Audit trail in accounting software serves organizations that want to save time and reduce the risk of fraud.
When external auditors make requests, or when an internal investigation is required, an audit trail provides finance administrators with a time-stamped invoice log. The invoice, purchase order and goods receipt can all be accessed – as well as messages between team members and suppliers.
What are the benefits of an audit trail?
Audit trail benefits include:
Step-by-step documented history of invoice transactions
Provides basis of objectivity for enquiries or investigations
Saves time looking for invoices and tracing transaction history
Reduces risk of fraudulent activity
These advantages become even more powerful with audit-trail software, which adds precise time-stamped records, strengthens accountability, simplifies compliance, and offers a reliable historical record you can trust.
How audit trails support purchase order automation
One area where audit trails deliver significant value is the purchase order (PO) process.
PO workflows often involve multiple steps, approvals, changes, and back-and-forth communication. This makes it easy for information to get lost or for mistakes to slip through.
Automating purchase orders solves these challenges.
With an automated system, every request and PO is tracked from start to finish, creating full visibility for both internal and external investigations. The audit trail ties every change, approval, and message to a specific user and timestamp, ensuring clarity and accountability.
Purchase order automation software
Purchase order automation uses digital tools and PO software to streamline the entire workflow. Instead of relying on manual steps prone to delays and human error, organizations can automate each stage for faster processing, greater accuracy, and clearer visibility.
Rillion’s purchase order automation software gives organizations control over indirect spending. Requisitions are created, routed to approvers, and converted into purchase orders automatically. Combined with a built-in audit trail, this provides:
Greater efficiency and cost awareness
Flexible, automated PO approval workflows
Reduced maverick (off-policy) spending
Strong purchasing policy compliance
A complete audit trail for every action
Faster audits and investigations
Purchase order matching
A PO management system also automates invoice matching. Invoices are automatically matched against their corresponding internal or external purchase orders at the header or line level, following predefined rules and tolerances.
Invoices that match within tolerance flow straight to the ERP for recording. Exceptions are sent to the proper approver for review and correction. One invoice can be matched to multiple purchase orders—and vice versa—whether items were delivered in full or in parts.
This includes:
Matching at header or line level
Support for POs with hundreds of lines
Clear exception handling with one-click approval on desktop or mobile
A complete audit trail, including related messages
Having a strong audit trail within accounting software makes a measurable difference for any organization managing indirect spend. For more information about Rillion’s audit trail software and purchase order automation, visit Rillion AP Automation.
