A delegation log you can read as of any date.
The delegation of authority log is usually a signed PDF: correct the day the PI signed it, less correct every day after. What an auditor asks is historical — was this person delegated on the day they did it.
- PI e-signature
- Staff acknowledgement
- Effective dates
- Version history
- Current version
- v6
- Signed by PI
- 24 Feb 2026
- Delegated staff
- 5
- Acknowledged
- 4 of 5
- Training gaps
- 0
- Audit trail entries
- 38
Readable as of today, or as of any past date.
No crossings-out, no corrections on top of corrections.
A paper delegation log degrades the moment it starts being maintained. Every amendment is a strike-through and a date squeezed into a margin, for a monitor to decipher and a sponsor to defend.
Amendments replace, not overwrite
A change creates a new version, not a correction on the page. Nothing is struck through.
Nothing is added without a date
A responsibility cannot appear without a start date and an authorising signature.
Every change carries a reason
Left site, annual review, new responsibility — recorded at the time, not inferred later.
Verification stops being deciphering
The monitor reads the log as of any date, instead of decoding which strike-through applied when.
Fewer deviations of this kind
Activity outside a person's delegation is a common inspection finding. Current delegation stays visible.
Signatures are attributable
PI authorisation and each person's acknowledgement, captured against their own account.
From request to effective, with the trail attached.
Propose
A new sub-investigator, a moved responsibility, someone leaving the site.
Reason
Left site, annual review, new responsibility — recorded, not inferred later.
PI signs
The PI authorises the new version with an attributable e-signature and timestamp.
Staff acknowledge
Each person acknowledges their own responsibilities. Outstanding ones stay visible.
Effective
Effective from its start date. Prior versions stay readable as of their own dates.
Version 6, and how it got there.
The current delegation and the audit trail behind it, on one screen. Illustrative data.
| Person | Role | Responsibilities | From | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. A. Weber | Principal investigator | All | 04 Jan 2026 | Acknowledged |
| Dr. K. Hoffmann | Sub-investigator | Consent, AE assessment | 04 Jan 2026 | Acknowledged |
| S. Müller | Study coordinator | Consent, visits, source | 04 Jan 2026 | Acknowledged |
| J. Becker | Pharmacist | IP accountability | 04 Jan 2026 | Acknowledged |
| M. Vogel | Sub-investigator | AE assessment | 24 Feb 2026 | Pending |
- 24 Feb 2026 14:02 · weber · e-signed v6 · reason: "New sub-investigator"
- 24 Feb 2026 13:58 · weber · added Vogel · responsibilities: AE assessment
- 11 Feb 2026 09:20 · weber · ended Krause · reason: "Left site"
Everything the paper log implied but never recorded.
Responsibility matrix
Who may do what, defined per study and assigned per person.
Attributable signatures
PI authorisation and staff acknowledgement, each with actor and timestamp.
Effective dating
Start and end dates on every delegation, so the log reads correctly for any date.
Training linkage
Responsibilities requiring training show the gap when it is incomplete.
Files itself
Each signed version files to the site file and the eTMF.
Reviewed at visits
Monitors compare delegation against activity during the visit, and raise findings in place.
Common questions
Does the PI have to sign every change?
Yes. A change to who is delegated what is a change the principal investigator authorises, and MonitoHQ requires their e-signature to make a new version effective. Staff acknowledge their own responsibilities separately.
How are effective dates handled?
Each delegation carries a start date and, where applicable, an end date. The log can therefore be read as of any date, which is what an auditor asks for: not who is delegated now, but who was delegated on the day this procedure was performed.
What links delegation to training?
A responsibility can require specific training. If the assigned person has not completed it, the gap is visible on the delegation record rather than sitting in a separate LMS report nobody cross-references.
Is an electronic delegation log acceptable to regulators?
Electronic records and signatures are widely used for delegation logs, provided the system supports attributable signatures, a complete audit trail and appropriate controls, and provided your organisation has validated the system and has procedures covering its use. MonitoHQ provides those technical capabilities; acceptability also depends on your validation and your SOPs.
Connected in the same platform
Clinical trial monitoring software
Preparation, visit, findings, actions and report as one connected workflow.
Clinical trial training management
Assign protocol and system training, then gate work on completion.
eISF software
A configurable site file index with missing-document flags that drive monitoring.
Bring a delegation log that caused you trouble.
30 minutes with a founder. We'll rebuild it electronically and show what 'who was delegated on 12 February' looks like when the answer takes one click.