An audit trail is a chronological record of in-scope actions and state changes within a process or system. It can identify who acted, what changed, when it occurred, and the associated record or evidence. Its usefulness depends on access, retention, completeness, configuration, and scope; an audit trail does not by itself establish regulatory compliance or replace professional audit procedures.
In plain English
It is the history of who did what, when, and to which record.
Illustrative example
At Northstar Industrial Systems, the sourcing record shows when an evaluator submitted scores, when procurement changed an award scenario, and who approved the final decision.
- Related terms
- Approval workflow; Evidence record; Traceability; Segregation of duties
- Lifecycle stages
- All stages
- Stakeholders
- Audit; Compliance and Legal; Procurement; IT and Security