Training Records Software: What a Record Must Prove

An auditor rarely asks whether you have software. They ask to see the record for one person and one requirement, then ask how you know it is right. Training records software earns its place when that record answers both questions without a spreadsheet beside it. This guide covers what each record has to hold and five tests to run on any product before you move your records into it.

What a training record has to show

• Who: the person, with the department, position and location that set what they must complete.
• What: the course and the version completed, so a later revision does not rewrite history.
• When: the completion date and, for training that repeats, the expiry or next due date.
• Result and evidence: the grade or outcome, the instructor or provider, the hours where you track them, and the supporting file, such as a signed sign-in sheet or a certificate.
• Competence, where the task needs it: a separate assessment with the outcome, the assessor and the date. Completed training and demonstrated competence are different facts, so the assessment is its own entry beside the completion, as skills matrix vs training matrix explains.

Which records a rule requires, and for how long, depends on the rule. The OSHA training records and ISO 9001 training records guides cover two common sets, and training records retention covers how long to keep them.

In TrainGrid a completion holds the Completion date, Grade, Hours and Instructor, and a competency assessment is recorded on the completed record, beside the completion. The record details guide shows the rest of what a record holds.

Five tests for any training records software

1. The evidence stays on the record

A signed sheet in a shared folder is not linked evidence. The file should be attached to the completion it proves, so anyone reading the record reaches it in one step. In TrainGrid the file is attached to the completion as a Certificate, Attendance sheet, Competency evidence or Other.

2. Corrections leave a trace

Records get corrected: a wrong date, a missed attendee. Ask who can correct a record and what the system keeps when they do. In TrainGrid, changes to training records made through the application are written to an append-only audit log of who did what, to which record and when. The security page states the exact boundary.

3. Due dates come from the record

A due date typed by hand drifts away from the training it depends on. The next due date should be calculated from the completion and the course's interval. TrainGrid sets the expiry and the next due date when a completion is recorded, from the course's Repeat every (days) and Valid for (days).

4. The record survives change

Courses are revised and people leave. A record should still show the version it was completed against after the course changes, and a leaver's history should stay available. In TrainGrid a completed record keeps the course version it was completed against, an archived employee's training history is preserved, and an employee with training records cannot be deleted, only archived.

5. The record can leave

Ask what you can take out yourself, in what format, and what happens if you stop paying. TrainGrid exports training records, reports, transcripts and the audit log as CSV files from inside the product, and attachments download as their original files. If a subscription ends, the workspace becomes read-only, and records can still be read and exported for the period the data protection page states. The reports guide shows the report exports.

Access, hosting and what to get in writing

Ask for the access model, where the data is stored and what the vendor does not claim, in writing. TrainGrid's staff roles are Administrator, Manager, Training Coordinator, Supervisor and Viewer (auditor), which is read-only, plus custom roles built on any of them except Administrator; the roles guide has the details. The data protection page states where the database and files are stored and which processors handle data. TrainGrid holds no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification and is not validated for 21 CFR Part 11; the security page describes the controls it tests instead.

Getting existing records in

Employees and courses import by CSV; training history not imported. Past training can be recorded in Assignments with its original completion date. Set Repeat every (days) and Valid for (days) on each course first, because the expiry and the next due date are set when a completion is recorded. Or keep the old spreadsheet as the historical record. The past training guide and the migration steps in training matrix software vs spreadsheets go further.

Test it on one real record

1. 1
   Pick a record an auditor would ask for

   Choose one person and one requirement that repeats, such as a forklift evaluation or a chemical-safety refresher.
2. 2
   Enter it as it happened

   Record the completion with its original date, attach the signed sheet or certificate, and add the assessment if the task needs one.
3. 3
   Correct it

   Change the date or the result, then find the trace: who changed it, when, and the value before and after.
4. 4
   Revise the course

   Create a new course version and check that the completed record still shows the version it was completed against.
5. 5
   Take it out

   Export the record, the audit log and the attachment, and open them outside the product.

Run the same five steps in a trial or demo of each product you compare.

Records software or training management software?

This page judges the record. Running the program on the floor, with the matrix, reminders, group sessions, hours and sites, is covered in training management software for manufacturing. Whether an LMS completion is enough evidence is covered in when an LMS completion is not enough audit evidence. The user guide shows each step: recording completions, course versions and the audit log.