Icologiq Knowledge · Technology/Compliance
Audit Trail
A traceable record of relevant system activities and changes showing what happened, when it happened and, where applicable, who performed the action.
Also known as:
system audit trail, change history, activity log
At a glance
Type
Technology/Compliance
Topic
Document Control
Applies to
Cross-industry
Current version
Status
Last reviewed
September 14, 2026
Definition
An audit trail records relevant system events so that activities and changes can be reconstructed and reviewed. Depending on the use case, this can include document changes, approvals, status changes, user actions or other controlled events. The exact requirements vary by regulatory context.
Why it matters
Audit trails are an important proof and governance concept for QA, compliance and IT stakeholders. They support traceability but should not be described as automatically satisfying any specific regulation without context.
The ability to follow the history, status, location or relationships of information, materials, products, actions or decisions through a process.
Traceability
Concept
· Quality/Compliance
Explore further
Related knowledge
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DOC-005
A traceable record of relevant system activities and changes showing what happened, when it happened and, where applicable, who performed the action.
An audit trail records relevant system events so that activities and changes can be reconstructed and reviewed. Depending on the use case, this can include document changes, approvals, status changes, user actions or other controlled events. The exact requirements vary by regulatory context.