Ask practical questions
- Who created or changed the record?
- When?
- What changed?
- Can unauthorized users change it?
- Can records be deleted?
- Is the original information retained?
- Can the record be retrieved throughout retention?
Follow the complete record
Check creation, calculation, transfer, review, approval, retention and retrieval. Include metadata and relationships needed to understand what the record means.
Fictional example. A LIMS-to-ERP message arrives successfully but carries the wrong unit. Transport success does not establish record accuracy. Verify data meaning and define how invalid values are held, reconciled and corrected.
ALCOA+ reference
ALCOA+ reference
Use ALCOA+ as a memory aid: attributable, legible, contemporaneous, original and accurate, plus complete, consistent, enduring and available. Apply it to the actual record lifecycle rather than treating the acronym as a separate paperwork exercise.
Practitioner guidance by Sandip Thorat · Simplified 17 September 2026. Apply the requirements and approved procedures relevant to your system. Report a correction.