A document is finished when one file is unambiguously the approved one and the record says who approved it. Build a naming convention and watch whether the shelf sorts itself; then make six merge-week decisions and watch the shelf either stay clean or quietly fork. At the end, an auditor asks the only question that matters.
Name the file
Name versions so that sorting alphabetically also sorts chronologically, and so status is visible without opening anything.
Version component
Date component
Status word
The same four revisions, sorted the way the file browser sorts them
Six moments where documents fork
Merge week. Each of these takes about ten seconds to decide and shows up months later as an answer you can or cannot give.
The record
Everything that exists with this document’s name on it, as of sign-off day.