Typing a name in Excel/Word, or even pasting a picture of the signature, can be done by anyone. So you'll have auditors ask you to prove how you know that specific person entered their name on that specific document. As the signature usually serves as proof that person reviewed the document, the inability to prove the person actually entered their name to the document means you cannot prove they reviewed and approved, and in the case of the SQF Practitioner needing to review all programs, it can be a critical non-conformity depending on the program.
My first SQF certified company was very paper heavy, manual in documentation. Each program had 3 signatures: Issued By, Approved By, and SQF Practitioner. And we would sign every. single. page. This came about because documents like my Recall Program was 26+ pages long, and if they only sign the top page, an auditor once asked me if I can prove the Practitioner had reviewed the entire program. With a signature on every.single.page, I can at least prove the signer saw the page, and then of course bring them in to interview if needed. Also eliminates the possibility of someone replacing a single page in the binder (which also has been brought up to me during audits).
I like binders. I kept one as my official bible for the plant, with electronic versions of the signed copies available for distribution, and always made it available for production staff to review if they had a question about a certain procedure. Auditors seemed to like that too. If you do move away from signing the programs in the binder, you'll need some type of outside program to handle electronic signing, as just entering names in Word/Excel will not be sufficient.
