Retiring and Reinstating Documents in Kivo
Required Roles: Editor
Required Permissions:
Edit access within the target cabinet or folder
Permission to Retire Version
Workspace Manager access (for allowing permissions)
Introduction
Retiring a document in Kivo allows organizations to formally remove a document from active use while maintaining full traceability and audit history.
Document retirement is managed through Version Labels.
Note: Version Labels must be enabled in your organization to track and manage document lifecycle states such as Effective, Expired, and Retired.
Overview
In regulated environments, it is essential to clearly define the lifecycle status of documents to ensure users are always referencing the correct and current information. Properly designating document statuses (such as Effective, Expired, or Retired) helps prevent the use of outdated content and supports audit readiness and compliance.
When a document is no longer intended for active use, it should be formally marked as Retired rather than simply removed. This ensures the document remains part of the controlled record while clearly indicating that it should not be used operationally.
In Kivo, document retirement is:
Controlled through Version Labels
Managed at the version level
Permission-based at the cabinet or folder level
Once a document is retired:
It remains visible in the system for traceability
It is clearly marked as Retired
It is no longer considered active or effective
Enabling Permissions to Retire Documents
The Version Label feature flag must be on before the permission to retire can be granted. Once Version Labels are enabled, the appropriate permissions must be configured.
Step 1 – Navigate to Workspace Settings
Click Manage Workspace
Navigate to the appropriate cabinet or folder
Step 2 – Assign Retire Permissions
Locate the Groups or Users section
Identify the group or user
Enable the Retire Version permission
Note:
Only users with the Editor role can be granted permission to retire documents. Users with Reviewer, Viewer, Inspector, Investigator, or Training roles cannot retire documents regardless of their folder access settings.
Retire permissions must be explicitly enabled; they will be off by default
Retiring a Document
Step 1 – Navigate to the Document
Locate and open the document you want to retire.
Step 2 – Open the Versions Tab
Select the Versions tab to view all document versions.
Step 3 – Retire the Version
Locate the approved or effective version
Click the ellipsis (⋯) next to the version
Select Mark as Retired
Important Behavior
If you retire a version that is not yet effective, the current effective version will remain active
To fully retire a document, you must retire the effective version
Reinstating a Retired Document
If a document needs to be brought back into use, it must go through a new workflow.
Step 1 – Select the Version
Navigate to the version you want to reinstate.
Step 2 – Start a New Workflow
Click Start Workflow
The document will return to Draft status
Step 3 – Complete Approval
Route the document through the workflow
A new version will be created (e.g., 2.1)
Once approved, the document becomes active again
Visibility of Retired Documents
Retired documents:
Remain visible to users
Are clearly labeled as Retired
Are no longer considered active
If you do not want users to see retired documents, you can:
Move the document to a restricted cabinet or folder
Delete the document (Workspace Managers only)
Note:
Deleting a document removes visibility for most users but may still be accessible to Workspace Managers depending on configuration.
Best Practices
Always retire the effective version to fully retire a document
Use retirement instead of deletion to maintain audit history
Restrict access by deleting or moving to a limited access folder if retired documents should not be broadly visible
Reapprove documents through workflow when reinstating