September 28, 2026
Reading a certificate of analysis
Lot number, test method, measured value, test date, signatory: the five fields that carry the weight.
4 min read
Documentation
The record is the product. These pieces cover what a certificate, a batch record or an audit trail contains, what makes it trustworthy, and how long it has to survive.
11 entries
Newest firstAugust 11, 2026
Small batches and consistency
A shorter run means a shorter record, and a shorter record is easier to read.
3 min read
July 24, 2026
The cost of missing paperwork
Procurement teams reject unlabeled containers more than any other defect.
3 min read
July 9, 2026
Document control without the bureaucracy
A proportionate way to approve, version, issue, and retire controlled documents.
3 min read
July 6, 2026
How long records should be kept
Retention periods are set by regulation, product life and contract, not by shelf space. The clock usually starts at expiry or distribution, not at creation.
4 min read
July 1, 2026
How to check a certificate for internal consistency
Simple cross-checks for dates, units, methods, signatures, and identifiers on a certificate.
4 min read
June 17, 2026
Lot versus batch: clearing up the terms
A practical distinction between two labels that are often used as if they were interchangeable.
3 min read
June 5, 2026
Audit trails and why reviewers ask for them
An audit trail records who changed what, when and why. Reviewers ask for it because the final result alone cannot show how it was reached.
4 min read
May 11, 2026
Traceability and what breaks it
A lot number only means something if every container, transfer and record links back to it. Most breaks happen at the bench, not in the database.
4 min read
April 27, 2026
What a batch record contains
The step-by-step account of how one batch was made, checked and released, and the document a reviewer reads before anything is approved.
4 min read
April 8, 2026
Data integrity and the ALCOA principles
Attributable, legible, contemporaneous, original, accurate: five tests a record has to pass before anyone should rely on what it says.
4 min read