Document lifecycle tracking system and method for use with a document production process

A method for monitoring the status of documents created by a large scale document production and management process, the production and management process including a plurality of stages selected from the following group:

• utilizing a print stream to generate the documents, printing documents on a printer in accordance with the print stream, forming completed mail pieces on an inserter from the printed documents in accordance with mail piece creation data files, sorting the completed mail pieces on an outgoing sorter in accordance with carrier service specifications, delivering the completed mail pieces to a recipient by a carrier service, delivering a response mail piece from the recipient by the carrier service, and sorting the response mail piece at an incoming sorter, the method comprising:
• storing records relating to individual documents processed by the document production and management process, each record being identified by a non-recurring identifier;
• monitoring the status of the individual documents during a plurality of stages in the document production and management process;
• relating the monitored status of individual documents to the non-recurring identifier;
• updating the stored records to indicate the monitored status of individual documents throughout the document production and management process;
• and
• displaying the status of one or more individual documents during the document production and management process based on the updated stored records that are related to the non-recurring identifier.