Question about maintaining audit trails. How detailed do you get with documenting your analysis process? Client is asking for complete backup documentation and I want to make sure I'm not missing anything important.
Audit trail documentation best practices
Good advice from both. One thing I've learned - date and version control everything. I keep a master file log showing when each document was created/updated. Has saved me when questions came up months later about which tariff version I used.
Mike - I document everything: data sources, calculation methods, assumptions made, utility contacts, rate research sources. Basically anything someone would need to recreate your analysis from scratch. Better to over-document than under-document.
Eddie's right - comprehensive documentation protects everyone. I also include screenshots of utility websites, copies of emails, photos of meter installations. Anything that could change or disappear later gets preserved.