory requirements are particularly important.
The department’s IT Services team is responsible for supporting the digital systems and processes used in its work. This includes managing documentation required for computer system validation, where reliable reviews and clear approval records are essential.
Keeping validation document approvals accountable and accessible
For the Department of Clinical Research, documentation is an important part of meeting regulatory requirements. The IT Services team needed to ensure that critical computer system validation documents received the appropriate review and approval, with a reliable record of those decisions.
Confluence was already part of the department’s documentation environment. The challenge wasn’t finding another place to manage content. It was introducing a structured approval process that worked within Confluence while preserving the evidence needed for future reference.
The team wanted to avoid relying on separate email chains or approval systems to manage sign-offs. It also needed confidence that approval information would remain accessible over time.
This created three important requirements.
Reliable approval of validation documents
Critical documents needed to be reviewed and approved by the appropriate people as part of the department’s established documentation procedures.
Clear records of approval decisions
The IT team needed to identify who had approved important documents and retain evidence to support regulatory documentation requirements.
Long-term access to approval information
Approval records needed to remain associated with the relevant documentation, including where the department might need to access them independently of the approval app in the future.
“We use it to approve documents required for computer system validation. Very helpful is the fact, that approvals can additionally be saved as comments on the document.”
Ramon SaccilottoHead of DKF IT-Services, University of Basel · Atlassian Marketplace review
Bringing structured document approvals into Confluence
The IT Services team introduced Approvals for Confluence to manage document sign-offs directly within its existing documentation environment.
The product provided a straightforward way to assign reviewers, record their decisions and maintain approval information without introducing a separate approval process outside Confluence.
Three capabilities were particularly valuable to the department.
Assign the right people to important documents
With Approvals for Confluence, the team could assign approvers to documents requiring formal review and sign-off.
This brought greater structure to the approval process, helping ensure that critical validation documentation was reviewed by the appropriate people.
Challenge addressed
Reliable approval of validation documents
Critical documents needed to be reviewed and approved by the appropriate people as part of the department’s established documentation procedures.
Record approval decisions within Confluence
Approval decisions could be recorded and reviewed directly in Confluence, providing visibility into document sign-offs.
Keeping these records close to the content made it easier for the IT Services team to maintain oversight of document approvals and support its internal documentation requirements.
Challenge addressed
Clear records of approval decisions
The IT team needed to identify who had approved important documents and retain evidence to support regulatory documentation requirements.
Preserve important approval information with documents
One particularly valuable capability for the University of Basel was the option to save approval information as comments on Confluence documents.
This meant the department could retain a record of approval decisions alongside the underlying content, rather than relying solely on information held within the app.
For a team working with long-lived validation documentation, this provided valuable reassurance about the future accessibility of approval evidence.
Challenge addressed
Long-term access to approval information
Approval records needed to remain associated with the relevant documentation, including where the department might need to access them independently of the approval app in the future.
With Approvals for Confluence, the team could assign approvers to documents requiring formal review and sign-off.
This brought greater structure to the approval process, helping ensure that critical validation documentation was reviewed by the appropriate people.
Challenge addressed
Reliable approval of validation documents
Critical documents needed to be reviewed and approved by the appropriate people as part of the department’s established documentation procedures.
Approval decisions could be recorded and reviewed directly in Confluence, providing visibility into document sign-offs.
Keeping these records close to the content made it easier for the IT Services team to maintain oversight of document approvals and support its internal documentation requirements.
Challenge addressed
Clear records of approval decisions
The IT team needed to identify who had approved important documents and retain evidence to support regulatory documentation requirements.
One particularly valuable capability for the University of Basel was the option to save approval information as comments on Confluence documents.
This meant the department could retain a record of approval decisions alongside the underlying content, rather than relying solely on information held within the app.
For a team working with long-lived validation documentation, this provided valuable reassurance about the future accessibility of approval evidence.
Challenge addressed
Long-term access to approval information
Approval records needed to remain associated with the relevant documentation, including where the department might need to access them independently of the approval app in the future.
Together, these capabilities gave the department a more structured way to manage reviews, document sign-offs and supporting approval information within Confluence.
More reliable approvals and stronger documentation records
Approvals for Confluence became an important part of the Department of Clinical Research’s documentation processes, supporting its need to manage critical validation documents and retain approval information.
For the IT Services team, the benefits extended beyond collecting individual sign-offs.
A more structured approach to document review
The team could assign approvers to important documents and manage their sign-off within Confluence.
This established a clearer process for managing approvals, without relying on separate email-based coordination or approval systems.
Greater transparency over approval decisions
Recording approvals directly in Confluence helped the department maintain visibility into who had approved its documentation.
This supported more consistent recordkeeping and helped the team maintain the evidence required for its internal documentation procedures.
Approval information that remains accessible
The ability to save approval details as document comments was particularly important to the University of Basel.
Retaining this information with the documents provided an additional way to preserve approval evidence for future reference, even if the approval app was no longer available.
For an organization working in a highly regulated clinical research environment, that continuity was an important part of maintaining dependable documentation practices.
Rather than adding another system for the team to manage, Approvals for Confluence helped the department introduce structured sign-offs into its existing documentation processes while strengthening the accessibility and traceability of approval information.
Keep your document approvals clear and accountable
Make it easier to get important Confluence documents reviewed by the right people, record approval decisions and keep sign-off history accessible.
With Approvals for Confluence, manage page and section approvals, track decisions and maintain the records your team needs.