---
sourceDocument: Zurich Governance, Risk, and Compliance
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/governance-risk-compliance

 Release :

    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich Governance, Risk, and Compliance

ft:clusterId :

    - grc

bundleId :

    - grc

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Document Management system

# Document Management system in Third-party Risk Management {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Zurich
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 minutes to read

Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Document Management system in Third-party Risk Management

The Document Management System (DMS) in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM), introduced in version 21.1.x, provides a centralized platform for storing, organizing, and managing third-party documents throughout the vendor life cycle.
It enhances collaboration between third parties and internal teams by streamlining evidence tracking, reducing document duplication, and improving audit readiness through document reuse across assessments, contracts, issues, and tasks.
Show full answer Show less  
Users can access DMS via the Vendor Management Workspace or the third-party portal. Primary contacts manage permissions externally, while internal roles such as TPR assessors, managers, and administrators have write access, and reviewers have read-only access. The system supports metadata management, version control, advanced search, reporting, and full audit tracking for all document activities.

## Key Features

* **Third-party Collaboration:** Third-party contacts can upload and manage documents through the third-party portal, facilitating easier document submission and updates.
* **Internal Document Management:** Internal users create and manage document records within the Vendor Management Workspace, including versioning and metadata tracking.
* **Document Linking and Traceability:** Documents can be linked to various TPRM records such as tasks, issues, engagements, and assessments, with automatic roll-up of references to ensure traceability and lifecycle tracking.
* **Role-based Permissions:** Internal users can define sharing permissions for primary contacts and other users to control document access effectively.
* **Audit and Reporting:** Complete audit logs track all document actions, supporting transparency and compliance. Reporting capabilities allow users to generate detailed reports on document inventories, linkages, and audit trails.
* **Metadata and Version Control:** Each document captures essential metadata (type, description, version, status) used for classification, workflow routing, and reporting. Multiple versions are supported with version histories accessible to authorized users.
* **Now Assist Integration:** AI-driven skills from Now Assist and ServiceNow Otto enhance document-heavy workflows by summarizing issues, providing smart document insights, and extracting specific information to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy.

## Practical Considerations and Limitations

* External users cannot preview documents on the portal; they must download files to view them.
* The third-party association field is optional when creating documents but required if the document is linked to a third party.
* Document creation and versioning are separate steps within the system.

## Next Steps for Customers

Customers managing third-party risk can leverage DMS to centralize document handling, improve collaboration, maintain lifecycle traceability, and enhance audit readiness. Implementing role-based permissions and utilizing reporting capabilities will help maintain control and visibility over third-party documents. Additionally, integrating Now Assist AI skills can accelerate risk assessment workflows and reduce manual review efforts.

For practical guidance, customers should explore related tasks such as creating document records, managing versions, linking documents to TPRM records, defining sharing permissions, and managing uploads in the third-party portal.  
Learn how the enhanced Document Management system supports third-party collaboration and internal workflows in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).

## Document Management Overview {#tprm-dms__overview}

Starting with version 21.1.x, the Document Management System (DMS) in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) provides a centralized repository for storing, organizing, and managing third-party documents throughout the vendor life cycle. DMS streamlines evidence tracking, reduces duplication, and
improves audit readiness by enabling document reuse across assessments, contracts, issues, and tasks. Access DMS in the Vendor Management Workspace or third-party portal to create, manage, and reference documents. Primary contacts manage permissions in the portal. TPR assessors \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_assessor\], TPR managers
\[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_risk_manager\], and TPR administrators have write access, while third-party assessment reviewers \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_assessment_reviewer\] have read-only access. DMS supports metadata, version control,
search, reporting, and audit tracking for all document actions.  
The DMS is accessible for internal users through the Documents module in the Vendor Management Workspace as shown in the following example.Figure 1. Document Management System in Vendor Management Workspace  
The DMS is accessible for external users through the Third-party portal as shown in the following example.Figure 2. Document Management System in the Third-party portal

## Key capabilities {#tprm-dms__capabilities}

* Third-party contacts can upload and manage documents using the third-party portal. For more information, see [Upload and manage documents in the third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QzwgWZ3mityigVNfSCw1Aw "Use the third-party portal to upload and manage documents for assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).").

* Internal users can create and access document records through the Documents module in the Vendor Management Workspace.

  For more information, see [Create a document record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/EG9ebtJRUhWiW91PopN9Lg "Use the Document Management system to create document records in Third-party Risk Management.").
* Users can manage document versions, download attachments, and track their metadata.For more information, see [Create a document version](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/CqIPHfPbeqKBnaj0HGACEw "Use the document management system to version documents in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).").

* Documents can be linked to multiple TPRM record types with auto-rollup:
  * Tasks
  * Issues
  * Engagements
  * Assessments

  For more information, see [Link documents to a TPRM record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nqWultSHkv93b~rSIwBkBg "Use the Document Management system to link documents to assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks for traceability in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).").
* Internal users can manage role-based permissions for primary contacts and other internal users. For more information, see [Define document sharing permissions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/l3MI5haHVpYxDfmiq3xUQA "Controls who can view, edit, or manage a document using the Document Management system in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).").

* Each document version supports download options, advanced search and reporting for metadata and relationships, and complete audit tracking of actions and version history.

## Document life cycle and traceability {#tprm-dms__document-lifecycle-and-traceability}

Each document captures metadata including creation date, type, description, version, and status. Metadata is used for classification, reporting, and workflow routing.

Each document supports multiple versions. TPR assessors, managers, and administrators can upload new versions, view version history, and download attachments for any version. Versions are sorted by creation date in descending order.  
Documents can be linked to assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks. These references automatically roll up to related third-party records. Duplicate references aren't allowed.  
Note:  
A linked document is a document record associated with another record (assessment, engagement, issue, or task) for traceability and reporting. Linking creates a formal relationship that supports life-cycle tracking. A reference is the entry that represents this link, shown in the document's References tab and the related record's Documents list. Each reference includes metadata like record type and ID. The key difference is that linking is the action and a reference is the result. Multiple references to one document are possible, but duplicate references to the same record aren't allowed.

All document actions including uploads and version updates are tracked for audit purposes. Audit logs are accessible to authorized users.

## Collaboration and insights {#tprm-dms__section_oqr_tvp_3hc}

All actions, including approvals and rejections, are tracked in the audit log for transparency and reporting. You can search documents by metadata fields and generate reports on document usage, status, and relationships. Filters
include document type, risk category, expiration date, and third-party association. You can generate reports on document usage, version history, and linked records using the Reports module or Performance Analytics.  
Report types can include:

* Document inventory report with metadata and version details.
* Linkage report showing documents associated with assessments, engagements, and tasks.
* Audit report for document actions and life-cycle events.
{#tprm-dms__ul_evr_yz4_3hc}

## Now Assist document skills {#tprm-dms__section_bd2_p3j_jhc}

If your organization uses DMS and ServiceNow Otto for TPRM, you can leverage AI-driven skills to streamline document-heavy workflows. These capabilities reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and accelerate risk tasks. Now Assist for Document Management and ServiceNow Otto for TPRM offer the following key skills:

* TPRM issue summarization-- Condenses complex third-party risk issues into actionable summaries, helping risk analysts review and respond faster.

  For more information, see [TPRM issue summarization skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/H1GuCVEL9gEHxel19O8IVA "The issue summarization skill in ServiceNow Otto for Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) uses generative AI to create concise summaries of vendor-related issues, helping assessors quickly review risk details, improve consistency, and accelerate remediation.").
* Smart documents -- Summarizes risk management documents and provides quick Q\&A, reducing manual review and speeding up due diligence.For more information, see [Smart Documents](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-skills-smart-documents&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US).

* Extract information from documents -- Uses AI to pull specific data points (such as risk indicators, compliance clauses, or contract terms) from large documents, reducing manual review time and improving accuracy.For more
  information, see [Extract information from documents](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-extract-information-from-documents&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US).

{#tprm-dms__ul_jkh_p3j_jhc}

For more information on Now Assist for Document Management skills, see [Explore Now Assist in Document Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explore-now-assist-in-document-management&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US).

## Limitations {#tprm-dms__limitations}

* External users can't preview documents due to restrictions; they must download documents from the portal to view them.
* The third-party field is optional when creating a document. However, if the document is associated with a third party, this field is required. For internal documents with no third-party association, the field can remain empty.
* Document creation and versioning currently require separate steps.
**Related tasks**   

* [Create a document record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/EG9ebtJRUhWiW91PopN9Lg "Use the Document Management system to create document records in Third-party Risk Management.")
* [Create a document version](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/CqIPHfPbeqKBnaj0HGACEw "Use the document management system to version documents in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).")
* [Link documents to a TPRM record](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nqWultSHkv93b~rSIwBkBg "Use the Document Management system to link documents to assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks for traceability in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).")
* [Define document sharing permissions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/l3MI5haHVpYxDfmiq3xUQA "Controls who can view, edit, or manage a document using the Document Management system in Third-party Risk Management (TPRM).")
* [Upload and manage documents in the third-party portal](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QzwgWZ3mityigVNfSCw1Aw "Use the third-party portal to upload and manage documents for assessments, engagements, issues, and tasks in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM).")  
**Related topics**   

* [Document approval and publish process](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=document-review-approval&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US)
* [Exploring Document Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explore-doc-management&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US)
* [Explore Now Assist in Document Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explore-now-assist-in-document-management&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US)
* [Exploring Document Intelligence](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=exploring-docintel&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US)