Template
Documentation Review Log
The Documentation Review Log is a template for recording when important organizational documentation is reviewed, what changed, what still needs attention, and when the next review should happen.
Documentation is most useful when it remains current enough to help people. A vendor changes, an account owner leaves, a renewal date moves, a service is cancelled, a new tool is added, or an incident reveals that an old record is no longer accurate.
This template helps organizations create a simple habit of reviewing documentation over time.
The goal is maintenance, not bureaucracy.
Purpose
The purpose of this template is to help an organization document:
- when documentation was reviewed
- who completed or coordinated the review
- which records were checked
- what changes were made
- what still needs follow-up
- when the next review should happen
- whether the review is complete, open, deferred, or needs attention
The template helps keep documentation from becoming a one-time project.
Who this template is for
This template is designed for:
- small businesses
- nonprofits
- founder-led organizations
- community projects
- small teams
- independent maintainers
- early-stage organizations
- organizations without formal operations staff
Larger organizations may adapt it, but they may need formal audits, internal controls, compliance reviews, governance processes, or professional support.
Important boundary
This template is not:
- an audit
- a compliance certification
- a legal review
- a cybersecurity review
- a financial review
- an insurance review
- a guarantee that documentation is complete
- a substitute for professional advice
- a formal internal control system
The template supports practical documentation maintenance. It does not replace professional review where professional review is needed.
Recommended use
Use this template to record periodic or event-based documentation reviews.
Examples include:
- monthly documentation check
- quarterly vendor review
- access-reference review
- annual continuity review
- post-incident documentation review
- review before a major renewal
- review after a role change
- review after adding or removing a major service
- template version review
- public standards review
A short review that actually happens is better than a complex review that is ignored.
Template fields
The Documentation Review Log may include the following fields.
Review name
Record the name of the review.
Examples:
- Quarterly documentation review
- Vendor inventory review
- Access-reference review
- Annual continuity review
- Post-incident documentation review
- Template version review
Review type
Record the type of review.
Suggested values:
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Annual
- Before renewal
- After incident
- After role change
- After vendor change
- Before leave
- Template review
- As needed
Review owner
Record who is responsible for completing or coordinating the review.
Examples:
- Founder
- Operations lead
- Documentation maintainer
- Finance owner
- Website maintainer
- Board secretary
- External provider
Where possible, include both a role and current person.
Review date
Record the date the review happened.
Records reviewed
List the records checked during the review.
Examples:
- Vendor and Service Inventory
- Access Reference Register
- Responsibility Records
- Continuity Notes
- Incident Timeline Notes
- Documentation Review Log
- Template files
- Public standards pages
Be specific enough that someone can understand what was reviewed.
Summary of changes
Record a short summary of updates made.
Examples:
- Added new website hosting provider to vendor inventory.
- Updated backup owner for domain registrar.
- Archived cancelled design tool.
- Confirmed access references for critical services.
- Updated continuity note after role change.
- Added follow-up item from website outage.
- Corrected review dates on vendor records.
The summary should be factual and brief.
Follow-up items
Record items that still need attention.
Examples:
- Add backup owner for email admin account.
- Confirm annual renewal date for insurance.
- Review old subscription before renewal.
- Update access reference after password manager migration.
- Confirm vendor contact path.
- Add continuity note for finance owner.
- Review optional services marked unknown.
Follow-up items should be clear enough to act on.
Follow-up owner
Record who owns the follow-up item, if known.
Examples:
- Founder
- Operations lead
- Finance owner
- Website maintainer
- Documentation maintainer
- Unknown
If the owner is unknown, mark it clearly.
Due date
Record when follow-up should be completed, if useful.
This can be a specific date or a general note.
Examples:
- 2026-08-01
- Before annual renewal
- Before next quarterly review
- After vendor response
- No date yet
Status
Record the status of the review or follow-up.
Suggested values:
- Complete
- In progress
- Needs follow-up
- Deferred
- Not started
- Blocked
- Closed
Next review date
Record when the next review should happen.
This helps the routine continue.
Notes
Use notes for neutral, non-sensitive context.
Examples:
- Next review should include finance owner.
- Vendor inventory is mostly current, but optional tools need cleanup.
- Several access references need updated item names.
- Continuity notes should be reviewed after board changes.
- Incident follow-up should be checked again next month.
Do not use notes for passwords, API keys, recovery codes, private keys, payment details, confidential contracts, sensitive incident evidence, or unnecessary personal information.
Minimum version
A small organization can begin with these fields:
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Review name | Name of the review |
| Review owner | Person or role responsible |
| Review date | Date completed |
| Records reviewed | Documentation areas checked |
| Changes made | Short summary of updates |
| Follow-up items | Open items needing attention |
| Next review | When to review again |
| Status | Complete, needs follow-up, deferred, or in progress |
This minimum version is enough to support a useful review habit.
Example entry
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Review name | Quarterly documentation review |
| Review type | Quarterly |
| Review owner | Operations lead |
| Review date | 2026-07-08 |
| Records reviewed | Vendor inventory, access references, responsibility records |
| Summary of changes | Updated billing owner for payment processor; archived old design tool |
| Follow-up items | Confirm backup owner for email admin |
| Follow-up owner | Founder |
| Due date | Before next quarterly review |
| Status | Needs follow-up |
| Next review date | 2026-10-08 |
Review types
Vendor review
A vendor review checks whether vendor and service records are still accurate.
Questions to ask:
- Is the vendor still active?
- Is the purpose still correct?
- Is the owner still correct?
- Is billing or renewal information current?
- Is the importance level accurate?
- Is the access reference still correct?
- Are any optional services no longer needed?
- Are any cancelled vendors still marked active?
Access-reference review
An access-reference review checks whether access records still point to the correct secure locations.
Questions to ask:
- Is the responsible owner still correct?
- Is the password manager item name still correct?
- Is the secure storage reference still correct?
- Is MFA status still accurate?
- Is the recovery owner still correct?
- Are references missing for critical accounts?
- Are any secrets accidentally recorded in general documentation?
Do not copy credential values into the review log.
Responsibility review
A responsibility review checks whether ownership is clear.
Questions to ask:
- Does each critical area have a primary owner?
- Does each critical area have a backup owner or escalation path?
- Are any responsibilities marked unknown or unassigned?
- Have roles changed?
- Is decision authority clear where it matters?
- Are shared responsibilities specific enough?
Continuity review
A continuity review checks whether key-person notes are current.
Questions to ask:
- Are key roles documented?
- Are first steps still useful?
- Are critical services still accurate?
- Are backup owners current?
- Are access references linked safely?
- Have recurring obligations changed?
- Are record locations still correct?
Incident follow-up review
An incident follow-up review checks whether an incident revealed documentation gaps.
Questions to ask:
- Were vendor records clear during the incident?
- Were access references current?
- Was ownership clear?
- Were continuity notes helpful?
- Were follow-up items completed?
- Should any record be updated?
- Should any template or standard be clarified?
Template review
A template review checks whether template files are still useful and understandable.
Questions to ask:
- Are the fields clear?
- Are instructions too long, too vague, or missing?
- Are examples practical?
- Are sensitive-data warnings clear?
- Are version numbers current?
- Are download links correct?
- Does the template still match the related standard?
Suggested review frequencies
Monthly
Monthly review may be useful for:
- active incident follow-up
- high-change vendor records
- active access ownership changes
- support inbox ownership
- early-stage organizations changing quickly
Monthly reviews should be short.
Quarterly
Quarterly review is a practical default for many small organizations.
It may include:
- vendor inventory
- access references
- responsibility records
- critical services
- open follow-up items
Twice per year
Twice-yearly review may be useful for:
- continuity notes
- less active vendor records
- archived vendors
- optional tools
- documentation structure
Annually
Annual review may be useful for:
- long-term continuity notes
- insurance awareness
- annual report reminders
- public policy pages
- template versions
- older records
Event-based
Event-based review should happen when something changes.
Examples:
- after an incident
- after a role change
- after adding a major vendor
- after cancelling a service
- before a major renewal
- before extended travel or leave
- after changing website hosting
- after changing payment processors
- after changing password managers
What not to include
Do not include:
- passwords
- API keys
- MFA recovery codes
- private keys
- seed phrases
- payment card numbers
- bank login details
- confidential contracts
- sensitive customer records
- regulated data
- sensitive incident evidence
- unnecessary personal information
If sensitive information must be preserved, store it in an approved secure location and reference it safely.
Suggested first pass
A useful first pass may look like this:
- Choose one review owner.
- Review critical vendors.
- Review access references for critical accounts.
- Review responsibility owners.
- Add follow-up items for anything unknown or unassigned.
- Set the next review date.
- Keep the review short enough to repeat.
The first review does not need to solve everything. It should start the habit.
Related standard
This template supports the Review Routines standard.
It also connects to:
- Vendor Inventory
- Access References
- Responsibility Records
- Continuity Notes
- Incident Timeline
License
This template is intended to be provided as a free public resource.
Unless otherwise stated on the project license page, the standards and templates are made available for use, adaptation, and sharing under the project’s open content license.
The project name, logo, and official identity are not included in the template license.
Download template
This template is provided as a free public resource. Review the guidance on this page before using it, especially the notes about sensitive information.
Download Documentation Review Log