Audit Trail & History

Every action taken on a document in Otesse is permanently recorded. From the moment a template is created through every field save, submission, signature, review, and renewal, the system maintains a complete, immutable audit trail. This is essential for legal compliance, dispute resolution, and organizational accountability.

What Gets Recorded

The audit system captures events at every stage of the document lifecycle:

Template-Level Events

Event	Recorded Data
Template created	Creator, timestamp, initial configuration
Template updated	Editor, timestamp, changed fields (old and new values), version increment
Template archived	Admin who archived, timestamp, reason

Instance-Level Events

Event	Recorded Data
Document assigned	Assigner (system or admin), worker, template, timestamp
Document opened (first time)	Worker, timestamp, auto-fill data populated
Field value saved	Worker, field name, new value, timestamp
Document submitted	Worker, timestamp, all field values at submission time
Admin review (approve)	Reviewer, timestamp, any review notes
Admin review (reject)	Reviewer, timestamp, rejection reason
Document signed	Signer, legal name, timestamp, IP address, user agent, template version
Document expired	System, timestamp, expiry reason (calendar or signature-based)
Renewal created	System, new instance ID, previous instance ID, renewal number

Compliance Events

Event	Recorded Data
Worker blocked	System, timestamp, blocking documents, blocking scope
Worker unblocked	System, timestamp, document completed
Admin waiver granted	Admin, worker, template, reason, waiver duration
Admin waiver expired	System, timestamp, waiver details
Reminder sent	System, worker, document, reminder interval (30/14/7/1 days)

Immutability Guarantees

Audit records in Otesse are append-only. They cannot be edited, deleted, or overridden:

No edits — Once an audit entry is written, its content is permanently frozen
No deletions — Audit records are excluded from all soft-delete operations
No overwrites — Each event creates a new record; existing records are never modified
Timestamp integrity — Server-side timestamps prevent client-side manipulation
Actor tracking — Every entry records who performed the action (user ID or "system" for automated events)

Signature Audit Records

Signatures receive the most comprehensive audit treatment because they are legally binding:

Field	Description
Instance ID	The specific document that was signed
User ID	The worker who signed
Legal Name	The exact text the worker typed as their signature
Signed At	Server-side timestamp (not client time)
IP Address	The signer's IP address at the time of signing
User Agent	Browser and device information
Template Version	Which version of the template was in effect

This record is stored separately from the audit log as a dedicated signature record. It serves as the primary legal proof of the worker's consent and agreement.

Viewing Audit History

For Administrators

Administrators can view audit history at multiple levels:

Template history: Open any template's detail drawer and navigate to the "History" tab. Shows all version changes, field modifications, and configuration updates.

Instance history: Open any document instance and navigate to the "Activity" tab. Shows the complete timeline of events from assignment through current status:

Timeline for W-4 Federal Tax Withholding — Nathaniel Maddox

Feb 15, 2026  2:00 PM   Document assigned (onboarding)
Feb 15, 2026  3:12 PM   Worker opened document (auto-fill populated 6 fields)
Feb 15, 2026  3:14 PM   Field saved: firstName = "Nathaniel"
Feb 15, 2026  3:14 PM   Field saved: lastName = "Maddox"
Feb 15, 2026  3:15 PM   Field saved: filingStatus = "Single"
Feb 15, 2026  3:18 PM   Document submitted
Feb 15, 2026  3:18 PM   Document signed by Nathaniel Maddox (IP: 192.168.1.xxx)
Feb 15, 2026  3:18 PM   Status: completed (expires Dec 31, 2026)

Workforce audit: The compliance dashboard provides a filterable view of audit events across all workers. Administrators can filter by event type, worker, template, date range, and status.

For Workers

Workers see a simplified activity view on their own documents:

When the document was assigned
When they started filling it out
When they submitted and/or signed it
Current status and expiry date (if applicable)

Workers do not see field-level save events or admin review details in their view.

Data Retention

All audit data is retained indefinitely. There is no automatic purge or archival process for audit records. This ensures that:

Legal disputes can be resolved with complete documentation regardless of how long ago the event occurred
Regulatory audits have access to the full history of every document
Compliance reporting can cover any time period

Compliance Reporting

The audit trail powers several compliance reports available to administrators:

Report	Description
Completion Report	Which workers have completed which documents, with timestamps
Expiry Report	Documents expiring within a specified date range
Blocking Report	Currently blocked workers with details on which documents are expired
Waiver Report	All admin waivers granted, including active and expired waivers
Signature Report	All signatures within a date range with signer details and template versions