# Records and record templates

How records hold the evidence that your procedures were followed, from opening one from a template to submitting it and having it closed.

Source: https://sted.digital/docs/product/records · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 · Strand Product

A record is the evidence that a procedure was followed: an access review, an incident, a corrective action. Sted's knowledge base holds 168 record templates, each belonging to the policy or procedure it proves. You open a record from a template, fill in its sections, submit it for closure, and the document's owner closes it.

## What this is

Documents say what your organisation does. Records prove it happened, which is what an auditor asks to see. Each record follows a template with sections and, where useful, structured fields such as dates, choices and tables that you can report on.

The Corrective and Preventive Actions record, for example, sits under the Corrective and Preventive Action Procedure. Its ten sections run from describing the problem through containment, root cause, corrective and preventive actions and a check of their effectiveness, to a review for closure. The [corrective and preventive action](/docs/glossary/capa) glossary entry explains the terms.

## Where to find it

Open **Framework** in the sidebar, then **Records**. Records opens once onboarding is finished. On a phone, select **Menu** at the top of the screen first. Use **Element** and **Status** to narrow the list to one document's records or to Open, Awaiting closure, Closed or Withdrawn records. Below the list, **Repeating records** shows the templates you have scheduled.

## How it works

### Open a record

1. Open **Framework**, then **Records**.
2. Select **Create record**.
3. Choose a **Template**.
4. Enter a **Subject**, choose an **Owner** and a **Classification**.
5. Select **Create**.

### Fill it in and submit it

1. Open the record and select **Edit** on a section.
2. Write in the section and fill in any structured fields.
3. Select **Save**.
4. Select **Add attachment** under **Attachments** for any supporting files.
5. Select **Submit for closure** once every section has content.
6. Select **Submit for closure** in the dialog to confirm.

A section counts as complete once it holds content, and **Submit for closure** appears only when every section the record uses is complete. Attachments are scanned for malware before anyone can download them.

### Closure and the tasks around it

An open record raises a task for its owner to complete it, as long as its document has an Approved version. Once submitted, the record waits as Awaiting closure, and a task asks the document's owner to review and close it. Closing a record locks its sections.

### Other things you can do

Steward's menu on an open record offers **Create new version**, **Duplicate record**, **Withdraw record**, **Assign to another user**, **Assign to me** and **Export as PDF**, as far as you are allowed to use them. A withdrawn record stays readable, but nothing more can be written to it. On the record itself you can link related records and people, and choose whether linked personnel can see it. Some templates can repeat on a schedule; see [repeating records](/docs/product/repeating-records).

## Permissions

Most record actions also depend on ownership and classification. Creating, closing and withdrawing need an administrator or the owner of the record's document. Who else may fill in and submit a record depends on who owns it and on its classification: Public, Internal, Restricted or Confidential.

| Action | Administrator | Policy and Process Owner | Reviewer | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read records | Yes, by classification | Yes, by classification | Yes, by classification | Yes, by classification |
| Create, duplicate or version a record | Yes | Records of documents they own | No | No |
| Fill in sections, attach files, submit | Yes | Depends on ownership and classification | Depends on ownership and classification | Depends on ownership and classification |
| Close or withdraw a record | Yes | Records of documents they own | No | No |
| Assign a record's owner | Yes | Records of documents they own, or of a document they train on while the record is open | No | Records of a document they train on, while the record is open |
| Link records | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Export a record as PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

Reviewers and Personnel never own a document, so they cannot create, close or withdraw records. Controls you may not use are not shown: **Create record** appears only if you may create under at least one template.

## Limits and plan features

Records are part of the Full Management System plan; on other plans, Records shows an upgrade prompt. Exporting a record as a PDF follows the same rule as documents.

Sted does not connect to your cloud, code or HR systems to collect evidence automatically; you record it. Sted has no DPIA record template.

## Related guides

- [Repeating records](/docs/product/repeating-records): scheduling a record type so Sted reminds you when it falls due.
- [Root-cause analysis for a CAPA](/docs/guides/capa-root-cause-analysis): filling in the root-cause section of a corrective action well.
- [How to run an access review](/docs/guides/access-reviews): a record most auditors ask for, done properly.
- [Record template](/docs/glossary/record-template): what a template carries and how it relates to its document.
- [Evidence](/docs/glossary/evidence): what auditors accept as proof.

## Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the difference between a record and a document in Sted?
A: A document says what your organisation does; a record proves that it did it. Your Access Control Policy is a document, and each access review you carry out under it is a record, opened from a template that belongs to that policy.

Q: Why can't I submit my record for closure?
A: Usually because a section is still empty. Submit for closure appears only when every section the record uses has content. If every section is filled and the button is still missing, your ownership of the record or its classification doesn't allow you to submit it.

Q: Can a closed record be changed?
A: No. Closing a record locks its sections. If the situation changes, create a new version of the record or open a new one; a record opened by mistake can be withdrawn and stays readable.

Q: Which plan includes records?
A: Full Management System, at £499 a month excluding VAT. On other plans Records shows an upgrade prompt, and an administrator can open the plan picker from it.