I believe the friction you identify is quite common—quality teams prioritize compliance and safety, whereas production and R&D prioritize speed and innovation. Document control might be improved by determining how to be both rigorous and efficient. For example, switching from paper-based to electronic document management systems can minimize delays since approvals and amendments can be monitored and signed off much faster. Another improvement might be improved communication between departments. If R&D or production teams understand why particular paperwork is essential and how it protects the organization and the end user, they may feel less irritated with the process. On the other hand, quality departments can try to streamline operations and eliminate superfluous stages, making the system less burdensome than it has to be. Overall, I believe document control works best when it is viewed as a shared duty rather than only a "gatekeeper" role. This ensures compliance and timely product delivery.

The QA department relies on document control to achieve audit-readiness for all project documentation which must comply with FDA regulations and other regulatory requirements. The organization needs to prove its adherence to regulatory requirements at all times.
Organizations should work together to develop a single worldwide standard record which would serve as a common framework for both multinational corporations and independent businesses to follow. However, since this would require multiple regulatory bodies to align, it seems more realistic to focus on solutions within the company itself.
The QA/QS department needs expansion to distribute work better and enhance efficiency although this would need extra financial resources. The organization needs to create improved communication links between QA and other departments to enable unimpeded information sharing. By making documentation a shared responsibility, companies can ease the burden on QA while maintaining compliance and readiness.