Audit-ready inspection programs: what regulators look for
The evidence trail you need: approvals, audit logs, consistent templates, and reporting.
Evidence of control
Audits focus on whether your process is controlled: who can perform an inspection, who can approve it, and whether exceptions are tracked and resolved. Role-based access and approvals are core requirements.
Traceability
A complete audit trail should show who did what, when, and why. Logs, comments, and attachments should be retained and exportable for internal reviews and external audits.
Consistency across sites
Regulators and internal risk teams expect comparable data. Standard templates, required fields, and consistent severity definitions prevent “apples-to-oranges” reporting.
Reporting that answers operational questions
Be prepared to show completion rates, overdue inspections, recurring failures, and corrective action timelines. If you can answer these quickly, audits become routine instead of disruptive.